Best of Hollywood at Toronto Film Festival
T O R O N T O, Sept. 5, 2000 -- Roll out the red carpet, bringon the Beautiful People and let the air-kissing begin—theToronto International Film Festival kicks off this week.
For 10 glittering days, Hollywood glamour and stardustsettles on Toronto for a festival considered one of the world’smost important, along with Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
The festival is turning the spotlight on itself this yearto commemorate its 25th anniversary. But it will have to sharethat limelight with a bevy of Hollywood stars such as RobertDeNiro, Gwyneth Paltrow, Al Pacino, Kenneth Branagh, RichardGere, Liv Ullman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Duvall and directorssuch as South Korean legend Im Kwontaek, Cameron Crowe, Ang Leeand Robert Altman.
The result will be an eclectic mix of Hollywood star power,independent film grit and good old-fashioned schmoozing anddeal making.
“It may be the most outstanding list of people I’ve seen atthis festival. When you have Pacino, DeNiro, Duvall, Branagh,you’re dealing with the top of the tops. And these are just theactors,” festival director Piers Handling said in aninterview.
“There’s not too many films without people [attending] … Itdoesn’t get much better than this.”
The festival, which runs from September 7 to 16, openswith a gala presentation of Canadian director Denys Arcand’sStardom which closed the Cannes Film Festival earlier thisyear.
New Cameron Crowe Project Featured
Before the event ends on September 16, moviegoers will havebeen treated to a feast of 329 films, including a record 178world and North American premiers, as well as glimpses of theirfavorite actors.
Films making their world premieres include Cameron Crowe’sUntitled Cameron Crowe Project starring Oscar-winners FrancesMcDormand and Anna Paquin; The Contender with Gary Oldman,Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater; and The LuzhinDefence with John Turturro and Emily Watson.
The large number of premieres attracts industry buyers fromaround the world who are eager to make distribution deals.
More than 40 films were sold during last year’s event,according to Kelley Alexander, director of the festival’s salesoffice, but the values of deals are kept strictly under wraps.
Alexander added that 700 buyers and sales agents haveregistered with the festival this year as well as 32 newcompanies from 27 countries. France alone, which has a historyof acquiring numerous films in Toronto, has 39 companiesregistered.
“The deals that are done during the festival itselfprobably don’t amount to that much,” Handling said. “But oftenall of the discussions start here, deal memos are done here andthe actual contracts aren’t signed till after the festival.”
2000 Festival Marks Silver Anniversary
As part of this year’s silver anniversary, a specialtribute will be given to British director Stephen Frears, makerof films such as My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters, andthe recent High Fidelity — the first such tribute since 1984when Warren Beatty was honored.
British actor Branagh’s How to Kill Your Neighbor’s Dog — a comedy about a Los Angeles-based playwright who’s fallenon hard times, which also stars Lynn Redgrave — will close thefestival on September 16.
This year, Toronto also plans to salute itself with a slewof special events to commemorate the festival’s 25 years on thescene.
Since its inception in 1976, the Toronto International FilmFestival has shown nearly 6,000 films, excluding this year’sslate. Almost 300 of them have gone on to garner Academy Awardnominations.