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There were a couple of acquisitions announced this Am. Gravitas Ventures has partnered to acquire U.S. and Canadian rights to Almost Friends, a romantic comedy from writer-director Jake Goldberger (Life of a King). And Grasshopper Film acquired all U.S. distribution rights to Ava, the drama from debut Iranian filmmaker Sadaf Foroughi Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) leads the cast of Almost Friends, which will have a day-and-date release of Nov. 17 theatrically and on…...

The tagline for Ava, the feature debut of writer-director Sadaf Foroughi, emphasizes the traumatic invasion of an Iranian girl’s privacy when her mom takes her to an Ob-gyn to make sure she’s still a virgin. But the film and its 16-year-old heroine are a lot more complex than that. Ava’s rebellion is against more than her parents’ mistrust; it’s about the cage of societal norms in Iran that stifles female creativity and self-expression. The clarity with which Foroughi presents the situation makes it easy for international audiences to follow the unfolding drama with its rising stakes.

As moodily played by...

Tiff has come and gone. Masses of Canadians attend the festival which is what gives it such a special atmosphere. In Cannes, only the industry attends the festival; the public sets up chairs and ladders to watch the red carpet galas and take pictures. But here the public is as much a part of the festival as the industry.Tiff Bell Lightbox

The industry action which consists of buying and selling of film rights takes place at the Hyatt Hotel on King Street West. The screenings for both public and industry are down the street at the Tiff Bell Lightbox and around the corner at the Scotia Multiplex. The dense mingling of public and industry at these venues and on the street itself which is closed to traffic for the first weekend but is open to pedestrians, photo-op spots, food trucks creates a festive bevvy of activity to the city.

The final weekend of Tiff ends with an Ellen Page premiere and award reveals!The final weekend of Tiff ends with an Ellen Page premiere and award reveals!Amanda Wood9/18/2017 9:47:00 Am

Another year of Tiff came to a close this weekend, and by all accounts it was another resounding success. A few final premieres lit up Toronto, and the highly coveted (and often highly predictive for further awards contention) People’s Choice awards were announced. Ellen Page and Kate Mara were in attendance for the premiere of My Days of Mercy, which tells the story of two women on opposite sides of a criminal case who fall in love. While Tiff was inevitably coming to a close, Halifax native Ellen Page made sure to step out during Canada's biggest film festival. The closing night film of Tiff was C'est la vie, a French film about the staff's role...

This year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close, and the winner of the Grolsch People’s Choice Award has been named: Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside, Ebbing Missouri.” Hundreds of movies once again screened at Tiff over the last 10 days, but only one could take home the coveted prize, which is often seen as an Oscar bellwether — previous winners include “La La Land,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “The King’s Speech.”

Read More:‘Three Billboards’ Pulled From Fantastic Fest After Devin Faraci Controversy

Craig Gillespie’s “I, Tonya” was the runner-up, Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name” the second runner-up.” Agnès Varda and Jr’s “Faces Places” won the People’s Choice Documentary Award, with runner-up going to Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” Joseph Kahn’s rap-battle drama took the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award,...

As the film “Ava” is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, its two lead Iranian actresses won’t be in attendance. According to “Ava”‘s director Sadaf Foroughi, both 17-year-old Mahour Jabbari’s and 18-year-old Shayesteh Sajadi’s travel visas have been denied by the Canadian Government. Related: Tiff CEO Piers Handling Announces 2018 Festival […]...

Tomorrow’s world premiere of “Ava” at the Toronto International Film Festival will be lacking two key players. Iranian actresses Mahour Jabbari and Shayesteh Sajadi have both been denied travel visas by the Canadian government, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Sadaf Foroughi, who directed the coming-of-age drama, told THR that “I felt disappointed because I wish I could celebrate our premiere accompanied by my actresses.”

Read More:‘The Salesman’ Director Asghar Farhadi Won’t Attend Oscars, Citing Muslim Ban

“You have not satisfied me that you would leave Canada at the end of your stay as a temporary resident. In reaching this decision, I considered several factors, including travel history, family ties in Canada and in country of residence, purpose of visit, current employment situation,” reads the letter received by 18-year-old Sajadi. “I am not satisfied that you have sufficient funds, including income or assets, to carry out your stated...

Two Iranian actresses won't be hitting the red carpet as their drama Ava makes its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday. The Canadian government has denied travel visas to 17-year-old Mahour Jabbari and 18-year-old Shayesteh Sajadi, according to the film's director, Sadaf Foroughi.

"I felt disappointed because I wish I could celebrate our premiere accompanied by my actresses," Foroughi tells The Hollywood Reporter. Toronto fest organizers going to bat for the Iranian actresses failed to sway Canadian embassy officials.

"Tiff provided visa support letters for Mahour Jabbari and Shayesteh Sadat Sajjadi. We would love to have them celebrate...