The Toronto Film Festival has announced its lineup for the Industry Selects program, which features films that are not part of the official festival lineup but are available for worldwide acquisition. These films will have in-person screenings specifically for film buyers and industry executives. One of the standout selections is James Marsh’s biopic, “Dance First,” which stars Gabriel Byrne as the renowned literary figure Samuel Beckett. The film also features Sandrine Bonnaire, Maxine Peake, Aidan Gillen, and Fionn O’Shea. Another highly anticipated film is Neil Burger’s thriller, “Inheritance,” with Phoebe Dynevor playing a woman who discovers her father was once a spy, leading her to become entangled in an international conspiracy.
Other films chosen for market screenings at the Toronto Film Festival include Jimmy Warden’s “Borderline,” set in 1996 Los Angeles and starring Eric Dane, Ray Nicholson, and Samara Weaving as a pop star who is taken hostage. James DeMonaco, the creator of the “Purge” series, directs “The Home,” a horror film in which Pete Davidson plays a young adult assigned to community service in a retirement home. “Amelia’s Children,” directed by Gabriele Abrantes and starring Carloto Cotta, reunites the team behind “Diamantino” for a Euro-Gothic creeper that also features Brigette Lundy-Paine.
The Industry Selects program was introduced at the Toronto Film Festival in 2002 and has been successful in securing acquisitions for select distributors, studio executives, and streaming platforms. Last year, Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” was showcased at a private market screening, ultimately leading to a $30 million acquisition by Focus Features. This year’s program aims to replicate that success.
Additional films in this year’s Industry Selects program include Julie Jackman’s “Bonus Track,” which follows the story of a teenager who meets the son of a famous musical duo and receives their help in preparing for a talent show. Rebecca Snow’s “The Boy in the Woods” tells the tale of a Jewish boy who survives the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe by hiding in the forests of Poland. Anik Jean’s “Les Hommes de Ma Mere” features a star-studded cast including Léane Labrèche-Dor, Patrick Huard, Marc Messier, Colm Feore, and Anne-Marie Cadieux.
Related Post
Completing the lineup are Lonzo Nzekwe’s “Orah,” featuring Oyin Oladejo from “Star Trek Discovery,” Robert Budreau’s depression-era drama “Queen of Bones,” starring Martin Freeman, Taylor Schilling, Julia Butters, and Jacob Tremblay, John Barker’s sequel “Umbrella Men II: Escape from Robben Island,” and the Argentinian drama “Vera and the Pleasure of Others” from directors Romina Tamburello and Federico Actis.
The Toronto Film Festival is scheduled to take place from September 7th to 17th, with the Industry Selects program being part of the official Industry Conference, which will run from September 8th to 12th.
