TIFF 2016 to open with ‘Magnificent Seven’ remake
Movies by Quebec director Denis Villeneuve, fashion designer Tom Ford, three-time Academy Award winner Oliver Stone, and the buzzy “Birth of a Nation’’ are headed to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Organizers announced the first slate of 2016 festival films Tuesday, including Villeneuve’s sci-fi thriller “Arrival,’’ starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, which is set to screen first at the Venice Film Festival.
TIFF’s opening film will be the star-studded remake of the 1960 western “The Magnificent Seven,’’ with a cast including Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke. The film will make its world premiere in Toronto.
“We are pleased to welcome acclaimed filmmaker Antoine Fuqua back to the festival, and have been proud to present audiences with his feature films including ‘Training Day’ and ‘The Equalizer,’ said TIFF CEO Piers Handling in a statement. ‘’Fuqua has delivered an exciting character-driven film on a grand scale, while putting his own unique spin on the genre making for a thrilling opening night.”
Also bound for the fest with big buzz is Stone’s “Snowden,’’ a dramatization of Edward Snowden’s decision to leak classified security documents to the media. Stars include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Melissa Leo.
Adams also stars in Ford’s sophomore feature “Nocturnal Animals,’’ which he wrote and directed, based on Austin Wright’s novel “Tony and Susan.’’ Adams plays an art gallery owner disturbed by the contents of a novel written by her ex-husband, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
Audiences will get to see London, Ont., native Ryan Gosling sing in the musical romance “La La Land.’’ “Whiplash’’ writer-director Damien Chazelle helms the cast that also features Emma Stone and J. K. Simmons.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 8-18.
The closing film will be the Vancouver-shot comingof-age comedy “The Edge of Seventeen,’’ starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick.
Other highlights announced Tuesday: r &XBO .D(SFHPS NBLFT IJT directorial debut on “American Pastoral,’’ He also stars, alongside Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Connelly, in the adaptation of Philip Roth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. r 5IF CJPHSBQIJDBM ESBNB “Barry’’ looks at U.S. President Barack Obama’s years as a college student in New York City. r 3PC 3FJOFS EJSFDUT “LBJ,’’ starring Harrelson as president Lyndon B. Johnson and Jennifer Jason Leigh as his wife Lady Bird Johnson. r *O i2VFFO PG ,BUXF directed by Mira Nair, David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o star in the real-life story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi. r i5IF +PVSOFZ JT UIF Destination,’’ by Toronto native Bronwen Hughes, stars Maria Bello in the story of slain photojournalist Dan Eldon. r 0UIFS $BOBEJBO DPOUFOU includes “Unless’’ by Ireland’s Alan Gilsenan, based on the novel by late Canuck novelist Carol Shields. r .VTJDBM GMJDLT JODMVEF UIF star-packed animated comedy “Sing,’’ the Justin Timberlake concert doc “JT + The Tennessee Kids’’ by Jonathan Demme, and “The Rolling Stones Ole Ole Ole! : A Trip Across Latin America’’ by Paul Dugdale.