‘North Star’ And ‘ Gonzo Girl’ Reviews: Kristin Scott Thomas And Patricia Arquette Help Open Toronto Film Festival With Impressive Directorial Debuts

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Rodrigo Prieto, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer, will be honored with the 2023 Árbol de la Vida – lifetime achievement award at the 13th edition of the GuadaLAjara Film Festival on Nov. 1. Taking place at the Theater at the Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A., the Mexican D.P.

Michael Peña plays José Hernández, the first migrant farm worker to go to space. In a new interview, Hernández revealed that he recommended Peña for the role in “A Million Miles Away,” the movie based on his life, after he’d seen his work in the film “The Martian.”Camila Morrone discusses working with craft ‘masters’ Willem Dafoe and Patricia Arquette10 movies & shows to watch for Hispanic Heritage Month“I said, ‘He has experience already. He's been an astronaut!’” said Hernández in an interview with People.

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts is honoring three artists at its annual Visibility Awards in D.C. on Wednesday, at an event designed to advance Latino representation in film and television.

Camila Morrone’s career is booming. The American-Argentinean actress recently starred in “Gonzo Girl,” a film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and places Morrone in the midst of some of the best and most seasoned actors in the industry.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were the directors behind Batgirl, the DC film at Warner Bros. with Leslie Grace in the titled role. The superhero movie would end up being axed by the studio and with the release of The Flash earlier this year, the filmmakers are reflecting on their film.

Ethan Hawke is a big Toronto fan.

Nothing was going to stop Ethan Hawke from being at the TIFF premiere of his new movie Wildcat, not even an incoming hurricane!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Batgirl” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah told Insider while promoting their new Syrian war drama “Rebel” that watching Warner Bros.’ most recent DC tentpole, “The Flash,” was a sad experience for them. They claim they were told by studio executives that “Batgirl” would release after “The Flash,” thus continuing Michael Keaton’s revived run as Batman/Bruce Wayne. But that never panned out after Warner Bros.

The stars stepped out for the 2023 TIFF Tribute Gala & Awards during the Toronto Film Festival over the weekend!

Making a grand entrance into the world of directing, Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard present their feature debut, Hell of a Summer. With the vibes reminiscent of Friday the 13th and Sleep Away Camp, this film delivers nostalgia that captures the essence of the golden age of horror slasher cinema. Each character checks off the 1980s horror trope boxes, ensuring that every campy moment feels both authentic and delightfully over the top. Bryk and Wolfhard also star.

Michael Keaton, after making his directorial debut with 2008’s The Merry Gentleman, steps behind the camera for only the second time with his latest film, Knox Goes Away in which he also delivers one of his finest and most poignant performances as a man facing a rare form of fast moving dementia, but who is racing the clock to save his estranged son’s life before it is too late.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Patricia Arquette, Lulu Wang, Finn Wolfhard, Barry Jenkins, Camila Morrone, Willem Dafoe and Colman Domingo mixed and mingled at Variety and Chanel’s annual female filmmaker dinner during the Toronto Film Festival. At the glamorous event, held on Saturday night at Soho House and hosted by Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, VIP attendees nibbled on tuna tartare, striploin steak and heirloom tomato salad as they toasted the recipients of Chanel’s Women Writers’ Network. The year-round program is designed to advance the careers of women and non-binary alumni of the TIFF Writers’ Studio.

In a world that prioritizes perfection, Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra stands out as a touching testament to the power of love, acceptance, and the challenges of parenthood. Weaving together familial dynamics with the understanding of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), the film offers a raw, emotional exploration of the lengths to which a parent will go to protect  their child. Written by Tom Spiridakis, the film stars Bobby Cannavale. William A. Fitzgerald, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn. and Rainn Wilson.

The story of the harrowing 1972 crash of the airplane carrying members of the Uruguay Rugby team in the remote snowy mountains of Argentina has been told cinematically a few times before. There was a rather crass version released in America as Survive! in 1976, and later a notable take on the story from director Frank Marshall called Alive through Disney studios and starring Ethan Hawke and others in 1993.

SAG-AFTRA’s presence at TIFF continued into Saturday with a special picket outside Amazon offices here in Toronto with Canada’s commercial actors union ACTRA, who’ve been in a 501 day contract lockout with the country’s advertising agency’s org.

Gregg Goldstein Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Patricia Arquette was cast in her latest, most challenging role by an unlikely group: her colleagues. “For many years, the crews I worked with were always saying, ‘You should direct,’” Arquette says of helming her first feature, the Toronto world premiere “Gonzo Girl.” “Or actors in a scene would say, ‘Was that good? Should I ask for another take? Do you think there’s anything I should try?’ You get to a point where you’ve learned a lot about the nuts and bolts of how filmmaking works, and a lot of directors just aren’t as familiar with the process of acting as an actor is.” The star, who’ll be feted with TIFF’s Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award on Sept.

The western genre has been so pervasive throughout the entire history of the movies, and it is hard to imagine doing anything in it that hasn’t already been done. Viggo Mortensen, in writing, directing, producing, and co-starring in only his second film behind the camera (after 2020’s Falling) finds a moving, if tragic, love story to play against the stunning landscape of the circa 1860’s west, and somehow it all feels new. John Ford and Howard Hawks would love this movie.

Willem Dafoe had nothing but praise for Patricia Arquette when speaking about her directorial debut, “Gonzo Girl”.

Brent Lang Executive Editor When Patricia Arquette decided to make her feature film directing debut with “Gonzo Girl,” she made a promise to her cast. “I told them that I would always edit everything for the acting — even if the camera work wasn’t the best in that take or some thing didn’t match from a continuity perspective,” she says a week before the movie’s big premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. “I don’t think someone has ever edited my performance directly for the acting, so I wanted to do this greedy, delicious thing for my ensemble.

Patricia Arquette had a very special date for the TIFF 2023 premiere of her directorial debut, “Gonzo Girl”.