Brits Hit Toronto With Wide Range of Genres

By Leo Barraclough

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – A selection of the British movies screening at the Toronto Film Festival:

“Outlaw King” (U.S., U.K.)
DIRECTOR: David Mackenzie
SECTION: Gala Presentations
LOGLINE: Forced into exile by the English, Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine) fights to reclaim
the Scottish throne.

“Widows” (U.K., U.S.)
DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen
SECTION: Gala Presentations
LOGLINE: Crime thriller about four women left in the lurch when their criminal husbands are killed.

“Colette” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Wash Westmoreland
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Keira Knightley stars in historical drama about the eponymous French novelist.

“Driven” (Puerto Rico, U.K., U.S.)
DIRECTOR: Nick Hamm
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Lee Pace and Jason Sudeikis star in this story of the rise and fall of automotive maverick John DeLorean.

“Red Joan” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Trevor Nunn
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Judi Dench and Sophie Cookson take on the complex persona of a seemingly demure physicist who is a British spy for the KGB.

“Teen Spirit” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Max Minghella
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Shy teenager (Elle Fanning) dreams of pop stardom and enters a singing competition as an escape from her small town and difficult family life.

“Vita & Virginia” (U.K., Ireland)
DIRECTOR: Chanya Button
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Portrait of socialite and author Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton) and literary icon Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki), and their unconventional affair.

“The Wedding Guest” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Film noir follows a mysterious young British man (Dev Patel) on his journey across Pakistan and India.

“Where Hands Touch” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Amma Asante
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: Disquieting coming-of-age romance about a black German teenager (Amandla Stenberg) who falls in love with a member of the Hitler Youth.

“Wild Rose” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Tom Harper
SECTION: Special Presentations
LOGLINE: A would-be country singer dreams of leaving her dreary Glasgow life for the bright lights of Nashville.

“Peterloo” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Mike Leigh
SECTION: Masters
LOGLINE: Drama about events leading up to 1819 Peterloo Massacre, when the local militia attacked a crowd calling for political reform.

“Out of Blue” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Carol Morley
SECTION: Platform
LOGLINE: A detective’s (Patricia Clarkson) investigation into the shooting of an astrophysicist destabilizes her view of the universe.

“Gwen” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: William McGregor
SECTION: Discovery
LOGLINE: A mysterious run of ill fortune plagues a teenage girl and her mother and sister on their hillside farm in this atmospheric period piece.

“In Fabric” (U.K.)
DIRECTOR: Peter Strickland
SECTION: Midnight Madness
LOGLINE: Pic follows the misfortunes afflicting customers who come into contact with a bewitched dress.