Toronto Film Festival to Welcome Back In-Person Local and International Guests

Blue Mountain Film Festival (BMFF), the event held 90 minutes from Toronto in the titular mountains, has named Diana Sanchez as Co-Director of Programming.

There’s no denying that Baz Luhrmann is going big for his new film, “Elvis.” From the over-the-top style and the “What the hell?” accent from Tom Hanks, the musical drama seems like a must-see event. And when you have such a stylish, uber-theatrical musical film, what better place to debut than at Cannes? READ MORE: ‘Elvis’ Trailer: Austin Butler & Tom Hanks Star In Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama About The King Of Rock & Roll According to Deadline, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s drama of the rock-and-roll legend starring Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) and Tom Hanks, will world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has confirmed.The movie currently has June 24 release date, which means it couldn’t open the festival unless Warner Bros. Pictures decides to have it bow on May 17 to kick off the milestone 75th edition.

Every year, the Cannes Film Festival is a showcase of some of the best films from around the world made by some of the most respected filmmakers alive today. Oh, and it’s also an event that loves to showcase at least one tentpole, blockbuster film.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTikTok has become the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival on time for its 75th anniversary and will give the cultural event a wider-than-ever platform comprising one billion users around the world.While it banned selfies on the red carpet several years ago, Cannes is looking to draw global eyeballs and will provide TikTok users with some exclusive content from backstage, glamorous red carpet scenes and interviews with talents. Aiming to position itself as a top entertainment destination and content creator, the banner is also launching the #TikTokShortFilm, a global in-app competition of vertical short films – between 30 secondes and 3 minutes.

J. Kim Murphy The Kyiv-based Molodist International Film Festival has penned an open letter to the film community calling on other festivals to join in a boycott of Russian films as a response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces.The festival’s statement cites an ongoing effort by modern Russia to “separate culture from politics” and to “[use] that same culture to distract the West from Russia’s wars, human rights violations, censorship and persecution of political dissidents.”“There are Russian filmmakers and intellectuals who have been truly vocal in their dissent and criticism of Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine throughout these years, and we know some of them personally,” the statement reads.

Native sons and daughters of the American South have offered many a meditation on the soil where their lineage was replanted. But the observations and insights of documentarian Jon-Sesrie Goff form something that strikes with the potency of prayer.

Lest there be any lingering doubt, director Ramin Bahrani intones in narration over his first documentary feature “2nd Chance” that this is a metaphor for America. This isn’t particularly surprising given that his subject Richard Davis, a pioneer of the concealable bulletproof vest, straddles the country’s dark fascinations with violence and capitalism.

After being the first major film festival hit by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic—the unfortunate timing couldn’t have been worse, March 2020 as the virus first started causing lockdowns around the U.S. — and having to cancel that year, SXSW has been arguably hit the hardest of all the festivals in North America.

At a whopping 246 minutes, Sergey Loznitsa’s feature documentary “Mr. Landsbergis” spans a duration longer than some non-fiction miniseries that pop up on streamers now.

Eugene Hernandez has been promoted to the new role of SVP of Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and Executive Director of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), and Dennis Lim has been upped to the NYFF’s first-ever Artistic Director, newly promoted President, Lesli Klainberg, announced on Friday. Hernandez will also continue to lead FLC’s strategic initiatives, including his role as publisher of Film Comment.This year will mark the 60th anniversary of NYFF, and the festival will run from Sept. 30 to Oct.

The Toronto Film Festival said Thursday that it will suspend participation by film organizations and media outlets supported by the Russian state for its next festival, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ellise Shafer The Toronto Film Festival has banned all official Russian delegations from its 2022 edition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but will welcome work from independent Russian filmmakers into their programming.“As an arts organization dedicated to transforming the way people see the world through film, we support artists and their freedom of expression. TIFF will continue to include films from independent Russian filmmakers in our programming at the Toronto International Film Festival and year-round at TIFF Bell Lightbox,” festival organizers said in a statement to Variety on Thursday.

Kathy A. McDonald One of California’s leading film festivals returns with a full slate of live screenings, industry panels and starry tributes, offering movie lovers a ray of sunshine in the gloom of COVID. The Santa Barbara Intl.

Nick Clement Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival will present its 39th annual edition from March 4-13, featuring a mix of in-theater and virtual presentations. With more than 120 films from 35 countries on display, ranging from features to documentaries to shorts, the event will be filled with premieres and special screenings and events.“Last year we did the hybrid event, with reduced capacity and no parties and limited guests.

Sony Pictures, Filmocracy, the Lantos Foundation and OUT.LI.ER, introduce the 8th Annual Women’s Voices Now Film Festival. The festival will take place on March 24, 2022 and the keynote Speaker is Jaina Lee Ortiz. Like the previous year, the festival will again take place virtually. 

Cannes Film Festival has released a statement in response to the war in Ukraine saying it will not accept “Russian delegations” this year. Scroll down to read it in full.

Despite a new rule about theatrical releases in France and filmmaker Andrew Dominik really hoping “Blonde” would debut at the event, it appears 2022 will be another year where Netflix skips the Cannes Film Festival. According to Variety, Netflix isn’t expected to debut any new films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.