News

Long Time Running, Call Me By Your Name bookend Canadian event.

Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s Long Time Running will open the Fin: Atlantic International Film Festival, set to run in Halifax, Canada, from September 14-21.

The documentary accompanies Canadian band The Tragically Hip on its 2016 tour across Canada after lead singer Gord Downie announced he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name is the closing night selection. The coming-of-age film set in Italy in the 1980s stars Timothee Chalamet, Esther Garrel, and Armie Hammer.

More than 120 film screenings and special events will be presented over the eight days, when the programme will include features and documentaries by Canadian and international filmmakers.

The Opening Night Gala is part of the Movie Nights Across Canada initiative presented by Canadian Heritage and Telefilm Canada to celebrate Canadian talent in filmmaking.

Gala Presentations include Canadian filmmakers Michael Melski’s [link...

1

Michael Fassbender has signed on to narrate Paul Crowder's new Formula One-themed documentary film "1" at Spitfire Pictures. The action documentary examines the glamour, speed, danger, and excitement of Formula One Grand Prix racing.

The film includes never-before-seen archive footage along with interviews with the likes of Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill. [Source: ]

Hard Drive

Douglas Smith ("Big Love") and Megan Follows are set to star in William D. MacGillivray's indie coming-of-age tale "Hard Drive" which is currently shooting in Nova Scotia.

Based on the novel "Ditch" by Hal Niedzviecki, the story deals with a young man’s unexpected plunge into adulthood in the digital age. Laura Slade and the jazz drummer Jerry Granelli also star. [Source: THR]

Switch

Isla Fisher is the latest to join Dan Schechter's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1978 novel "Switch". Fisher would play Melanie,...

The Harold Greenberg Fund, a Canadian private cinematographic patronage program, announced the title of the 26 films that got supported by its script development program. Here are the projects:

Story Optioning

The Flying Troutmans

Four Seasons Productions Inc.

Screenwriters: Miriam Toews & Semi Chellas

The Journal of Mortifying Moments

Marcon Pictures Inc., T.L. Boulton Productions Ltd. & Calder Road Films Inc.

Screenwriters: Jill Girling & Lori Mather-Welch

The Outlander

Strada Films Inc. & Triptych Media Inc.

Screenwriter: Esta Spalding

Sailor Girl

Markham Street Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Johanna Schneller

Treatment to First Draft

Flop House

John Hazlett

Screenwriters: Darren Curtis & John Hazlett

Happy Clean, The Last Chinese Laundry

Picture Plant Ltd.

Screenwriter: William D. MacGillivray

Kill Shakespeare

Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery

Screenwriters: Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery

A Royal Day

Conquering Lion Pictures Inc.

Screenwriter: Gerald Wexler

Shanghai Follies

Amf Productions Inc.

Screenwriter: Ann Marie Fleming

First to Second Draft

Cottage Country

Whizbang Films Inc.

The cinematographic adaptation of Marian Engel's controversial and award-winning Bear is currently in development. The film's screenplay will be written by William D. MacGillivray.

As in the novel, which won the Governor General Literary Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Pullitzer Award) in 1976, the film will take place during summer on an island in Northern Ontario. A middle-aged woman retires to a shack. Once there, she notices that a bear lives by.

Eventually, she starts playing with the bear in order to kill boredom. Afterwards, she'll engage in an odd, and yet liberating, sexual relation with the bear.

The cast and the rest of the crew have yet to be announced.

Rachel Weisz in The Whistleblower The Toronto International Film Festival has added even more films to their line-up today as the complete line-up was announced, which ended up causing the festival's server to crash, but I was lucky enough to get in and get out before missing out on the information.

First off, the festival's Mavericks line-up is quite interesting, which includes a series of guest presentations and this year will see Edward Norton interview Bruce Springsteen, NBA All-Star and native Canadian Steve Nash will present his hour-long film Into the Wind, Apichatpong Weerasethakul will talk with the audience as his Cannes Palm d'Or-winning film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives was just added to the Masters programme, Ken Loach and Paul Laverty will be interviewed by Michael Moore on politics and cinema and Philip Seymour Hoffman will have his own panel. Also on hand will be Bill Gates,...

The organizers at the Toronto International Film Festival have put together one hell of an impressive line-up that has grown significantly since my first list announcing the Galas and Special Presentations, a pair of lists that have also grown since then.

The lists have grown to include Massy Tadjedin's Last Night starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes and Guillaume Canet, which will serve as the closing night film.

It's also grown to include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours starring James Franco. Boyle recently spoke about the film at Movie Con and told the audience there it may be a challenge to watch saying, "It's a lovely way of doing a new kind of filmmaking, really. We want it to be a challenge to you [the audience] to see if you can sit and watch it."

In the film Franco plays real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston who ended up trapped under a...

As usual, the Toronto International Film Festival sticks to one of its mission: promoting Canadian films to the world. In fact, the complete line-up of Canadian films has been revealed today. Moreover, the festival will be held from September 9 to 19.

Galas

A Beginners Guide to Endings (Jonathan Sobol) World Premiere

Previously announced Canadian Galas include: The Bang Bang Club (Steven Silver), Barney’s Version (Richard J. Lewis), Casino Jack (George Hickenlooper), and Score: A Hockey Musical (Michael McGowan).

Special Presentations

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (Sturla Gunnarsson) World Premiere

Good Neighbours (Jacob Tierney) World Premiere

Incendies (Denis Villeneuve) North American Premiere

Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats) (Xavier Dolan) English Canadian Premiere

Repeaters (Carl Bessai) World Premiere

Trigger (Bruce McDonald) World Premiere

Canada First

Daydream Nation (Mike Goldbach) World Premiere

Amazon Falls (Katrin Bowen) World Premiere

High Cost of Living (Deborah Chow) World Premiere

Jaloux (Patrick Demers) World Premiere...

The Toronto International Film Festival announced their complete slate of Canadian titles today, including the first announced midnight title in Michael Dowse's Fubar II. The Canadian slate this year looks to be a pretty compelling slate of newcomers and familiar names. Check all the news below!

Galas

A Beginners Guide to Endings  Jonathan Sobol, Canada World Premiere

Raucous, charming and very funny, Jonathan Sobol's comedy A Beginners Guide to Endings follows three sons as they deal with their gambler father's somewhat complicated legacy. Featuring the legendary Harvey Keitel, the film also stars Scott Caan, Paolo Costanzo, Wendy Crewson, Tricia Helfer, Jason Jones, and J.K. Simmons.

Previously announced Canadian Galas include: The Bang Bang Club, Steven Silver; Barney's Version, Richard J. Lewis; Casino Jack, George Hickenlooper; Score: A Hockey Musical, Mike McGowan.

Special Presentations

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie Sturla Gunnarsson, Canada World Premiere

At 75 years old,...

The Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday announced a number of Canadian features. Included are highly anticipated new works by acclaimed local filmmakers such as Denis Villeneuve, Bruce McDonald, Xavier Dolan, Jacob Tierney, Louis Bélanger and William D. MacGillivray, Sturla Gunnarsson, Ingrid Veninger, and Carl Bessai.

“It’s a testament to the creative minds and incredible talent in this country that we have such a diverse and exciting offering of Canadian films across all programs in this year’s Festival,” said Tiff programmer Steve Gravestock in a statement. “It’s an exciting time for Canadian cinema and we’re proud to bring audiences this line-up of films which includes documentaries profiling some of our beloved national figures, powerful and unsettling dramas, thrillers, comedies, romances and a record number of dysfunctional families.”...