Actor Tom Hiddleston, winner of Best Play Revival for Coriolanus poses for photographers in the winners room during the The Whatsonstage Awards 2015, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, in London, Feb 15, 2015. The Whatsonstage Awards are voted for by members of the public.(Photo by John Phillips/AP)The Associated Press
New films starring Tom Hiddleston, Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett are heading to this year's Toronto International Film Festival, organizers announced Tuesday morning. The unveiling was the latest in TIFF's summer-long programming reveal, with five more galas, 19 special presentations, 60 international films, and more joining this fall's lineup.
With its latest selections, TIFF revealed it has no intention of giving up its spot as the unofficial start of the Oscar race. The lineup is littered with awards-friendly fare, including Marc Abraham's I Saw the Light, a biopic of country legend Hank Williams starring Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olson; David Gordon Green's dark political comedy Our Brand Is Crisis, a remake of the 2005 documentary of the same name, starring Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton and Anthony Mackie; and James Vanderbilt's Truth, which tells the story of CBS News producer Mary Mapes (Blanchett) and her role in the so-called Killian documents scandal involving George W. Bush. Each film not only boasts a seasoned director and a strong cast, but also a coveted based-on-true-events sheen, which could help endear them to the biopic-friendly Academy.
The festival also announced its official closing night film: Paco Cabezas's Mr. Right, a dark comedy about an assasin and his girlfriend, starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick. Although the festival has a spotty track record with its closing night selectons — last year's A Little Chaos has since made few ripples, and previous entries include such non-starters as Life of Crime, Song for Marion and Emotional Arithmetic — Kendrick is currently enjoying a hot streak thanks to Pitch Perfect 2.
Other additions include the Israeli drama A Tale of Love and Darkness, the feature directorial debut of Natalie Portman (who will be honoured at a TIFF charity event the night before the festival starts); the world premiere of acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle's documentary Hong Kong Trilogy: Preschooled Preoccupied Preposterous; and London Road, the adaptation of the National Theatre's acclaimed musical about the "Suffolk Strangler" murders, starring Tom Hardy (who will also be at TIFFl with Legend). The latter film is one of eight being presented as part of the City to City program, which this year focuses on London.
TIFF will announce more programming this week and the next. The 40th edition of the festival runs from Sept. 10 to 20.
Barry Hertz