- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
TORONTO — It turns out Harvey Weinstein‘s Oscar-season campaigning at the Toronto International Film Festival won’t all take place on the big screen.
The Hollywood producer will take center stage in Toronto when his all-star Hurricane Sandy relief concert film 12.12.12. receives a world premiere here next month.
PHOTOS: From Bill Clinton to Ryan Seacrest: 17 of Hollywood’s Biggest Philanthropists
Weinstein will lead a live discussion after the screening of 12.12.12., which stars Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, The Who, Kanye West and Alicia Keys and is booked into TIFF’s Mavericks sidebar. And as Toronto fest organizers unwrapped their full September 5 to 15 lineup Tuesday, they announced a world premiere for Ron Howard and Participant Media’s Jay Z documentary Made in America, and Palo Alto, the adaptation of James Franco‘s short story collection by Gia Coppola, the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola.
There are also world bows in the Discovery program for Tommy Oliver‘s feature film debut, the drama 1982; Beneath the Harvest Sky by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly; Mark Phinney‘s Fat, which stars Mel Rodriguez and Charlene Amoia; and Mexican director Mariana Chenillo‘s Paradise.
In all, Toronto will screen 288 features during its upcoming September 5 to 15 run, including 146 world premieres, as films from 70 countries screen here.
That will see star power from the likes of Mila Kunis, Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Colin Firth, Kevin Kline, James Franco, Juliette Binoche, Jesse Eisenberg, Keanu Reeves, Paul Haggis, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Keira Knightley walking up the red carpet in Toronto.
As part of the festival’s last lineup choices, the Masters sidebar added world premieres for Catherine Breillat‘s autobiographic Abuse of Weakness (starring Isabelle Huppert), Pirjo Honkasalo‘s Concrete Night and an international premiere for Italian director Ettore Scola’s How Strange to Be Named Federico: Scola Narrates Fellini.
STORY: Harvey Weinstein’s Crowded Awards Calendar Forces Tough Choices
There are also North American premieres for Claire Denis‘ Bastards, Jia Zhangke‘s A Touch of Sin, Kim Ki-Duk’s Moebius and Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi.
Elsewhere, the Midnight Madness program has booked a world premiere for Alex de la Iglesia‘s Witching & Bitching.
Giving on-stage appearances in Toronto following Maverick program screenings is Spike Jonze, Beeban Kidron, Irrfan Khan, and Ron Howard, who is also bringing his high-octane pic Rush to TIFF. Ken Taylor, the former Canadian ambassador to Iran, is in town to set the record straight about Ben Affleck‘s Oscar-winning thriller Argo.
TIFF is also giving Imax audiences in Toronto super-sized screenings of Keanu Reeves’ Man of Tai Chi and Alfonso Cuaron‘s Gravity from Warner Bros., both of which are to receive North American bows here.
The Toronto International Film Festival will kick off on September 5 with DreamWorks’ The Fifth Estate, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange.
Related Stories
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day