The Disaster Artist , Super Size Me 2 , Grace Jones doc heading to Toronto Film Festival
The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival has announced the lineups for its specialty program slates, highlighted by plenty of genre fare and a few potential Oscar contenders to be found in the Midnight Madness, TIFF Docs, and International Short Cuts sections.
Often showcasing bold, buzzy titles that typically fall under the horror classification, Midnight Madness returns with the official world premiere of James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, a potential Academy Award player and dramatization of the behind-the-scenes happenings that contributed to Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic The Room that previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW in March. Also screening in the 10-film section are Brawl in Cell Block 99 starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Carpenter, and the world premiere of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance helmer Brian Taylor’s Mom and Dad, which features Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair.
On the documentary side, Morgan Spurlock’s cinematic continuation of his Oscar-nominated fast food film, Super Size Me, subtitled Holy Chicken!, which is described as a re-ignition of the filmmaker’s “battle with the food industry — this time from behind the register — as he opens his own fast food restaurant.”
Sophie Fiennes (The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology) also heads to Toronto with her Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, a profile of the model and music icon filmed over the course of a decade.
New to TIFF this year are the additions of opening and closing films for Midnight Madness and TIFF Docs. The Grace Jones film will open the nonfiction section, while Makala will close. Joseph Kahn’s Bodied launches Midnight Madness, with Sôichi Umezawa’s Vampire Clay concluding.
TIFF previously announced a small portion of its Special Presentations and Gala sections last week (view the list here). Check out the full batch of Midnight Madness, Docs, and International Short Cuts additions below.
MIDNIGHT MADNESS:
OPENING FILM: Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA World Premiere
Brawl in Cell Block 99 S. Craig Zahler, USA North American Premiere
The Crescent Seth A. Smith, Canada World Premiere
The Disaster Artist James Franco, USA World Premiere
Great Choice Robin Comisar, USA Canadian Premiere
Mom and Dad Brian Taylor, USA World Premiere
Revenge Coralie Fargeat, France World Premiere
The Ritual David Bruckner, UK World Premiere
CLOSING FILM: Vampire Clay Sôichi Umezawa, Japan World Premiere
TIFF DOCS:
Azmaish: A Journey through the Subcontinent Sabiha Sumar, Pakistan North American Premiere
BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat Sara Driver, USA World Premiere
The China Hustle Jed Rothstein, USA World Premiere
Cocaine Prison Violeta Ayala, Australia/Bolivia/France/USA World Premiere
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars Lili Fini Zanuck, United Kingdom World Premiere
Ex Libris – The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA North American Premiere
The Final Year Greg Barker, USA World Premiere
The Gospel According to André Kate Novack, USA World Premiere
OPENING FILM: Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Sophie Fiennes, United Kingdom/Ireland World Premiere
JIM & ANDY: the Great Beyond – the story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman featuring a very special, contractually obligated mention of Tony Clifton, Chris Smith, USA/Canada North American Premiere
Jane Brett Morgen, USA World Premiere
The Judge Erika Cohn, Palestine/USA World Premiere
The Legend of the Ugly King Hüseyin Tabak, Germany/Austria World Premiere
Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle Gustavo Salmerón, Spain North American Premiere
Love Means Zero Jason Kohn, USA World Premiere
CLOSING FILM: Makala Emmanuel Gras, France North American Premiere
OF SHEEP AND MEN Karim Sayad, Switzerland/Qatar World Premiere
One of Us Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, USA World Premiere
The Other Side of Everything Mila Turajlić, Serbia/France/Qatar World Premiere
Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me Sam Pollard, USA World Premiere
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Matt Tyrnauer, USA World Premiere
Silas Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman, Canada/South Africa/Kenya World Premiere
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Morgan Spurlock, USA World Premiere
INTERNATIONAL SHORT CUTS:
Airport North American Premiere
Bonboné Rakan Mayasi, Palestine/Lebanon World Premiere
The Burden (Min börda) Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Sweden North American Premiere
Catastrophe Jamille van Wijngaarden, Netherlands International Premiere
Damiana Andrés Ramírez Pulido, Colombia/Brazil North American Premiere
The Death, Dad & Son (La Mort, Père & Fils) Winshluss, Denis Walgenwitz, France International Premiere
Drop by Drop (Água Mole) Xá, Laura Gonçalves, Portugal North American Premiere
Mahdi Fleifel, Denmark/Greece/UK
Everlasting MOM (Ima Lanetzah) Elinor Nechemya, Israel International Premiere
Fifteen (Khamastashar) Sameh Alaa, Egypt World Premiere
FIVE MINUTES Justine Bateman, USA World Premiere
A Gentle Night (Xiao Cheng Er Yue) Yang Qiu, China Canadian Premiere
I Didn’t Shoot Jesse James (Je n’ai pas tué Jesse James) Sophie Beaulieu, France North American Premiere
Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month Carlo Francisco Manatad, Philippines/Singapore North American Premiere
Long Distance Relationship (Namoro À Distância) Carolina Markowicz, Brazil World Premiere
Lower Heaven Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi, France/Iran International Premiere
A Drowning Man North American Premiere
Magic Moments Martina Buchelová, Slovakia World Premiere
Marlon Jessica Palud, France/Belgium North American Premiere
Möbius Sam Kuhn, Canada/USA North American Premiere
Mon amour mon ami Adriano Valerio, Italy/France International Premiere
Mother (Madre) Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spain International Premiere
Preparation (Proetimasia) Sofia Georgovassili, Greece World Premiere
The President’s Visit Cyril Aris, Lebanon/Qatar/USA World Premiere
Push It Julia Thelin, Sweden North American Premiere
Roadside Attraction Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas, USA World Premiere
Shinaab Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr, USA International Premiere
SIGNATURE Kei Chikaura, Japan North American Premiere
Still Water Runs Deep Abbesi Akhamie, USA/Nigeria World Premiere
Together Alone (Nosotros solos) Mateo Bendesky, Argentina International Premiere
Treehouse (La casa del árbol) Juan Sebastián Quebrada, Colombia/France World Premiere
Waiting Amberley Jo Aumua, New Zealand International Premiere
Waiting for Hassana Ifunanya Maduka, Nigeria Canadian Premiere
We Love Moses Dionne Edwards, UK Canadian Premiere
WICKED GIRL (KÖTÜ KIZ) Ayce Kartal, France/Turkey North American Premiere