EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Amenta, whose debut feature Soft just had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, has signed with M88 for representation.
11.09.2022 - 07:41 / deadline.com
The great acting legend Sidney Poitier died in January at age 94. He did not live to see the thrilling new documentary on his life and career, Sidney, which had its World Premiere Saturday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. However it had its blessing, and that of his family, for the film which has been percolating and in development and then production for five years. And although Poitier himself didn’t get to see the finished work, everyone else will beginning on Friday September 23 when it begins streaming on Apple TV+ and playing in selected theatres.
With Oprah Winfrey on board as a producer (with Derik Murray) and Reginald Hudlin as director, Poitier gets extraordinarily comprehensive and wide ranging look at his life told in linear fashion and narrated by himself through the use of 8 hours of interview footage done in 2012 with Winfrey, as well as other archival interviews. This is right way to tell this story, because it is quite a journey from beginning to end for a man who almost died as a baby, spent his early years in the almost all Black community in the Bahamas, had a terrifying encounter with the Klan, learned English primarily from watching news anchors when he finally hit Miami and then New York City where he worked odd jobs and got that ever-so-lucky break as an understudy who went on just as so happened a big Broadway producer was in the house.It all led eventually to a film debut in 1950’s No Way Out, such movies as Blackboard Jungle, Something Of Value, and The Defiant Ones, the landmark film that won him his first Oscar nomination. He would attain Broadway stardom in A Raisin In The Sun, repeating the role in the 1960 film version, and then just three years later become the first Black
EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Amenta, whose debut feature Soft just had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, has signed with M88 for representation.
Oprah Winfrey and Apple are winding down their content deal.
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The People’s Choice Award from the just wrapped 2022 Toronto International Film Festival has gone to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. First Runner Up is Canada’s own Sarah Polley’s Women Talking. And Second Runner Up was Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The Documentary Award went to Black Ice, and the Midnight Madness winner was Weird: The Al Yankovich Story .
People’s Choice Award: “The Fabelmans,” Steven SpielbergFirst Runner-up: “Women Talking,” Sarah PolleySecond Runner-up: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Rian JohnsonPeople’s Choice Documentary Award: “Black Ice,” Hubert DavisFirst Runner-up: “Maya and the Wave,” Stephanie JohnsSecond Runner-up: “752 Is Not a Number,” Babak PayamiMidnight Madness People’s Choice Award: “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” Eric AppelFirst Runner-up: “Pearl,” Ti WestSecond Runner-up: “The Blackening,” Tim StoryPlatform Jury Prize: “Riceboy Sleeps,” Anthony ShimShawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award: “Something You Said Last Night,” Luis De FilippisAmplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film: “To Kill a Tiger,” Nisha PahujaAmplify Voices Award: “Leonor Will Never Die,” Martika Ramirez EscobarAmplify Voices Award: “While We Watched,” Vinay ShuklaIMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Film: “Snow in December,” Lkhagvadulam Purev-OchirHonorable Mention: “Airhostess 737,” Thanasis NeofotistosIMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: “Simo,” Azziz ZorombaHonorable Mention: “Same Old,” Lloyd Lee Choi IMDbPro Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award: “Nanitic,” Carol NguyenNETPAC Award: “Sweet As,” Jub ClercFIPRESCI Prize: “A Gaza Weekend,” Basil Kahlil
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical coming-of-age story “The Fabelmans” took home the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award, providing a major boost to its awards season chances. TIFF’s People’s Choice Award is one of the most reliable predictors of eventual Oscar success.
Toronto Film Festival returned in spectacular fashion after two years of virtual premieres or limited capacity screenings. The parties were packed (which may lead to COVID outbreaks down the road, but… that’s showbiz?), the red carpets were glittering and the atmosphere was electric, bordering on euphoric, as director Rian Johnson’s acclaimed sequel “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story,” Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” and the Harry Styles-led romantic drama “My Policeman” debuted to blockbuster-starved audiences in Canada. Hollywood seemed eager to make up for lost time. So, as the curtain comes down on TIFF, here’s a look back at the major trends and takeaways from the 10-day festival.
Batman universe called The People’s Joker has been pulled from Toronto International Film Festival.The film, which reimagines the character of the Joker through a transgender origin story, had one public screening before the rest were cancelled over “rights issues”.A message on the TIFF ticketing page reads: “The filmmaker has withdrawn this film due to rights issues. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Paul Mescal suits up for the premiere of his new movie Aftersun during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on Monday (September 12) at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Canada.
Oprah Winfrey is hopeful Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex can make peace with the British royal family. In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced that they were stepping back from their role as senior members of the royal family, and two months later, discussed the decision in detail during a special with the TV host.
Emma Corrin just gets it. The actor delivered drama at the Toronto International Film Festival, stepping out in nothing but a high-cut bodysuit.
Brent Lang Executive Editor It was supposed to be all about the movies. But even here at the Toronto International Film Festival, an ocean away from the United Kingdom, the death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II has loomed large. It has provided an opportunity for festival organizers, filmmakers and talent to reflect on the life and legacy of a monarch whose 70-year reign ranks as the longest in her country’s history. That’s partly due to Canada’s status as a member of the British Commonwealth, but it’s also because the festival is such an international A-list affair, one that attracts movie stars and directors who have often had personal encounters with the queen.
Carson Burton Steven Spielberg is taking audiences on an intimate stroll through his childhood in the first trailer for “The Fabelmans.”The semi-autobiographical film follows the formative years of a young man as he discovers a shattering family secret, causing him to use movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself. Spielberg based the film on his own early years in Arizona and co-wrote the script with “Lincoln,” “Munich” and “West Side Story” screenwriter Tony Kushner.On Saturday, “The Fabelmans” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, earning a standing ovation in the crowd of movie lovers, who cheered loudly for the Oscar-winning auteur as he made his first appearance at the Canadian gathering.
Zack Sharf Consider “Glass Onion” another triumphant case for detective Benoit Blanc. As evidenced by the enthusiastic reaction to the premiere screening Saturday, Rian Johnson has again charmed the masses at the Toronto Film Festival with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2019 hit whodunit. Johnson briefly addressed moviegoers before the movie began to play, giving a sweet shoutout to his grandfather. “My granddad Howard Johnson traveled here tonight, he’s in the audience,” Johnson revealed. “Granddad, you are my role model. You’re the reason I’m making movies today, I love you so much and I’m so happy you’re here.”
UPDATED w/TIFF Statement: Sparta, the German-Romanian drama from Austrian director Ulrich Seidl that is in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the Toronto Film Festival, has been pulled from the festival lineup.
Angelique Jackson “The world belongs to the weird,” so says the tagline for “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” but the wee hours of Friday morning belonged to Daniel Radcliffe as the comedy made its world premiere as the clock struck midnight at the Toronto International Film Festival. Radclifffe stars as the beloved parody musician in the upcoming Roku original film, which made its world premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, kicking off TIFF’s Midnight Madness programming lineup. It was a full house at the theater and the crowd ate up every second of the parody biopic, cheering loudly for every surprise cameo (of which there were many) at the first “backstory” behind Yankovic’s biggest hits from “My Bologna” to “Eat It.” Some of the most raucous applause was saved for the Radcliffe-fronted rendition of “Amish Paradise.”
After three years away, the red carpet has made its return to the Toronto Film Festival.
Brent Lang Executive Editor New Slate Ventures has come on board as a production partner for Insignia Films’ “Free Money.” The announcement was made just ahead of the documentary feature’s world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Jordan Fudge, Jeremy Allen and Tess Cohen will join producer Amanda Pollak, and executive producers Stephen Ives, Bradwel Iro (LBX Africa), Chris Buck (Retro Report) to back the film. The film explores what happens when universal basic income (UBI) comes to the Kenyan village of Kogutu. GiveDirectly, a non-profit organization, is sending free money for 12 years as part of an experiment. Filmmakers Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko juxtapose the story of these young economists, bankrolled by Silicon Valley and convinced that they have found an infallible algorithm to improve lives, with those of the villagers.