Toronto International Film Festival Ends Today
Despite the twin Hollywood strikes, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which opened on September 7, will close today, September 17, with a grand award ceremony. There was less buzz for TIFF this year owing to the strike action embarked upon by the Writers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The groups have been on strike for months now and there is no sign that the strike, which was called over wages and job security, will end anytime soon. Festivalgoers say the razzmatazz associated with the festival were not there. The film fest is reputed as a launchpad for numerous Academy award-winning films. However, the festival opened with The Boy and the Heron from acclaimed Japanese director, Hayao Miyazaki, about a boy on a journey into a magical world after the death of his mother in the Second World War. This will be the first time a Japanese film will be opening the festival. About 200 feature films would have been screened across the 11-day festival. So far, the festival has featured a couple of premieres including, Dumb Money, starring Seth Rogen and Paul Dano, about the amateur investors who turned GameStop into a Wall Street phenomenon in 2021.
There is also the screening of Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away, starring Al Pacino. Two films by Nigeria-born filmmakers have been having a good run at the festival—the first is Lonzo Nzekwe’s Orah, which featured in the industry segment and report reaching us indicate that the movie has grabbed a distribution deal already. The second Nigerian film at the Toronto Film Festival is Genevieve Nnaji’s I Do Not Come Back To You By Chance. It has had three screenings so far in the special showcase segment of the festival. There are a host of directorial debuts including, Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl and Kristin Scott Thomas’ North Star that has graced the TIFF big screens. There are also films directed by actors including, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, Chris Pine’s Poolman and Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away. Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar, is one of the recipients of this year’s TIFF Tribute Award.
AFRICUFF To Open On October 26
ORGANISERS of the maiden edition of the African Cultural Film Festival (AFRICUFF) have announced dates for the festival. Notable writer, producer and director, Emem Isong-Misodi, the brain behind the festival, disclosed that it will hold from October 26 through to 29, in Houston, toTexas. Emem further said the festival aims at encouraging a vibrant exchange of ideas and promotes a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity. The producer and director of Ayanma and other critically acclaimed Nollywood titles also explained that the four-day Afrocentric film festival focuses on celebrating African films, short films and documentaries in a bid to unveil the cultural and artistic richness of the black race to a global audience. Over 50 African themed films have been received so far for the festival and they will be featured in the competitive and out of competition categories. Foremost film journalist and creative industry expert, Dr. Husseini Shaibu, will lead an eight-man jury comprising the filmmaker, Obi Emelonye, and the President of the Director Guild of Nigeria, Dr. Victor Okhai, to nominate films that would be honoured for cultural richness and artistic expression. Beyond film screenings, the film festival will also feature panel discussions, workshops, networking and an award ceremony.
AMAA To Announce Nomination On September 21
ORGANISERS of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) have said nominations for the 2023 edition of the award would hold on September 21. The announcement, according to a statement signed by Director of Administration of the AMAA, Tony Anih, will be made by the President of the Jury for 2023, Keith Shiri. The Board of the African Film Academy (AFA), the parent body of the AMAA’s had in August named the Zimbabwe-born, but UK-based International Film Curator and programmer, Shiri, as President of the Jury. Shiri, who chaired the jury in 2022, is expected to again preside over the meeting of the 12-man board of international jurors for the 2023 awards. Over 380 entries were received for the 2023 edition of the award. Anih, however, hinted that only 102 of the entries have been commended to the jury for nomination by the College of Screeners. Anih explained that the College of Screeners is the fifth stage of selection of entries received yearly by the secretariat. ‘’It is after the stage of the College of Screeners that films are commended to the jurors for nomination. After the nominations are announced, the jurors will meet again to decide winners of the different categories of the prestigious reward scheme for filmmakers,” Anih said, adding that the award ceremony will hold in Lagos on October 29 courtesy of the Lagos State government.
