More from Etan Vlessing
TIFF: PETA Activist Disrupts Pharrell Williams Biopic Premiere in Toronto
A protester with PETA, the animal rights group, stole the limelight on Tuesday night as Pharrell Williams talked about his animated biopic Piece by Piece at the Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto Film Festival. The PETA activist approached the stage as Williams held a post-screening Q&A and slammed the singer and producer […]
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Documentary ‘Russians at War’ Sparks Protest, Heated Debate in Toronto
Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova has responded to a protest at the Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday against her controversial Russians at War documentary ahead of a North American premiere on Friday. Trofimova tells The Hollywood Reporter her first-person film has her talking to ordinary Russian soldiers over seven months in Ukraine to get a perspective no one […]
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‘Bliss (Hemda)’ Director Talks Israeli Film Backlash by Major Festivals: “They Don’t Want Us Anymore”
Israeli novelist and director Shemi Zarhin is set to screen his latest movie, Bliss (Hemda) at the Toronto Film Festival with virtually all the certainties in his life and work scrambled by the current war in Gaza that followed the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel. “I can’t explain my people. I can explain […]
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TIFF Film ’40 Acres’ Facing Claims by IATSE Over Alleged Unpaid Crew, Vendors
Producers of 40 Acres, a dystopian thriller starring Danielle Deadwyler that had its world premiere at TIFF, have addressed cost overruns during the movie’s production a year ago that led to some local crew and vendors being left unpaid, according to the U.S.-based union IATSE. “We had cost overruns on the production. It’s a big, […]
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Shailene Woodley to Star in Janis Joplin Biopic
The elusive Janis Joplin biopic is closer to reality, as Shailene Woodley has received a commitment for a $2.49 million tax credit from the California Film Commission for the film, it was announced Tuesday. “I have a feeling Janis would be smiling ear to ear, zipping down the PCH in her psychedelic Porsche knowing her […]
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Francis Ford Coppola Says His Dystopian Epic ‘Megalopolis’ Is a “Vision of Hope”
Francis Ford Coppola says his twist on the dystopian sci-fi movie genre in Megalopolis reflects his utopian ambitions for the world. “It’s a roman epic, what can I say? It’s a dive into a world that exists more than it should. Of course, it’s about loyalty, but ultimately in the end it’s a vision of hope,” Coppola […]
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‘Conclave’ Director Edward Berger On How Vatican Power Politics Mirror U.S. Presidential Election
Director Edward Berger says the backroom power politicking in Conclave, his Vatican conspiracy thriller, has an echo in U.S. president Joe Biden recently being replaced as the Democratic Party nominee by Vice President Kamala Harris. The German director told a Toronto Film Festival audience on Monday that the script for his Vatican conspiracy thriller was written […]
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Native Trans Director Sydney Freeland Talks Authentic Casting: “I’m Double Used to Being Misrepresented”
Sydney Freeland in the long journey to complete her Netflix basketball-focused feature film, produced by LeBron James, had as a key goal to show real native lives on screen. But finding Indigenous basketball players was easier said than done, or at least at first, Freeland told a Toronto Film Festival audience on Monday. “Netflix bought the […]
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Cam Gigandet, Sam Trammell Action-Thriller ‘72 Hours’ Lands at Brainstorm Media (Exclusive)
Brainstorm Media has picked up the action-thriller 72 Hours, directed by Christian Sesma and starring Sam Trammell and Twilight actor Cam Gigandet. A Nov. 1 theatrical and on-demand release is planned for 72 Hours, which centers on two brothers — a dedicated FBI agent and a crypto international money launderer — putting aside their differences and […]
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TIFF: Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie, Amy Adams Add Star Wattage at Post-Strikes Toronto Fest Tribute Awards
Cate Blanchett thanked Knix, the underwear maker, for sponsoring her TIFF Tribute Award on Sunday night, which was ironic because the Elizabeth and Carol actress apparently went bottomless to the glittering festival event. “I’m not actually wearing any underwear,” Blanchett revealed, jokingly or not, while wearing a long party dress on stage at the Royal […]
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Alfonso Cuarón Was “Terrified” Making New TV Series ‘Disclaimer’: “I’m Not Very Fast”
Five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón says he’s drawn to film scripts that bring “me out of my comfort zone.” And a looming challenge came the way of Cuarón with his big-budget streaming series debut, Disclaimer, and its unique narrative structure. Namely the fact that it was television. “I realized I’d never done something overtly narrative. And […]
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Angelina Jolie Says ‘Maria’ Biopic Reflects “Darker Times” in Opera Legend’s Life
Angelina Jolie says Maria, her latest movie where she plays the world’s greatest opera singer, is about an artist faced with creative struggles and doubt. “Towards the end of her life of her life she had highs and the greatest highs, were where she could really feel she was connecting, and she had times where […]
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