Another year has come and gone and this September welcomed a new line-up of films to be featured at this year’s 42nd annual Toronto International Film Festival. Debuts were made, appearances were seen and discussions were had as fans and members of the film industry from around the world gathered around to join in on this celebrated occasion. This year’s festival featured 255 feature-length films and 84 short films that spanned over 14 programmes.
One movie that had its world premiere at TIFF was “Brad’s Status,” the second directorial feature by Mike White. The film focused on Brad Sloan (Ben Stiller), who participated in a college tour with his teenage son only to find himself constantly comparing himself to his more successful friends. Luisa Lee, a Toronto violinist, made her feature film debut as Maya, a Harvard student that connected with Brad during his mid-life crisis.
TIFF hosted the world premiere for Brie Larson’s directorial debut, “Unicorn Store”. She also starred as leading lady Kit, an artist who is reluctant to grow up and give up on her dreams. Forced into adulthood, Kit is surprised yet excited when she’s offered a chance to prove herself worthy of a magical gift. The film also featured Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, and Bradley Whitford.
Then there are the international films.
One director that made an appearance was Chen Kaige. He shared an exclusive sneak peek of his upcoming film “The Legend of the Cat Demon,” which is based on the novel (Samana Kukai) that was written by Japanese writer Yoneyama Mineo. The film takes place during the Tang Dynasty when a demon cat brings havoc onto a city with its strange events. Chen Kaige was also part of TIFF’s film jury panel (alongside fellow filmmakers Malgorzata Szumowska and Wim Wenders) that decided the winner for the Platform Prize.
Another director that made an appearance was Angelina Jolie. She brought her latest film, “First They Killed My Father,” for its Canadian premiere before its release on Netflix. The film was based on the memoir of the same name by Loung Ung, which recounted her childhood when the Khmer Rouge army invaded her city in April 1975. It followed Loung’s experience under the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Sreymoch Sareum portrayed Loung Ung.
From China, director Vivian Qu showcased her film “Angels Wear White.” It’s a film about the lives of two girls who found that their lives were intertwined after a mysterious night at a motel. The ramifications of that night would bring more trouble into their complex lives than they thought. The film featured Wen Qi (Mia) and Zhou Meijun (Wen) as the two female protagonists.
From Japan, director Kazuya Shiraishi allowed TIFF to host the world premiere for his film “Birds Without Names,” which was based on the novel by Mahokaru Numata. The film was about a woman who continued to pine over an old boyfriend while she’s living with another man, only to realize that her ex-boyfriend had been missing for the last five years. The film featured Yu Aoi (Towako), Sadawo Abe (Jinji), Tori Matsuzaka (Mizushima) and Yutaka Takenouchi (Kurosaki).
Also from Japan was Naomi Kawase with her film “Radiance” for its North American premiere. This film followed the growing journey between an audio-description writer (Ayame Misaki) and a photographer losing his eyesight (Masatoshi Nagase) as they discover how to navigate through their differing worlds and learn to trust one another.
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This was published for AsianWave Magazine.
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