Festival Drops The Puck On 11 Days Of Film With Opening Night Selection Score: A Hockey Musical
Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival opens September 9 with the world premiere Gala Presentation of Score: A Hockey Musical, written and directed by Michael McGowan (One Week, Saint Ralph). The film tells the story of a teenage hockey phenom who lives the quintessential Canadian dream of being discovered on the ice and goes from obscurity to fame overnight. The film stars musical icon Olivia Newton-John (Grease, Glee), singer/songwriter Marc Jordan, newcomers Noah Reid and Allie MacDonald, and features cameos from an impressive lineup of Canadian music, broadcast and hockey stars.
“Score: A Hockey Musical captures key elements of Canadian identity – our passion for our national pastime, our unique musical style and our special brand of humour,” says Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “We’re pleased to welcome back Michael McGowan to the Festival to help us kick off 11 days of exciting programming.”
“I can't think of a better way to kick off our 35th anniversary Festival than with Score: A Hockey Musical,” says Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “It continues our tradition of launching the very best in Canadian filmmaking -- although in 35 years this is our first musical romance about hockey. Plan for a fun night on September 9.”
In the film, seventeen-year old Farley has led a sheltered life. Much to the dismay of his parents (Newton-John, Jordan), Farley loves to play shinny with the local rink rats. To their even greater dismay, Farley is signed to a hockey league, where he achieves instant stardom, throwing him into a world of hype. Farley soon finds that hockey fame comes with a price.
The film co-stars Stephen McHattie (Watchmen, The Rocket), John Pyper-Ferguson (Hard Core Logo, Brothers & Sisters) and Brandon Firla (Little Mosque on the Prairie, Billable Hours), and features cameos by music artists Nelly Furtado, Hawksley Workman and John McDermott, journalists George Stroumboulopoulos and Evan Solomon, sports anchor Steve Kouleas, hockey dad Walter Gretzky and hockey star Theo Fleury.
Score: A Hockey Musical features 19 original songs with lyrics written by McGowan, and featuring music from Barenaked Ladies, Olivia Newton-John, Amy Sky and Marc Jordan, and five songs on which Hawksley Workman contributed.
Score: A Hockey Musical is a Mulmur Feed Co. Production, produced by McGowan and Avi Federgreen, and executive produced by Richard Hanet (One Week) and Jody Colero, with the participation of Telefilm Canada, The Ontario Media Development Corporation and Astral The Harold Greenberg Fund, in association with the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. The music team includes Jody Colero and Marco DiFelice as song supervisors, and Jonathan Goldsmith as composer. The film is being distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.
Ticket packages for the Festival are now available for purchase by cash, debit or Visa†. Purchase online at tiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.,) or in person at the TIFF Box Office at 2 Carlton Street, West Mezzanine (Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. The 35th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 9 to 19, 2010.
About TIFF Bell Lightbox:
Currently under construction, TIFF Bell Lightbox, a breathtaking five-storey complex located in downtown Toronto, will provide a permanent home for film lovers to celebrate cinema from around the world and will propel TIFF forward as an international leader in film culture. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s fluid structure encourages exploration, movement and play. The campaign to build TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the King and John Festival Corporation - consisting of the Reitman family and the Daniels Corporation – RBC as major sponsor and official bank, Visa†, the Copyright Collective of Canada, the Slaight Family Foundation, NBC Universal Canada, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, the Harbinger Foundation, CIBC and BMO. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals and corporations have also contributed to the campaign. For more information on the TIFF Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca.
About TIFF:
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. TIFF generates an annual economic impact of $170 million CAD and currently employs more than 100 full-time staff and 500 part-time and seasonal staff, and counts upon the largesse of over 2,000 volunteers year-round.
The Toronto International Film Festival is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC and BlackBerry, the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada, and the City of Toronto.
The Opening Night Gala is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Astral.
-30-
For information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email [email protected].