TORONTO 鈥� The head of the Toronto International Film Festival says the sheer number of films directed by prominent actors in this year's lineup was a surprise and big names are still expected on the red carpet even if the Hollywood actors strike drags on.
鈥淲e expect directors to come and present their work considering that these are projects they鈥檝e been working on for a long, long time,鈥� TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a phone interview on Monday.
鈥淚n some cases, everyone will make their own decisions but they鈥檙e equally passionate about their own films where at times, it may actually be an opportunity to speak about what鈥檚 at stake with the current labour action."
Organizers have announced the first wave of 60 titlesfor September鈥檚 TIFF amid the ongoing strike in Hollywood that could change this year's festival experience.
Several projects from actors sitting in the director鈥檚 chairs are on the list, including Viggo Mortensen鈥檚 Canadian co-produced feature, 鈥淭he Dead Don鈥檛 Hurt,鈥� Chris Pine's "Poolman," and Ethan Hawke's "Wildcat."
Current SAG-AFTRA strike action rules could prevent directors who also star in their films 鈥� such as Mortensen 鈥� from promoting their work as an actor, but they'd be able to speak to the press from a director's point of view.
Mortensen also serves as a writer on 鈥淭he Dead Don鈥檛 Hurt,鈥� a joint Canadian, Denmark and Mexico production that will make its world premiere at the festival. It's a western love story about a French-Canadian played by Vicky Krieps and a Danish immigrant played by Mortensen who are separated during the Civil War.
Big names can also be found in Michael Keaton's thriller film 鈥淜nox Goes Away," starring Al Pacino, Marcia Gay Harden and the "Batman" actor himself. Keaton鈥檚 second feature film as director tells the story of a contract killer diagnosed with a form of dementia who seeks redemption through his estranged adult son.
Bailey attributed the rise in actor-directed films at TIFF to timing and circumstances of recent years.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 partly a product of the last few years of the pandemic where artists had their normal projects often interrupted,鈥� Bailey said.
鈥淲e saw a bumper crop of what I would call passion projects鈥tories that clearly, these actors really wanted to tell so much that they wanted to direct the story themselves.鈥�
Hawke鈥檚 鈥淲ildcat,鈥� aboutthe life of American novelist Flannery O鈥機onnor -- played by his daughter Maya Hawke -- will make its international premiere at the festival.
Meanwhile, Pine's 鈥淧oolman鈥� centres on a pool cleaner who discovers a plot to rob Los Angeles of its water.
Like Pine, Anna Kendrick is making a directorial debut with "Woman of the Hour," based on the story of a real-life serial killer who appeared on a 1970s dating game TV show.
Among world premieres at this year's TIFF is Craig Gillespie's 鈥淒umb Money,鈥� starring Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Shailene Woodley and Vincent D'Onofrio and based on a true story of amateur investors who turned video game retailchain GameStop into the hottest stock option.
Newly announced Canadian projects include Sophie Dupuis鈥� queer romance 鈥淪olo," which centres on a rising star in the Montreal drag scene, navigating a set of toxic family and partner relationships.
Quebec filmmaker Chlo茅 Robichaud will debut her third feature, 鈥淒ays of Happiness,鈥� about a complicated relationship between a young conductor and her father.
Joint projects between Canadian and international talent include Dominic Savage鈥檚 indie drama 鈥淐lose to You,鈥� a Canada and United Kingdom co-production starring Elliott Page about family, love and identity.
With many elements still up in the air amid the Hollywood strike, Bailey said TIFF organizersare still adjusting to how the festival may look this year with potential celebrity absences.
鈥淚 can tell you that we already know big names that will be in Toronto so that鈥檚 not a concern,鈥� said Bailey, who wouldn鈥檛 get into specifics. 鈥淵es, there are companies very directly affected by this and if it continues, that would mean that there are some SAG-AFTRA members who would not be able to attend. We鈥檙e working that out.鈥�
Bailey said that due to the strike, decisions are being made on a more fluid, day-by-day basis.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e hearing is that everyone wants to respect the labour action and what it calls for but also want to make sure that not-for-profit organizations like ours aren鈥檛 impacted any more than we need to be," said Bailey.
"Screen industries are going through a massive series of changes that's partly due to technology, audience behaviour or AI now, that are going to be fundamentally game-changing for films and the entertainment industry generally. It makes sense what's at stake in the negotiations and we completely understand that."
He added that festival organizers have been 鈥渢alking to everybody,鈥� from directors and actors to the companies that represent talent, to try to understand how they can bring a great event to Toronto without going beyond what the labour action would dictate.
Still, he鈥檚 hoping that a resolution can bereached before TIFF begins on Sept. 7.
鈥淚t鈥檚 painful. I know people who are actors and I know people who work at some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world and nobody is happy about this,鈥� said Bailey.
鈥淭his is a tough situation for everyone to be in鈥he pandemic is still casting a shadow, not just on us, but on arts organizations across the country and around the world. I don鈥檛 want another threat to really reduce our ability to bring people together. I鈥檓 hoping we can still keep doing that.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2023.
Noel Ransome, The Canadian Press
