At the launch of the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this morning, festival co-directors, Cameron Bailey(left) and Piers Handling, announced some of the confirmed Galas, Special Presentations and one Master that will be screened at tiff 2010. As usual it was the big names that were announced: films directed by the likes of Robert Redford, Woody Allen, Francois Ozon, Mike Leigh, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Mahamat-Selah Haroun and stars such as De Niro, Hoffman, AAmir Khan, Om Puri, Helen Mirren, Hilary Swank etc...The name tossing doesn't confirm who is actually setting foot on the red carpet in September (those details have to be worked out over the next several weeks), but the films are confirmed. When asked if the Mel Gibson film would be making an appearance at the tiff, Piers Handling diplomatically stated (twice) that its his policy never to discuss films that haven't been selected for the festival. (Big laugh in the room, by the way, when those questions were asked).
I'm not a star-chaser, and Galas are not usually my thing, but I am interested in Special Presentations and look forward to seeing the world premiere of Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghat and Anurag Kashyap's That Girl in the Yellow Boots, both set in Mumbai, Andrew Lau's The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen and Andrucha Waddinton's Lope, about Spanish playwright, Lope de Vega. Can't wait fo find out, though, about the Canadian films (you know I'm a champion of those films) and what's in the Discovery program. With nineteen programmers this year, the selection should be topnotch. Stay tuned for more tiff news over the next few weeks... 
As a sign of things to come, the kick off for the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival was held on King West at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, doors west of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, the festival's new home. At 35, TIFF has outgrown its bachelor diggs and is now firmly ensconced in a new five-storey building below luxury condos. Come September, the King and John Street headquarters, which is still under construction, will have three of its five screens in operation for Free screenings (tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis) of a few past TIFF hits such as Water, Crash, and The Big Chill. Other screens around town will still be used but I bet the Scotia Plaza will be used more often than the Varsity, which was close to TIFF's old headquarters at Carlton and Yonge. Unlike in previous years, Yonge/Dundas Square will not be used for free concerts or readings. Get used to the Lightbox, everyone.
Toronto International Film FestivalSept. 9th - 19th (that's right, there's one extra day of films!)
Tickets/Passes on Sale Now!
www.tiff.net
416-968-FILM (3456) OR 1-877-FILM (3456)
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