Festival Daily






September 11, 2021
What Film Can Do? Witch Hunt premiere exposes a meltdown in the legal system while reuniting families
Posted By Festival Daily At 9:01 AM
File under: Directors
By Kate Lawrie I’ve never had to fight back tears while moderating a Q&A; after a film. Not until this past Sunday, September 7, that is – at the world premiere of directors Don Hardy and Dana Nachman’s documentary Witch Hunt. I had seen the film in an advance screening, and admittedly was astonished by the almost surreal failing of the American legal system that it details. But even that couldn’t prepare me for the emotional outpouring that came about at the post-premiere discussion. In the late 1980s, a cataclysm of undertrained investigators, bad questioning methods, problematic prosecution cases and...

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The Spirit of El Greco Comes to Toronto
Posted By Festival Daily At 9:01 AM
By Alissa Simon The spirit of peripatetic sixteenth-century Greek painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known to the world as El Greco, comes to Toronto during the Festival via the colorful period drama El Greco, directed by Iannis Smaragdis, and a special exhibition, “El Greco – from the set to the screen,” which will be on display at the Bata Shoe Museum through September 14. The medium for this materialization, director Smaragdis, his producer wife Eleni Smaragdis and cinematographer Aris Stavrou, will appear at the film’s public screenings on September 12 and 13. They will be accompanied by the leading actors, including Nick...

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Firaaq: Nandita Das’s Visionary Directorial Debut
Posted By Festival Daily At 9:01 AM
By Parul Pandya Nandita Das has proven herself to be one of the first ladies of India, with over 12 years of acting and 30 films to her credit. Onscreen, she garners admiration for her unique ability to vividly paint the emotional landscape of the characters she embodies. But Das’s authenticity goes beyond her acting talents; off-screen, she is an active advocate for social justice and change in India and beyond. Firaaq, her directorial debut, intertwines an investigation of the human capacity for suffering with a look at the social implications of violence on individuals and nations alike. The word “firaaq”...

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A Round With… Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland
Posted By Festival Daily At 9:01 AM
By Nicholas Davies Who: Richard Glatzer and Wash WestmorelandWhat: Top secret Where: That’s top secret, too When: September 9, 3:30pm I meet up with my friends Richard and Wash, who are in town with the film Pedro. As its producers, they’re here for the premiere that happened on Sunday. They’re busy doing press all day, but we manage to squeeze in a bit of time for a chinwag – and we arrange that I’ll look in my closet for the shirt Wash left behind (the boys were staying chez-moi at the start of the Festival). We lament the fact that they’re leaving...

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A Filmmaker’s Guide to Toronto: Susan Coyne and Martha Burns, How Are You?
Posted By Festival Daily At 9:01 AM
File under: Directors
By Hailey Eisen It is a warm summer evening, and the Bloor Street West strip is buzzing with life. The flashing yellow lights of Honest Ed’s (581 Bloor Street West) illuminate the sidewalks as people of all ages and walks of life mingle in this vibrant, mid-town neighbourhood. A landing place for many University of Toronto students, the Annex area is also home to some of Toronto’s most well-known talent. Its plethora of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, boutiques and street vendors attract throngs of people all year round. For Martha Burns and Susan Coyne – celebrated personalities in the Toronto film,...

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