Toronto - With the addition of three highly anticipated presentations, the
Toronto International Film Festival announces the
complete lineup for
Mavericks, which features leading industry personalities as they share revealing anecdotes, the secrets of their
success, and discussions of recent and upcoming projects. This year's
Mavericks presentations will feature film industry leaders as
well as leaders in the fields of visual arts and academia, including Kathryn Bigelow, Howard Zinn, Arne Glimcher, Chuck Close, Julian
Schnabel, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Presentations announced today join the previously announced presentation
A Time to Stir to
make up the complete
Mavericks lineup for TIFF08. Purchase online at
tiff08.ca, by phone at
416-968-FILM or
1-877-968-FILM or in
person at the
Festival Box Office at Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance). Box Office hours are 10
a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
In Conversation with Kathryn Bigelow
The films of Kathryn Bigelow attract enormous, cult-like followings and thoughtful critical response. Amy Taubin in The Village Voice
referred to her first feature,
The Loveless, as a "tour de force." Roger Ebert, in the context of
Point Break, called her a "gifted
filmmaker." In reviewing
Strange Days, The New York Times dubbed her "furiously talented." One of the few female directors to make a
number of films with big movie stars, she has done so on traditionally male turf - offering more than a few violent, action-based, fullthrottle
thrillers. Employing a consistent approach to character, visual style and narrative tone in her body of work, Bigelow operates
from an auteurist position, and yet her films are generally marketed as genre flicks, without much reference to the director herself. Her
most recent film,
The Hurt Locker - a high-machismo war movie and psychosexual mind trip through male masochism - illustrates her
multi-tiered filmmaking approach. This
Mavericks presentation will see Bigelow in discussion of her latest work, her fruitful career and
her experiences as a woman working within a particularly male-dominated industry.
The People Speak
Historian, playwright and social activist Howard Zinn first published his landmark book,
A People's History of the United States, in 1980.
Since then, it has gone on to sell one and a half million copies around the world and inspire innumerable fresh approaches to reflecting
on the past. Now comes a unique documentary collaboration between Zinn and others, enlisting an extraordinary lineup of actors,
including Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, Marisa Tomei and Kerry Washington, who have contributed live stage performances of
historical testimonies. The actors portray labour leaders, civil rights demonstrators and other activists, drawn from
Voices of a People's
History of the United States, an anthology edited by Zinn and author Anthony Arnove. Zinn and Arnove are bringing this work to film
with the support of Matt Damon and Chris Moore, who previously collaborated as producers on the television series "Project
Greenlight." In this special Mavericks presentation, the audiences will be treated to a sneak preview of clips from the documentary The
People Speak, along with a discussion on stage between Zinn, Damon, Moore and actor Josh Brolin about the filmmaking process and
their motivations.
Picasso & Braque Go to the Movies
Some of the biggest names in the visual arts world gather to discuss the amazing impact of early cinema on Cubism, one of the most
significant art movements of the 20th century. Influential filmmaker/gallerist Arne Glimcher, painter Chuck Close, and artist and
Academy Award™-nominated filmmaker Julian Schnabel will take part in this special
Mavericks presentation. The artists championed
by Glimcher, through his PaceWildenstein Gallery in New York City, represent a rich and coherent history of 20th century art. In asking
himself what impact cinema has had on various generations of artists, Glimcher turned to the advent of cubism and the groundbreaking
paintings of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
Picasso, Braque and Early Film in Cubism, a major gallery show and book, soon
emerged, contrasting film clips from early cinema with cubist paintings. Glimcher has now turned that show into an hour-long
documentary, featuring some of today's leading artists, intellectuals and curators, including Close and Schnabel, as well as Martin
Scorsese, who signed on as a producer and contributed to the film's narration. With
Picasso & Braque Go to the Movies, Glimcher,
Schnabel and Close will screen and discuss the film, and reflect upon the relationship between the advent of early cinema and some of
the most important art works ever made.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
A Time to Stir
Paul Cronin's epic documentary
A Time to Stir (USA) looks at the tumultuous events of the Columbia University student strike in 1968
that ended in police violence and signalled a dramatic political shift between old left and new left. The film captures the intoxicating
uprising and sobering aftermath, interviewing students, professors and police. Screening on the last day of the Festival, this special
Mavericks presentation will include a discussion with three active participants of the strike: Mark Rudd of Students for a Democratic
Society (who later was a member of the Weather Underground), Bill Sales of the Student Afro-American Society and Carolyn
Eisenberg, who served on the strike committee.
Bell Lightbox
Currently under construction in downtown Toronto, Bell Lightbox is soon to be the world's leading destination for film lovers. This major
new cultural institution on the Canadian and international landscape will be structured around five state-of-the-art cinemas celebrating
film from around the world. Bell Lightbox programming will give context to films through innovative cross-media exhibitions, lectures,
and film-related learning opportunities for all ages. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox's fluid design
encourages exploration, movement and play within its soaring atriums.
The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell. The Government of Canada and the
Government of Ontario each have contributed $25 million to realize Bell Lightbox. A gift of more than $22 million has been confirmed
from the Reitman family - acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels - and The Daniels
Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation. The project is also supported by RBC as Major Sponsor and
Official Bank, Visa†, Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, The Allan Slaight Family, The Brian Linehan Charitable
Foundation, CIBC, and many other individuals and corporations. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals have also
contributed to the campaign. The total amount raised to date is $147 million, three quarters of the total campaign of $196 million. For
more information on the Bell Lightbox campaign, visit
belllightbox.ca
We are a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Our
vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.
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For information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email
[email protected]