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Toronto International Film Festival

TIFF 2011 Supplemental Screenings

You’ve seen our primer on the big-name stars and flicks coming to the Toronto International Film Festival. Here are five more films that didn’t make our final cut, but which ought to be on your TIFF radar.

Disaster-film director Roland Emmerich tackles Shakespeare in Anonymous

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS Count Anonymous as one of this year’s more curious festival selections. Director Roland Emmerich—best known for blowing things up good (Independence Day) and terribly (Godzilla, 2012)—brings intrigue to the theatre, literature and the Elizabethan era in a film that questions the authorship of the works of William Shakespeare.

TRUE TO LIFE Prolific director Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Encounters at the End of the World) returns to TIFF to premiere his latest, sure-to-be-compelling documentary, Into the Abyss, which probes the darkness of America’s “Death Row” in search of something resembling redemption.

Carey Mulligan stars alongside Michael Fassbender in Shame

SUPERIOR PAIR Vanguard U.K. filmmaker Steve McQueen reunites with Michael Fassbender (so electric as IRA member Bobby Sands in McQueen’s 2008 prison drama Hunger) for his sophomore feature, entitled Shame. This exploration of the nature of need and the experiences that shape us also stars Carey Mulligan.

JOYOUS PANTOMINE A major success from this year’s Cannes festival, The Artist is a love letter to the golden age of silent films in Hollywood. Silent itself, the French picture has been lauded for its emotional appeal and a sublime lead performance by Jean Dujardin as a swaggering Douglas Fairbanks-like star.

Sarah Polley helmed a bevy of hipster actors in the dramedy Take This Waltz

A LITTLE SENTIMENT Indie cred oozes from the credits of Take This Waltz. The poignant, filmed-in-Toronto love-triangle tale was written and helmed by Canadian sweetheart Sarah Polley, and stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman, among others. Expect a plethora of on-the-nose music cues, too—the movie is even named for a Leonard Cohen tune.

The Silver Screen’s Biggest Stars—They’re All at TIFF 2011

For 10 glamorous days, from September 8 to 18, this city becomes a beacon for the global entertainment industry—the Toronto International Film Festival attracts cinephiles and celebrities alike with its superior slate of more than 300 movies from Hollywood and around the world.

Here, Where Toronto takes a peek at some of the most anticipated flicks of the fest, and the megastars in town to promote them.

Hot Dates: Ali Milner

Ali Milner photo copyright Jennifer Picard Photography

Local girl Ali Milner may be just 19 years old, but she already boasts a powerful resume, filled with gigs at Lilith Fair, the Toronto International Film Festival and the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Hear her unique blend of indie pop and jazz at Cory Weeds’ Cellar Jazz Club (Oct. 14)—and keep an eye out for this rising star in the future.—Sheri Radford

Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 10

Red carpets, nightly parties, fans’ faces obscured by continually clicking cameras—looks like the Toronto International Film Festival is back in town. Each day of the TIFF we’re not only listing our daily flick pick, but we’re mapping the hottest attractions, restaurants, and shops and services that are just steps from the screening spot.

The films: Saint Louis Blues, an unlikely musical that follows a road trip through Senegal, and 25 Carat, in which a car thief and big-time crook and struggle to escape the life of crime.

The venue: Cineplex Odeon Varsity at Manulife Centre, movie theatre where patrons aged 19 and over can receive full in-seat service during Varsity VIP film screenings.

What to do while you wait for doors to open?

View Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF–Day 10 map in larger size

Weekend Roundup, September 18th to 20th

Explore the city on foot with a walking tour a day.

Friday: check out downtown with Muddy York Walking Tours (photo by amish.patel).

Friday, September 18th
Discover the history behind the names of some of the city’s major avenues on the Toronto Street Names: Downtown tour by Muddy York Walking Tours.

Check out the art show, food, music, dancing and demonstrations at the Toronto Ukranian Festival, the continent’s largest street celebration of Ukranian culture.

Saturday, September 19th
To commemorate its 10th year as a Canadian Heritage River, follow the flow of the Humber waterway on a guided Heritage Toronto Walk.

Catch remix kings Electic Method at Yonge-Dundas Square, as part of the Toronto International Film Festival‘s outdoor closing party.

Sunday: Harken back to pioneer days of yore (photo by Gary J. Wood).

Sunday, September 20th
Explore the city’s first post office, St. Lawrence Market, St. James Cathedral and other charms of Old Town Toronto on today’s ROMwalk.

Watch butter churning, try out Victorian dancing and bid on handmade country quilts at the Pioneer Festival at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 9

The films: A young peasant who struggles to start up a vineyard at the turn of the 19th century gets help from an angel in The Vintner’s Luck, and a family squatting in Amsterdam get a taste of the ups-and-downs of communal living in My Queen Karo.

The venue: Cumberland cinema in the posh neighbourhood of Yorkville, bound to be star-studded during TIFF.

Where are you going to go to catch a glimpse of a celebrity?

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Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 8

The films: A free outdoor screening of U2: Rattle & Hum, which follows the iconic Irish rockers on their 1987 North American tour; and BAND, a multi-disciplinary film-based art installation complete with post-punk band Deerhoof live in concert.

The venue: Yonge-Dundas Square, located at the southeast corner of one of the city’s liveliest intersections.

If you want something different to what’s offered at the Square, where can you go?

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Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 7

The film: A new print of Canadian director Atom Egoyan’s 1991 film The Adjuster, a work of dark humour depicting the emotional isolation of urban and suburban dwellers.

The venue: Jackman Hall, an event space housed among the 79,000 artworks at the prestigious Art Gallery of Ontario.

It might be a couple of hours of waiting in the admittance line, so how do you amuse yourself beforehand?

View Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 7 map in larger size

Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 6

The films: Foreign film Gigante is a romantic comedy between a grocery store security guard and a cleaning woman; while Videocracy from Sweden examines of how Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi uses his control of the nation’s TV empire to wield power over the people.

The venue: Cineplex Odeon Varsity at Manulife Centre, a movie theatre where patrons aged 19 and over can receive full in-seat service during Varsity VIP film screenings.

How do you round out your day of international fare?

View Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF–Day 6 map in larger size

Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 5

The films: Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould investigates the life of the acclaimed classical pianist, and The Art of the Steal explores art collector Albert Barnes and the mysterious disappearance of his world-famous assortment of art.

The venue: AMC Theatres, a multiplex within Toronto Life Square at the buzzing intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets.

What else to do to make your day of documentaries complete?

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Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 4

The films: The comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats, in which George Clooney portrays a member of a U.S. military unit that trains in the paranormal and psychic, and the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel The Road, in which a father and son embark on a threatening journey of survival.

The venue: Ryerson Theatre, where Ryerson University student shows and convocation ceremonies are also held.

What are you going to check out with your spare time before the films?

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Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 3

The films: It’s all about dark and disturbing human psychology in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, and kids internalize fascism in White Ribbon, which earned writer-director Michael Haneke Palme d’Or at this year’s Festival de Cannes.

The venue: Scotiabank Theatre, a multiplex in the midst of partying clubland.

If not at an after-party, where are you going to be post-show?

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Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 2

The films: Matt Damon plays an executive at an agro-megacorp who’s forced to spy on his company’s dirty business practices in The Informant!, while the love affair between poet John Keats and his neighbour Fanny Brawne is brought to life in Jane Campion’s Bright Star.

The venue: The Elgin Theatre’s Visa Screening Room at the historic Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre, the last operating set of double-decker theatres in the world.

What are you doing between whistleblowing and falling love?

View Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF–Day 2 map in larger size

Weekend Roundup, September 11 to 13

It’s a festival frenzy in Toronto this weekend!

Friday, September 11th
Even if tickets are sold out, show up outside the Toronto International Film Festival screening of The Informant! and try to catch a glimpse of the film’s leading actor and Hollywood star Matt Damon.

For the last weekend, be mesmerized by the strange and fascinating art works in the Surreal Things exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Take a break from tasting veggie-friendly treats and check out The Real Iron Chef, a race to the finish to serve up meatless but high in iron meals, at the 25th Vegetarian Food Fair.

Saturday, September 12th
Bite into hot, roasted corn-on-the-cob in the afternoon, then do-si-do at the barn dance in the evening at Riverdale Farm‘s annual Fall Harvest Festival.

Join the Junction Arts Festival‘s street art party and follow dance ensemble rad (Random Acts of Dance) as they give a tour of the neighbourhood using dance rather than narration.

Explore the quaint community of Cabbagetown on a historical walking tour, offered by the Cabbagetown Festival. Stick around for the parade, short film festival, arts and crafts show and sale, amateur boxing show, food vendors and street entertainment.

Sunday, September 13th
Nosh on a pancake breakfast, nurse a lager in the beer gardens and take in Scottish country dancing at the fall fair cum food fest Taste of the Kingsway.

If you need more than fancy Scottish footwork to get your Celtic fix, head to The Beach Celtic Festival and clap your hands to the rousing music of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Maritimes.

At the Butterfly Migration Festival, meander through meadows for the one-of-a-kind experience of watching monarch butterflies take flight en masse to migrate south.

Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 1

The film: TIFF’s opening-night gala screening of Creation, a period drama about the tragedies and triumphs of Charles Darwin.

The venue: The massive upside-down glass bowl of Roy Thomson Hall, home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and located in the heart of the entertainment district.

So what to do while your friend holds your place in line?

View Festival Fare: 10 Days of TIFF—Day 1 map in larger size

Facts for Fest Fans

From September 10 to 19, this city becomes a vast and multifaceted movie studio as the cinematic world arrives for the Toronto International Film Festival. During these 10 days, hundreds of movies draw all manner of people—industry insiders, media personalities, tinseltown stars and, of course, local and visiting film buffs. What role will you play? Whether you’re scoping out celebrities or hunting for the next sleeper hit, our guide to the festival is sure to help you fit right in.

THE CRITIC
The professional filmgoer has seen it all—from the 124-minute restored print of Metropolis to the most recent summer blockbusters. Notepad at the ready, she’s looking to get the word out on world premieres, and maybe catch something she missed at this year’s Cannes festival.

Keri Russell and one of two Edward Norton iterations share an intimate moment in Leaves of Grass.

Keri Russell and Edward Norton share an intimate moment in Leaves of Grass.

WHAT TO SEE Sibling auteurs the Coen brothers are back to debut A Serious Man, their black-comedy follow up to last year’s Burn After Reading and TIFF ’07 favourite No Country for Old Men, while actor/director and sometime Coen compadre Tim Blake Nelson offers his own darkly amusing thriller, Leaves of Grass, starring Edward Norton as identical twin brothers ensnared in a scheme against a local drug lord. The media, too, will be clamouring for seats at this year’s opening-night gala, Creation. The British biopic tells the story of famed naturalist Charles Darwin in this, the 200th anniversary of his birth.

WHERE TO REFUEL There isn’t much time to eat between viewing—and reviewing—multiple movies each day, but don’t settle for fast food just because you’re in a hurry. Quick and affordable alternatives abound: in Yorkville, consider gourmet sandwiches from Le Pain Quotidien and one of the city’s best burgers at The Pilot Tavern. Or, after a screening at Toronto Life Square’s AMC theatres, commiserate with colleagues over a pint at the nearby Queen and Beaver.

HOW TO DRESS Show that you’re all business by sporting a chic Linda Lundström pantsuit from Eleven or find various international labels at Holt Renfrew. Roger Ebert wannabes can suit up for that Werner Herzog Q&A by heading to Harry Rosen.

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