In the coming weeks, I’ll be in Toronto covering the 44th TIFF taking place Sept. 5 – 15. TIFF is my annual destination away from the Pond, my chance to immerse in the celebration of film arts, world premieres of new works, festivities on King Street, and be swept up by the excitement of crowds catching a glimpse of the talents and filmmakers converging there.
For those inclined towards numbers, here are some figures: TIFF19 will screen 333 titles in total, including 245 features, 86 shorts, and 6 series, selected from 6,866 international and 1,059 Canadian submissions. There will be 133 World and 71 North American Premieres. 84 countries are represented with 36% of titles directed, co-directed, or created by women.
It’s a major task to organize one’s own viewing schedule. Films that I want to watch have time conflicts. After several days of juggling and regretful eliminating, I’ve finalized my list, more or less.
The following are some of the feature films on my To-Watch List (All images courtesy of TIFF):
A Girl Missing directed by Koji Fukada (Japan) North American Premiere. Fukada’s previous film, Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner Harmonium (2016) grabbed me as a concoction of Hitchcockian suspense and poignant family drama. Excited to see his newest work at TIFF.
A Hidden Life directed by Terrence Malick (USA, Germany) Canadian Premiere. Based on the true story of Austrian farmer and conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to join the German army in WWII. I expect this newest Malick film to be another soul-stirring work.
The Audition directed by Ina Weisse (Germany, France) World Premiere. Women play major roles in this production as director, screenwriter and cinematographer. But the main attraction for me is actor Nina Hoss, whose riveting performance won her high acclaims in the German films Phoenix (2014) and Barbara (2012).
Coming Home Again dir. by Wayne Wang (USA/Korea) World Premiere. Wang brought Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club to mainstream cinema in 1993, telling generational stories of Chinese-Americans. His newest is based on a personal essay by acclaimed writer Chang-rae Lee about a son coming home to his ailing mother.
The Personal History of David Copperfield dir. by Armando Iannucci (UK) World Premiere. As a book-to-movie enthusiast, I won’t miss this one. What more, the cast looks impressive, and postmodern. Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire (2008) fame will play Davy, Tilda Swinton as Betsey, Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick, and Ben Whishaw the villain Uriah Heep. Turning a 800+ page classic into a two-hour movie is as daunting as Davy’s life journey. But I reserve my judgement.
The Goldfinch dir. by John Crowley (USA) World Premiere. The adaptation of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is helmed by the same director as Brooklyn (2015), with adapted screenplay by Wolf Hall and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy scribe Peter Straughan. Looks like a top-notch collaboration.
Hope Gap directed by William Nicholson (UK) World Premiere. This is Nicholson’s second directorial feature which he also wrote. His other screenplays include Les Misérables (2012) and Gladiator (2000) among many others. But what draw my attention are the duo who play a couple at the brink of a marriage breakdown, Bill Nighy
and Annette Bening.
Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho (S. Korea) Canadian Premiere. This year’s Palme d’Or winner at Cannes. From the description, it echoes Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, last year’s Cannes winner. But Bong’s audacious and creative styling could make this a fresh approach to the subject of social inequality. Lee Chang-dong’s Burning (2018) also comes to mind.
Varda by Agnès directed by Agnès Varda (France) Canadian Premiere. After watching the late French New Wave auteur Agnès Varda’s documentary Faces Places (2017), I’d been looking for this, her last work. Excited to know there will be a special event at TIFF 19 with the screening of Varda by Agnès plus a bonus post-film discussion by a panel of filmmakers.
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For the full lineup, schedule, and tickets go to tiff.net
My reviews of the above plus other TIFF titles will be published on the websites Asian American Press, Vague Visages, and here at Ripple Effects.
Enjoy!
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I will, Lisa! Thanks for stopping by.
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How many films will you be able to fit in to your schedule?
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Gretchen,
Maybe about 20 and review them all. 🙂
Are you familiar with Terrence Malick’s films? I think you’ll be interested in The Tree of Life, and this one A Hidden Life, if it comes to your area in the future.
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I saw “The Tree of Life” and loved it – I will keep an eye out for “A Hidden Life.”
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You can go to TIFF website to find more info on the films and watch their trailers.
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Arti,
So excited for you!!! Will look forward to reading all about your adventure.
Yinling
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Yinling,
Well, it’s not a holiday. It’s work, and with that come stress and pressure. But I like to take the adventurous spirit along. 🙂
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It sounds wonderful — a terrific opportunity to pick and choose the ones you. But why do I think the best movies might be the home movies that come on this trip? Definitely an all-star cast!
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Jeanie,
You’re right. I’ll be treasuring those moments!
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Have a great time at TIFF Arti, and do your wonderful work of witnessing the movies and stories brought before you. I will look forward to your reviews when you return. Enjoy!
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Thanks, Heather. I will try to post some reviews while there so hopefully you don’t have to wait too long.
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Looking forward to the reviews to come – wish you a wonderful trip!
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Thanks, Sigrun. I have a few that I highly anticipate. Hope they won’t disappoint.
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I suspect the films won’t be the only pleasures you enjoy — Toronto’s a wonderful place, in so many ways! Have fun — I’ll look forward to your reviews.
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Linda,
You suspect correctly. There are stars away from the red carpet, and those I’m most excited to see. 🙂 Come to think of it, without family there to stay with, I wonder how many out-of-town journalists would stay for the whole 10 days of the Festival considering all the expenses involved.
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Enjoy your trip! Looking forward to reading your reviews. *The Personal History of David Copperfield* sounds interesting.
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Barbara,
Thanks. Will keep you posted. 🙂
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What an excellent line up you are hoping to see! I look forward to hearing about it all, but especially David Copperfield. Have a fantastic time!
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Stefanie,
Thanks, and yes, we all have high hopes for DC. Stay tuned on Ripple. 🙂
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I hadn’t heard of any of these movies thank you for sharing details of them.
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I’ve been writing about them on Ripples. In addition to ‘Military Wives’, another film you might like is the German one ‘The Audition.’
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I loved both Faces Places and Varda. Her actual films are good too but it made it much deeper to explore the processes behind the film making. What an extraordinary woman.
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I’m always fascinated by the “making of” special features on DVDs. Now we don’t get to watch those anymore. You’re right, “Varda by Agnes” is like that, exploring the process. And I love the gentle and mindful way she made her films too.
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