As reported by
The Canadian Press, next month's
TIFF (which runs from September 6 to 16) will include the North American premiere of Lee's
Bad 25, a documentary celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Michael Jackson's album
Bad. The film includes rare behind-the-scenes footage of the late pop superstar recording the album, as well as interviews with Kanye West, Sheryl Crow and Mariah Carey.
Another highly anticipated Special Presentation is the North American premiere of the new film by Anderson,
The Master, starring Joaquin Pheonix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a drama about an unusual friendship between a World War II veteran and the inventor of a new religious movement. Anderson's previous films include
Boogie Nights and the Oscar-winning
There Will Be Blood.
And the long-awaited adaptation of Jack Kerouac's classic novel of the Beat generation,
On the Road, is also coming to TIFF. Produced by cinema legend Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Walter Salles (known for acclaimed Brazilian films
Central Station and
The Motorcycle Diaries), it received
mixed reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Kirsten Dunst and Kristen Stewart have supporting roles.
Other high-profile titles at this year's TIFF include
Passion, the new De Palma thriller with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace;
The Paperboy, a 1960s-set noir with Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman, from
Precious director Lee Daniels; and closing Gala
Song for Marion, starring Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave and directed by Paul Andrew Williams.
Williams' film is reportedly a feel-good flick about a cranky senior who can't understand why his ailing wife is so taken up with a local choir. “Bring Kleenex, [and] prepare to sing along,” TIFF artistic director
Cameron Bailey tweeted about the movie.
According to
Movieline, the group of films added to the TIFF lineup today includes three Gala openings and eighteen Special Presentations.
Other Special Presentations just announced include Susanne Bier's
Love is All You Need, with Pierce Brosnan; Nick Cassavetes'
Yellow; and
Spring Breakers, with James Franco. Peter Webber's historical drama
Emperor will be a red-carpet Gala event, as will the new adaptation of Henry James'
What Maisie Knew.
