TORONTO (AP) 鈥� When this summer, Cameron Bailey, the longtime chief executive of the Toronto International Film Festival, dusted off his COVID-19 playbook.
For two years, TIFF, the largest film festival in North America, had maneuvered through through travel restrictions, social distancing measures and other upheavals. Now, TIFF was faced with a sudden eclipse of star power.
鈥淭his is the nature of running a festival,鈥� Bailey says. 鈥淵ou have to respond to what the year gives you. We have good experience from recent years in terms of handling how the COVID pandemic affected us. And we put some of those same measures at the beginning of the news about the actors strike.鈥�
Some performers are still coming to the , which opens Thursday night with Hayao Miyazaki鈥檚 long-awaited Filmmakers will be present. Documentaries and their subjects will still there. Independent productions have the chance of securing
But the biggest film festivals depend on having red carpets flush with stars. And it鈥檚 not only about the photo opportunities. Films come to a festival like Toronto looking to make as big a splash as possible, and announce themselves to moviegoers and Oscar voters.
A movie like could have expected to cause quite a stir. Directed by 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� filmmaker David Yates, it boasts a starry cast led by Emily Blunt and Chris Evans as pharmaceutical drug reps in the early days of the opioid epidemic.
鈥淚t is a shame that they鈥檙e not going to be with us when we premiere in Toronto, but it is what it is. These are seismic times,鈥� says Yates. 鈥淵es, I will miss the actors. Obviously, they really help. But I think they鈥檙e doing the right thing at the right time. We support them, but we鈥檒l miss them.鈥�
The dual strikes have already Lead juror Damien Chazelle wore a writers guild shirt to the opening press conference. Adam Driver, who stars in the independently made Michael Mann film 鈥淔errari,鈥� wondered why 鈥渁 smaller distribution company like Neon and STX can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for 鈥� but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can't?鈥�
But most stars have simply stayed home. Even though Bradley Cooper could have come to Venice as a director for in which he also stars, Cooper elected not to hit the Lido with his Oscar contender.
Word is still getting out on many of the breakout films. Yorgos Lanthimos鈥� 鈥淧oor Things鈥� was a sensation in Venice. Out of the recent Telluride Film Festival, which has always focused more on movies themselves than the circus of larger festivals, George C. Wolfe鈥檚 鈥淩ustin鈥� and Andrew Haig鈥檚 鈥淎ll of Us Strangers鈥� have been much celebrated.
At Toronto, Bailey grants the absence of actors has a cascading effect on other parts of the festival 鈥� the amount of media that makes the trip, the number of industry members on hand and the press junkets that fill up hotel floors throughout downtown Toronto. But, he notes, the films stay the same.
鈥淲hat we found was that in terms of the lineup and our audience鈥檚 interest in seeing the films, very little changed,鈥� says Bailey. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on track to match or even better last year鈥檚 audience numbers.鈥�
But less star power inevitably means less buzz. And Toronto is arguably the premier buzz factory in movies. Because 鈥� unlike Cannes or Venice 鈥� TIFF audiences are packed with moviegoers and not just industry people, Toronto has an enviable record of hosting both the best in global cinema and crowd-pleasing hits. Its top award, the audience award, is voted on by attendees. Year after year, that winner has gone on to be a best-picture nominee, whether or last year鈥檚
What might pop this year? Craig Gillespie鈥檚 an entertaining portrayal of the GameStop stock frenzy, should be a hit with TIFF audiences. Gillespie, whose feature debut 鈥淟ars and the Real Girl鈥� premiered at TIFF and whose was the most sought-after acquisition of the 2017 festival, knows what a warm reception in Toronto can mean for a movie.
鈥淭he crowd, they鈥檙e so receptive,鈥� Gillespie says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 such a great atmosphere.鈥�
To him, 鈥淒umb Money鈥� 鈥� a farcical tale of high-finance rebellion starring Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson and America Ferrera 鈥� in some ways reflects the battles actors and screenwriters are waging with Hollywood studios.
鈥淭he irony is that the message of our movie 鈥� which is so much about the discontent going on in our country with the wealth disparity 鈥� is timely,鈥� says Gillespie. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so in the thick of this commentary that鈥檚 going on in our society.鈥�
With Hollywood in over pay, streaming economics and some of those who are free to attend festivals are still hesitant to do so. Two weeks ago, SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland encouraged members to work in projects with an approved interim agreement 鈥渁nd applaud them for promoting their work in these productions.鈥�
Crabtree-Ireland was expected to walk the red carpet Thursday for TIFF鈥檚 opening night. On Friday, SAG-AFTRA is set to hold a rally in downtown Toronto.
Among the stars expected at TIFF are Sean Penn, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Chastain, Willem Dafoe, Nicolas Cage and Finn Wolfhard 鈥� all of whom are bringing projects with interim agreements. The festival has also notably programmed a number of films directed by actors, including Viggo Mortensen鈥檚 鈥淭he Dead Don鈥檛 Hurt,鈥� Kristin Scott Thomas鈥� 鈥淣orth Star,鈥� Michael Keaton鈥檚 鈥淜nox Goes Away,鈥� Ethan Hawke鈥檚 鈥淲ildcat鈥� and Anna Kendrick鈥檚 鈥淲oman of the Hour.鈥�
Toronto programmers have also leaned into music. The documentaries 鈥淟il Nas X: Long Live Montero,鈥� 鈥淚n Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon鈥� and 鈥淗ate to Love: Nickelback鈥� will premiere, as will a new restoration of the classic Talking Heads concert film 鈥淪top Making Sense.鈥�
Some of TIFF鈥檚 hottest tickets include Taika Waititi鈥檚 鈥淣ext Goal Wins,鈥� Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin鈥檚 鈥淣yad,鈥� Jessica Yu鈥檚 鈥淨uiz Lady鈥� and including 鈥淎natomy of a Fall,鈥� 鈥淔allen Leaves鈥� and 鈥淶one of Interest.鈥�
With stages mostly bereft of stars, more attention may go to young filmmakers breaking through. Cord Jefferson, an award-winning TV writer of 鈥淭he Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore,鈥� 鈥淪uccession鈥� and 鈥淲atchmen,鈥� will premiere his directing debut an adaptation of Percival Everett鈥檚 鈥淓rasure," starring Jeffrey Wright.
鈥淚鈥檝e loved movies since I was child and I鈥檝e never been to a film festival before,鈥� says Jefferson. 鈥淓ven the idea that I鈥檓 going to a film festival with a film that I鈥檝e directed feels surreal. I can鈥檛 comprehend it fully yet.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream come true, literally,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚鈥檓 just excited to be amongst other filmmakers.鈥�
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Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
