Below, a helping of the most recent announcements, followed by a declaration of premature exhaustion.
Chinese Coffee, Al Pacino's latest directorial effort, represents a coup for the "Special Presentation" category. The study of a relationship between an author (Pacino) and his mentor (Jerry Orbach) rests alongside a surprising addition (inasmuch as his movies aren't normally prestige material) to the 22-film programme, Joel Schumacher's boot camp drama Tigerland.
Bernard Rose, of Immortal Beloved fame, is always one to watch, and with his weirdly named IVANSXTC (To Live and Die in Hollywood), the filmmaker tries his hand at a digital video quickie, which was inspired by Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Others trade-up: Darren Aronofsky leaves the cheap 16mm world of his Pi for the much higher-budgeted junkie drama Requiem for a Dream, co-starring Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto.
A helmer who has smoothly alternated between studio and indie pictures receives a special Bloomberg Tribute, Stephen Frears (High Fidelity). The Fest will screen six of his best, including My Beautiful Laundrette (though omitting Mary Reilly), and host a gala evening of retrospection on Saturday, September 9 (to be followed by a private dinner at the Four Seasons). Frears' newest, Liam, arrives with him as yet another Special Presentation.
Closing the 25th Anniversary T.I.F.F. is Michael Kalesniko's How to Kill Your Neighbour's Dog, a comedy about an angst-ridden L.A. playwright (Kenneth Branagh), his lovely wife (Robin Wright-Penn), and the noisy dog next door. Sounds like an upbeat choice compared to last year's Onegin.
The "Masters" line-up sees the return of 15 directors, Proust-lover Raul Ruiz (Comédie De L'Innocence) and Takeshi Kitano (Brother) among this esteemed crowd. Ruy Gerra's Turbulence, which "reproduces the existential nightmare of an anonymous character roaming through a large modern city," and Chantal Akerman's La Captive (ironic to this report based on Proust's story "Prisonnière") have a particularly healthy dose of anticipation surrounding them.
As I mentioned in 1999's coverage, I love galas, and I love Ang Lee, so I was doubly excited to learn that his Cannes hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will see Toronto, hopefully with Lee and lead Chow Yun-Fat ("Brother Chow") in attendance. (It shows prior to Rod Lurie's much-hyped The Contender on the same night.) Other luminaries penciled in to make an appearance in next week: Gwyneth Paltrow (for Duets), Robert DeNiro(!) (Men of Honor), Sean Penn and Sarah Polley (The Weight of Water), Richard Gere (Robert Altman's Dr. T. and the Women), and others.
"Contemporary World Cinema", typically the treasure trove category, offers: an unexpurgated look at Catherine "Romance" Breillat's 1976 debut, Une Vraie Jeune Fille ("True Girl"); the apparently fascinating interpretation of a 12th century Japanese legend, Gojoe, from Sogo Ishii; Amos Kollek's Fast Food, Fast Women (ah, my two favourite things); and many more.
A new, possibly one-time only programme has been formed this year, "Beckett on Film", encompassing a couple of features and eight shorts, notably Atom Egoyan's Krapp's Last Tape.
Last but not least, "Dialogues" revives not-to-be-missed gems like Blue Velvet (presented by Lynne Stopkewich--if her Kissed is any indication, she and I view Lynch's masterwork very differently), Performance (Bernard Rose), etc. What's the big deal, you ask? Oftentimes, minty fresh prints accompany the host.
But wait! There are also extra-cinema activities aplenty. "Mavericks" returns with informal interactive sessions from Schumacher, Guy Maddin, Agnès Varda, Barbara Kopple, and Amos Gitaï... David Cronenberg interviews producer Jeremy Thomas in a keynote symposium... The Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum, a personal hero, heads a panel to discuss the importance of film preservation... Norman Jewison holds his annual Canadian Film Centre barbecue...
F.Y.I., FUN T.I.F.F. 2000 FACTS:
329 FILMS (319 in 1999)
1832 INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS (1585 in 1999)
178 FEATURES MAKING THEIR WORLD OR NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (171 in 1999)
56 COUNTRIES (52 in 1999)76 SHORTS (65 in 1999)
25 CANADIAN FEATURES including co-productions(25 in 1999)
40 CANADIAN SHORTS (37 in 1999)
15 CANADIAN FEATURES MAKING THEIR WORLD PREMIERE (14 in 1999)
64 FIRST FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS (86 in 1999)
19 SCREENS USED (19 in 1999)
15 PROGRAMMES (13 in 1999)
26,706 MINUTES OF FILM (26,571 in 1999)
217 MINUTES - LONGEST FILM
4 MINUTES - SHORTEST FILM
Film Freak Central's bleary-eyed coverage begins soon. Wish me luck, and pass the ginseng.
