All posts tagged: Toronto International Film Festival

5 Things the Fest Told Us About the Oscar Race

5 Things the Fest Told Us About the Oscar Race

Published by Daniella Wilson

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival came to a close on Sunday, and now it’s time to figure out what it told us about the nascent race to the Oscars. 1. La Bola Negra has emerged as a — perhaps the — principal challenger to The Odyssey Netflix’s Spanish-language epic La Bola Negra has had quite a week. Its Canadian premiere elicited one of the fest’s longest-standing ovations on record last Tuesday. On Wednesday, Spain selected it as the nation’s best international feature Oscar entry. And on Sunday, it won the fest’s audience award, a first for a Netflix film. One shouldn’t read too much into the significance of the audience award to the Oscar race — the last time a non-English-language film won this prize was 15 years ago when it went to Where Do We Go Now?, and the prize’s winner two years ago was The Life of Chuck, neither of which went on to receive a single Oscar nom. But the Toronto audience is thought to be a pretty close demographic facsimile to …

Hudson Williams Teases A “Sadder” Heated Rivalry Season 2

Hudson Williams Teases A “Sadder” Heated Rivalry Season 2

Published by Daniella Wilson

Hudson Williams is teasing what it’s been like on set for Heated Rivalry season two. The 26-year-old actor, speaking during a conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival, spoke about what it was like for him and co-star Connor Storrie when they went back to set on the hit queer hockey romance drama. “It was surreal to step into it,” Williams told the crowd. “We’re going to be kissing each other, brother. I’m going to be doing my fucking Russian accent to you,” he said, mimicking Storrie. Williams said it was hard for them to wrap their heads around going back and were concerned they wouldn’t be able to get right back into it. Williams pointed out that it was the first time he’d ever returned to a character on a big scale. Williams said much of their memory around the first season wasn’t just shooting but seeing the episodes, fans reactions and everything that’s happened in the last 10 months. But ultimately the pair decided to be “overconfident” and knew they knew their characters …

Doc on Black-Jewish Relations in America

Doc on Black-Jewish Relations in America

Published by Daniella Wilson

The coalition between Blacks and Jews was integral to shaping 20th-century America, steering entertainment, sports and politics as two groups often “othered” within our cultural tapestry found power in unity. But where shared values and purpose led to joint fights against fascism and prejudice, events like the Crown Heights riots and the aftermath of the tragedies of October 7, 2023, exposed schisms. The relationship has been so crucial to the identities of both groups and to our country that Henry Louis Gates Jr. produced Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History, which premiered on PBS in February of this year. It’s a great docuseries, though one that feels like it’s barely scratching the surface of this interwoven history in four hours. Re/Pair The Bottom Line So-so as history, but a potent conversation-starter. Venue: Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF Docs)Director: Lacey Schwartz Delgado 1 hour 41 minutes It’s no surprise, then, that Lacey Schwartz Delgado’s Re/Pair, a new 101-minute documentary premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, feels important but short of essential. If you haven’t …

Harry Potter’s new star Johnny Flynn says private schools should be ‘burnt to the ground’

Harry Potter’s new star Johnny Flynn says private schools should be ‘burnt to the ground’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Harry Potter star Johnny Flynn has said that he doesn’t think private schools should exist, stating that they should be “burnt to the ground” after his own “traumatic” experience at boarding school. The British actor, 43, is best known for starring in Channel 4 sitcom Lovesick (formerly known as Scrotal Recall), the 2020 film Emma, and most recently, the Paramount+ crime drama MobLand. He is about to take on the role of Lucius Malfoy in HBO’s forthcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation. In a new interview, Flynn opened up about his childhood – revealing that he was badly bullied while studying at Winchester’s Pilgrims’ School. He attended the boarding school from age seven after securing a choral scholarship. Flynn spoke about his traumatic experience at boarding school in a new interview (Getty) “It was quite traumatic for me,” he told the Radio …

Helen Mirren as Patricia Highsmith

Helen Mirren as Patricia Highsmith

Published by Daniella Wilson

Patricia Highsmith was known to have a nasty personality: misanthropic, racist and anti-Semitic. She was even better known as a brilliant crime novelist, able to delve into the minds of murderers. Does it take a killer to know a killer? That is one of the tantalizing questions bubbling up in A Talent for Murder, in which Helen Mirren embodies Highsmith in all her devious, scowling genius. Although the film is true to Highsmith’s character, the story is entirely made up. Alden Ehrenreich plays the invented Edward Ridgeway, a young representative from Highsmith’s New York publisher, sent to persuade her to write a sixth novel about Tom Ripley. In reality, she wrote five, with The Talented Mr. Ripley her most acclaimed. Playing off her Ripley character, A Talent for Murder spins out into two other storylines as it becomes a cat-and-mouse game — or maybe a cat-and-cat game — between Highsmith and the guest she has reluctantly allowed into her home. A Talent for Murder The Bottom Line An engaging riff on an author and her …

Helen Mirren Remembers Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem at TIFF Tribute Awards

Helen Mirren Remembers Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem at TIFF Tribute Awards

Published by Sam Flores

“I am here tonight to honor a man with really the best heart and worst laugh in Hollywood,” said Anna Kendrick Sunday night. She was presenting Seth Rogen with the final prize of the eighth annual Toronto Film Festival Tribute Awards, held at the Fairmont Royal York. The ceremony has grown since its inception in 2019, when Meryl Streep, Joaquin Phoenix (who won an Oscar the following year for Joker), and Taika Waititi (who also won an Oscar for Jojo Rabbit) served as inaugural honorees; this year it recognized 10 industry heavyweights, including Rogen, Isabelle Huppert, and Helen Mirren. With more awards inevitably comes filler. But the program moved briskly, and the speeches ranged from heartfelt to funny, if not both. The awards, acting as a fundraiser for the festival and presented by Rolex, are also one of the first stops on the awards season trail—and for recipients like Penélope Cruz and Possible Love director Lee Chang-dong, this may be the first of many speeches we see from them on the long march to the …

Liam Neeson sparks dating speculation after holding hands with co-star on the red carpet

Liam Neeson sparks dating speculation after holding hands with co-star on the red carpet

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Liam Neeson was pictured holding hands with his co-star Stella Stocker at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday. The Irish actor was last linked to Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, who confirmed in December last year that the pair “were romantically involved for a short while” after filming The Naked Gun (2025) together. Neeson and English actor Stocker, who star in the upcoming action thriller The Mongoose together, attended the Canadian festival’s premiere of Courteney Cox’s new film Evil Genius. Stocker was seen stroking Neeson’s arm and clasping his hand in footage captured by People. The Independent has contacted Stocker and Neeson’s representatives for comment. The two actors have previously shared the screen in two 2022 films, Memory and Marlowe. Stella Stocker and …

First Reactions to Zack Snyder’s New Film

First Reactions to Zack Snyder’s New Film

Published by Daniella Wilson

Zack Snyder‘s The Last Photograph had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sunday, and the first reactions to the filmmaker’s 13th feature are decidedly mixed. Debuting in TIFF‘s “special events” section, The Last Photograph is an action thriller that Snyder directed from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, who co-wrote Snyder’s previous two features, 2023’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and 2024’s Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. A plot synopsis for the film reads, “An ex-DEA agent searches South American mountains for his murdered diplomat siblings’ children, aided by a junkie photographer who saw the killers, confronting past demons as reality blurs in remote wilderness.” The Last Photograph stars Scottish actor Stuart Martin and Northern Irish actor Fra Fee. Snyder’s longtime collaborator Hans Zimmer, alongside Omer Benyamin and Steven Doar, composed the film’s music. A passion project for Snyder, The Last Photograph is based on an original story from the filmmaker and he has been developing the idea for two decades. He also served as cameraman and cinematographer …

Toronto Film Festival Tribute Awards 2026: Full Winners List

Toronto Film Festival Tribute Awards 2026: Full Winners List

Published by Daniella Wilson

Canadian comedy actor, producer and writer Seth Rogen on Sunday night declared it “ominous” to receive a career achievement award from the Toronto Film Festival at 44 years of age. “Does TIFF know something I don’t know? You got a letter from my doctors?” he questioned while on stage at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Rogen received a Career Achievement honor at the Tribute Awards at TIFF while in town to tout two movies — Babies, directed by his wife Lauren Miller Rogen, and Tangles, an animated film which Rogen and Miller Rogen produced. Rogen thanked his wife for allowing him to piggy back on her success in bringing her film to TIFF in which he stars alongside Anna Kendrick. “Thank you all, you can go home now,” he finished off. Oscar-winner Helen Mirren was also on hand to receive a Groundbreaker Award as she brings the thriller A Talent For Murder to Toronto for a world premiere. She paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem after their recent passing is still in the …

Cynthia Erivo in Misguided Adaptation

Cynthia Erivo in Misguided Adaptation

Published by Daniella Wilson

Prima Facie carries a bracing, important, timely lesson about getting justice for victims of rape. Cynthia Erivo plays Tessa Ensler, a rising star among British barristers, who often deals with assault cases, and whose world crumbles along with her belief in the legal system when she herself is assaulted by a colleague she was dating. Suzie Miller wrote the screenplay, expanding on her one-woman stage version, which won the 2023 Olivier for Best New Play, along with the Best Actress Olivier and a Tony for Jodie Comer, and its easy to see how well it might have worked in the theater with a galvanizing performance. But there is no use sugar-coating the huge disappointment the film turns out to be. As a message, Prima Facie is still a howl of rage and a plea for change. But as a film it is a near-total muddle, from the clunky recurring voiceover to the cringey, obvious visuals and a preachy ending, with only some stunning supporting performances and a brief, powerful middle section to redeem it. Prima …