‘Predator,’ ‘Halloween,’ ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ to Premiere at Toronto Film Festival
By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Shane’s Black’s “The Predator,” David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” reboot and Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9” will all have world premieres at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The titles were unveiled Thursday as part of the slates for the genre-centric Midnight Madness program and the TIFF Docs section.
“This year’s Midnight Madness slate promises another idiosyncratic confluence of established and emerging genre filmmakers,” said Peter Kuplowsky, Midnight Madness programmer. “To complement some of the buzziest provocations on the festival circuit, I have sought to curate an eccentric array of world premieres that demonstrate the dexterity of genre cinema as a canvas for both sublime satisfaction and stunning subversion. That includes the section’s two much-anticipated sequels, ‘’ and ‘,’ each of which boldly and brilliantly builds upon its mythic iconography to thrilling and surprising effect.”
Midnight Madness will open with the “The Predator” and close with the North American premiere of “Diamantino,” from Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt.
Fox will open “The Predator” nationwide on Sept. 14, while Universal will launch “Halloween” on Oct. 19.
The TIFF Docs section will include 27 feature-length non-fiction films, and will open with Moore’s “,” described by the festival as a “radical and humorous look at the United States under Donald Trump.” The section will close with “Searching for Ingmar Bergman,” directed by Margarethe von Trotta.
Moore’s 2004 documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” explored the presidency of George W. Bush and was a smash hit with $222 million at the worldwide box office. “Fahrenheit 11/9,” referring to the day Trump was declared President of the United States, will be released on Sept. 21.
“TIFF Docs contains multiple titles poised to become the next non-fiction hits after a summer of box-office breakouts,” said TIFF docs programmer Thom Powers. “Beyond the well-known directors in the lineup, look out for newer talents that will take audiences by surprise.”
The Toronto International Film Festival opens Sept. 6 and closes Sept. 16.
Midnight Madness
“Assassination Nation,” Sam Levinson, USA, Canadian Premiere
“Climax,” Gaspar Noé, France, North American Premiere
“Diamantino,” Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt, Portugal/France/Brazil, North American Premiere Midnight Madness Closing Film
“Halloween, David Gordon Green, USA, World Premiere
“In Fabric,” Peter Strickland, UK, World Premiere
“The Man Who Feels No Pain,” Vasan Bala, India, World Premiere
“Nekrotronic,” Kiah Roache-Turner, Australia, World Premiere
“The Predator,” Shane Black, USA, World Premiere Midnight Madness Opening Films
“The Standoff at Sparrow Creek,” Henry Dunham, USA, World Premiere
“The Wind,” Emma Tammi, USA, World Premiere
TIFF Docs
“American Dharma,” Errol Morris, USA/United Kingdom, North American Premiere
“Angels Are Made Of Light,” James Longley, USA/Denmark/Norway, Canadian Premiere
“The Biggest Little Farm,” John Chester, USA, International Premiere
“Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes,” Alexis Bloom, USA, World Premiere
“The Elephant Queen,” Victoria Stone, Mark Deeble, United Kingdom/Kenya, World Premiere
“Fahrenheit 11/9,” Michael Moore, USA, World Premiere TIFF Docs Opening Film
“Free Solo,” E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, USA, International Premiere
“Freedom Fields,” Naziha Arebi, Libya/United Kingdom/Netherlands/USA/Qatar/Lebanon/Canada, World Premiere
“Ghost Fleet,” Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron, USA, International Premiere
“Graves Without a Name (Les tombeaux sans noms),” Rithy Panh, France/Cambodi, Canadian Premiere
“Heartbound (Hjertelandet),” Janus Metz, Sine Plambech, Denmark/Netherlands/Sweden, World Premiere
“Maiden,” Alex Holmes, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“Maria by Callas,” Tom Volf, France, North American Premiere
“Meeting Gorbachev,” Werner Herzog, André Singer, United Kingdom/USA/Germany, Canadian Premiere
“This Changes Everything,” Tom Donahue, USA, World Premiere
“Monrovia, Indiana,” Frederick Wiseman, USA, North American Premiere
“Putin’s Witnesses (Svideteli Putina),” Vitaly Mansky, Latvia/Switzerland/Czech Republic, International Premiere
“Quincy,” Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks, USA, World Premiere
“Screwball,” Billy Corben, USA, World Premiere
“Searching for Ingmar Bergman,” Margarethe von Trotta, Germany/France, North American Premiere TIFF Docs Closing Film
“The Truth About Killer Robots,” Maxim Pozdorovkin, USA, World Premiere
“Walking on Water,” Andrey Paounov, Italy/USA, North American Premiere
“When Arabs Danced (Au temps où les Arabes dansaient),” Jawad Rhalib, Belgium, North American Premiere
“Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema,” Mark Cousins, United Kingdom, North American Premiere
