TORONTO 鈥� Nicolas Cage's surrealist comedy "Dream Scenario" will open the competitive Platform program at the Toronto International Film Festival, with acclaimed filmmaker Barry Jenkins set to lead the jury.
Cage stars in the satirical feature from U.S.-based filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli as an academic "thrust into the limelight after he starts inexplicably appearing in people鈥檚 dreams."
Brampton, Ont.'s Michael Cera and U.S. actress Julianne Nicholson also star.
It's joined by the Canadian drama 鈥淭he King Tide,鈥� directed by Christian Sparkes, and eight other titles chosen for their "unique directorial perspectives," TIFF said Wednesday in a release.
鈥淢oonlight鈥� director Jenkins will head a three-member panel that will select the winner of a $20,000 award.
The jury includes Canadian filmmaker Anthony Shim, whose film 鈥淩iceboy Sleeps鈥� won last year's prize, and Nadine Labaki whose Oscar-nominated film 鈥淐apernaum鈥� won the 2018 jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
All 10 films will have their world premiere at the festival, set to run Sept. 7 to 17.
They include India's 鈥淒ear Jassi,鈥� from "The Cell" director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, and France's 鈥淪pirit of Ecstasy (La V茅nus d鈥檃rgent),鈥� from H茅l茅na Klotz and starring French pop star Claire Pommet in her acting debut as "an ambitious non-binary person eager to make their mark."
The annual movie marathon gears up amid historic dual Hollywood strikes that have sent unionized writers and actors off the job in fractious disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
It's unclear how the labour action will affect the star wattage at this year's fest, but TIFF has acknowledged it will have an impact.
Platform's programming lead Robyn Citizen said Cage delivers some of his finest work in "Dream Scenario."
鈥淭his surrealist satire-comedy has sharp, timely observations about social media culture 鈥� especially 鈥榞oing viral鈥� 鈥� and its impact on the way that we interact with others in our day-to-day life,鈥� Citizen said in Wednesday's release.聽
Here's a look at the rest of the Platform lineup:
-鈥淕reat Absence,鈥� directed by Kei Chika-ura, Japan;
-鈥淚 Told You So (Te l鈥檃vevo detto),鈥� directed by Ginevra Elkann, Italy;
-鈥淣ot A Word (Kein Wort),鈥� directed by Hanna Slak, Germany/Slovenia/France;
-鈥淭he Rye Horn (O Corno),鈥� directed by Jaione Camborda, Spain/Belgium/Portugal;
-鈥淪isterhood (HLM Pussy),鈥� directed by Nora El Hourch, France;
-鈥淪hame on Dry Land (Syndabocken),鈥� directed by Axel Peters茅n, Sweden.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 02, 2023.
The Canadian Press
