The Angelina Jolie-directed war film “Without Blood," a documentary about Bruce Springsteen and Mike Leigh’s contemporary tragicomedy “Hard Truths” will have their world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall. The festival announced its gala and special presentation lineup Monday.
Jolie’s film stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir and is based on the Alessandro Baricco novel “Without Blood.” The Springsteen film, "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band" charts behind the scenes of his world tour. Leigh’s film, his first in six years, has him reuniting with his “Secrets & Lies” star Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
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Also announced were the world premieres of Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl,” starring Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista and Kiernan Shipka, and Rachel Morrison’s directorial debut “The Fire Inside,” about the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. Barry Jenkins wrote the screenplay.
Edward Burns has a new film, “Millers in Marriage” with Minnie Driver and Morena Baccarin, as does David Mackenzie with the thriller “Relay” starring Riz Ahmed and Lily James. Jennifer Lopez co-stars in the Ben Affleck-produced sports drama “Unstoppable” about American wrestler Anthony Robles. And Hugh Grant leads the eerie Scott Beck and Bryan Woods-directed A24 pic “Heretic.”
One year after TIFF went on through the actors strikes, the star power has returned to the prestigious film festival which helps inform the conversation around the season's awards hopefuls.
Focus Features will play its Edward Berger-directed, and Ralph Fiennes-starring papal thriller “Conclave” at the festival. But it won’t be the world premiere for “Conclave” — that event will likely happen at either Venice or Telluride, which have yet to announce their full lineups. The studio will also bring “Piece by Piece” to TIFF, Morgan Neville’s Pharrell Williams documentary told with LEGOs.
Films previously announced as part of the TIFF slate include the animated “The Wild Robot,” Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch,” starring Amy Adams, John Crowley’s “We Live In Time,” with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, David Gordon Green’s comedy “Nutcrackers,” with Ben Stiller, R.J. Cutler and David Furnish’s “Elton John: Never Too Late” and Ron Howard’s survival thriller “Eden” with Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney and Jude Law.
The festival will also play some Cannes favorites including Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Paul Scrader’s “Oh, Canada” and Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” and the Will Ferrell friendship documentary “Will & Harper” which debuted at Sundance.
More TIFF films will be announced in the coming weeks, as will the lineups for other important fall festivals including Venice, Telluride and New York Film Festival.
TIFF kicks off on Sept. 5 and runs through Sept. 15.