TIFF announces full line-up

Aug 21, 2001 by Ian Evans

At a breakfast press conference, the 26th Toronto International Film Festival announced its complete lineup.

The closing Gala for the Festival will be Ray Lawrence’s Lantana. A psychological thriller, the film stars Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, and Barbara Hershey.

Gabriele Muccino’s The Last Kiss will also get the Gala treatment. A melodrama that follows the stories of eight characters, the film stars Stefano Accorsi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Stefania Sandrelli.

French director Benoît Jacquot (Sade) has a Gala for the North American premiere of Tosca an adaptation of the Puccini opera. It stars opera sensations Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.

Another Gala will be the international premiere of Clare Peploe’s The Triumph of Love. Based on Pierre de Marivaux’s 18th century comedy, the film stars Mira Sorvino, Ben Kingsley, Fiona Shaw and Jay Rodan.

Harvey Kietel and Stellan Skarsgård star in another Gala, Taking Sides, which is from Academy Award®-winning director István Szabó. It follows an Amercian officer who interrogates Wilhelm Furtwangler, the real-life symphony conductor, about his support of the Nazi regime.

Straight from Pearl Harbor, Kate Beckinsale will appear in the Gala world premiere of Serendipity, which also stars John Cusack, Molly Shannon and Jeremy Piven.

Enigma, which was produced by Lorne Michaels and Mick Jagger, also gets the Gala treatment. It’s a thriller about code-breakers that helped in the fight against Nazi U-Boats. The film stars Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows.

Besides the Galas, there’s also the Special Presentation section of the Festival. Films in that programme include:

Erik Skjoldbjærg’s Prozac Nation which is based on Elizabeth Wurtzel’s best-selling memoir. Starring Christina Ricci and Jessica Lange, the film chronicles a young woman’s battle with depression.

Billy Crudup, star of one of last year’s Galas, Almost Famous, return to the Festival this year with World Traveler. Directed by Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints), the film also stars Julianne Moore.

Stick with Digital Hit for coverage of the Festival.