An Oscar preview for many Hollywood films, the annual event from September 7 to 16 is expected to spark a heated debate about the US president's world view and the war in Iraq, fed mostly by Bush's detractors.
'Death of a President', by British filmmaker Gabriel Range, screens at the festival next weekend, before it airs in Britain in October. Channel 4 hopes to secure a US distributor for the film at the festival.
The fictional drama told in documentary style about the 2007 assassination of Bush in Chicago amid Iraq war protests mixes archival footage with narrative elements to explore the loss of civil liberties, the ramifications of war and the manipulation of mass media.
In a rare statement to counter opposition to the film's release, festival organisers said the movie "contributes meaningfully to the public discourse surrounding current social issues".
"The film is not exploitative in any way and treats what would certainly be a great tragedy respectfully and un-cynically. In the tradition of great cautionary tales, a terrible and horrifying event unveils certain aspects of society's current fears and future trends," the statement said.
The documentary 'Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing' is sure to cause a row, too, as it recalls the Texas-born country singers' tiff with Bush over the war.
In 2003, lead singer Natalie Maines told a concert crowd on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq the trio was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas".
Spike Lee's four-hour blockbuster 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts', about the US response to Hurricane Katrina, also blasts Bush over his perceived failure to help mostly poor, black victims of the storm.
And Michael Moore, creator of the anti-Bush documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11', will be back to host a roundtable talk about the fallout of his films. He will also preview bits of his upcoming film 'Sicko', about the US healthcare system.
Moore first made headlines in 1989 with 'Roger and Me', which became a surprise hit at the festival.
"This year seems to be shaping up around politics. We do live in a very violent and politically divisive age, and a lot of the films that people are picking up on this year have provocative political content," festival co-director Noah Cowan told AFP.
The Toronto film festival kicks off on Thursday with the highly anticipated world premiere of 'The Journals of Knud Rasmussen', which follows Danish scientists who in 1922 record the lives of an Inuit shaman and his daughter on the edge of a new world, their northern traditions threatened by the rise of Christianity and commerce.
A total of 352 films from 61 countries will be screened, including 261 feature films.
The world premiere of Ridley Scott's 'A Good Year', starring festival newcomer Russell Crowe; 'Babel', starring Brad Pitt; 'All the King's Men', with Sean Penn and Jude Law; and 'Infamous', featuring British actor Toby Jones as Truman Capote, have already created some Oscar buzz.
Toronto has become a key event for Oscar-conscious studios and distributors and is attended by a sizable contingent of North American media.
Indeed, three of the five films nominated for best picture at the 2006 Academy Awards — 'Capote', 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'Crash', which won — had their international or North American premieres at the Toronto festival.
Litanies of Hollywood movie stars are expected on the red carpet to help promote the contenders, including Pitt, Sharon Stone, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez.
More than 300 000 tickets were sold to moviegoers last year. In Toronto, movie buffs vote for their favourite, unlike Cannes's jury award system. They were seduced by Gavin Hood's 'Tsotsi' from South Africa in 2005.
entertainment.iafrica.com
Toronto international film festival opens today!
![Toronto international film festival opens today!]()
Reviewed by citra
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5