For eleven days every year, Toronto transforms into a bustling hub for film lovers and celebrity watchers who crowd into the city for the Toronto International Film Festival. As one of the largest and most prestigious film events in the world, the festival attracts nearly half a million visitors and screens hundreds of films across a number of venues.
For book lovers who also love films, the lineup this year is especially exciting with a number of heavy-hitting book adaptations making their debuts at the festival. So, brush up on your listening, because TIFF 2019 is sure to be a treat for the eyes and the ears!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, narrated by David Pittu
Based on Donna Tartt’s 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the adaptation starring Nicole Kidman, Ansel Elgort, Sarah Paulson, and Jeffrey Wright tells the story of a teenage boy named Theo Decker (Elgort) whose life is changed after surviving a bombing at a museum that killed his mother. It is helmed by John Crowley, the director of Oscar-nominated film Brooklyn, who certainly has ample experience with dramatic epics that span years. The Goldfinch will open on September 8 at Roy Thomson Hall and the Elgin Theatre.
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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, narrated by Bryan Stevenson
Michael J. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larson star in this powerful true story based on Bryan Stevenson’s memoir of the same name. Jordan stars as Bryan Stevenson—a lawyer, social justice activist, and Harvard Law School graduate—who moved to Alabama and founded the Equal Justice Initiative to defend inmates on death row who were wrongly convicted. Just Mercy opens September 6 at Roy Thomson Hall and the Elgin Theatre.
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Testimony (Film Adaptation: Once Were Brothers) by Robbie Robertson, narrated by MacLeod Andrews
The Toronto International Film Festival is kicking off its 2019 festival with a Canadian documentary by filmmaker Daniel Roher titled Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band. The film draws from Robbie Robertson’s 2016 memoir, Testimony, and follow Robertson’s early life, his time with The Band, through to their final concert in 1976. Once Were Brothers will be launching the festival September 5 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
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Caging Skies (Film Adaptation: Jojo Rabbit) by Christine Leunens, narrated by Steven Jay Cohen
If someone somewhere in an offshore, far-flung strange world has ever wanted Taika Waititi to play Adolf Hitler, their wish is about to be granted. Jojo Rabbit, a black comedy adapted from Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, tells the story of a young Hitler Youth named Jojo “Rabbit” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) who discovers his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Waititi who directed the movie also stars as Jojo’s imaginary friend, a jovial and boisterous version of Adolf Hitler. Jojo Rabbit premiers September 8 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
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