The 40th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off today.
TIFF is second only to Cannes festival in France in terms of prestige and oscar-buzz.
For example, did you know that The Princess Bride, starring famous WWE wrestler Andre the Giant premiered at TIFF in 1987?
There aren’t as many martial arts films here as in years past, but there’s still quite a good variety to choose from.
Here are four films that should turn some heads at the festival.
Welcome back to The Crossfire.
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SPL 2 – A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES
STARRING: TONY JAA, WU JING
SCREENINGS:
THU – SEPT. 17TH 11:59PM RYERSON
FRI SEPT. 18TH 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
SUN SEPT. 20TH SCOTIABANK THEATRE SCOTIABANK 2
Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak) plays a prison guard who needs to find a bone marrow donor for his sick daughter.If you loved the Ong-Bak series, you’ll likely enjoy SPL 2. It makes its international premier at TIFF and clocks in at 120 minutes. Directed by Soi Cheang.
DESIERTO
STARRING: GAEL GARCIA BERNAL, JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, ALONDRA HIDALGO
SCREENING:
SUN SEPT. 13TH 6:30PM ELGIN/WINTER GARDEN THEATRES VISA SCREENING ROOM
MON SEPT.14TH 2:00PM ELGIN/WINTER GARDEN THEATRES VIA SCREENING ROOM
SAT SEPT. 19TH 9:00PM RYERSON
A thriller of a film that takes place near the Mexican-American border. It’s expected to make a big splash at TIFF.
STARRING: RALPH INESON, KATE DICKIE, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, LUCAS DAWSON, HARVEY SCRIMSHAW,
SCREENING:
FRI SEPT. 18TH – RYERSON
SAT SEPT. 19TH BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
It’s been so long since we’ve had a great horror flick. The Witch is making a lot of noise as that film.
STARRING: ANTON YELCHIN, ALIA SHAWKAT, CALLUM TURNER, JOE COLE, PATRICK STEWART, MACON BLAIR, IMOGEN POOTS
SCREENING:
THURS SEPT. 10TH 11:59PM RYERSON THEATRE
FRI SEPT. 12TH 2:15PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
This one comes across as a bit bizarre. The trailer has a Nick Diaz vibe, you just can’t look away. It’s preceded by The Chickening.
Enjoy the films. The festival winds down September 20th.
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