BENEDICTION (Special Presentation)
Director: Terence Davies
Cast: Jack Lowden (Mary Queen of Scots), Peter Capaldi (The Personal History of David Copperfield), Jeremy Irvine (Billionaire Boys Club) and Kate Phillips (Downton Abbey)
Running Time: 137 minutes
TIFF Website: https://tiff.net/events/benediction
| BENEDICTION explores the turbulent life of First World War poet, Siegfried Sassoon, through the eyes of the revered filmmaker Terence Davies. Sassoon was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government’s continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London’s literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life’s journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion. His story is one of a troubled man in a fractured world searching for peace and self-acceptance, something which speaks as meaningfully to the modern world as it did then. |
| SCREENINGS: Sunday, September 12 at 2:00PM @ Cinema 1 – TIFF Premiere Monday, September 13 at 9:00PM @ Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater Thursday, September 16 at 3:00PM @ Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater |
| YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER (Midnight Madness) |
| Director: Kate Dolan Cast: Hazel Doupe (Float Like a Butterfly), Carolyn Bracken (Dublin Murders) and Paul Reid (The Ritual) Running Time: 93 minutes TIFF Website: https://tiff.net/events/you-are-not-my-mother |
| It’s the week before Halloween and Char’s mother, Angela, has inexplicably disappeared. All that remains is her abandoned car. When she returns home without explanation the following evening, it becomes clear to Char and her grandmother, Rita, that something is amiss. She might look and sound the same but Angela’s behaviour has become increasingly frightening, as if she has been replaced by a malevolent force. When Halloween arrives, a night steeped in ancient myth and legend, Char realises that she is the only one who can save her, even if it means potentially losing her forever. |
| SCREENINGS: Sunday, September 12 at 11:59PM @ Cinema 1 – TIFF Premiere Monday, September 13 at 5:00PM @ Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater Wednesday, September 15 at 9:15PM @ Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater |
| THE SURVIVOR (Gala Presentation) |
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Vicky Krieps (Old) and Peter Sarsgaard (Jackie)
Running Time: 129 minutes
TIFF Website: https://tiff.net/events/the-survivor
| Based on a true story, THE SURVIVOR is set post-World War II and stars Ben Foster as Harry Haft, a boxer who fought fellow prisoners in the concentration camps to survive. Haunted by the memories and his guilt, he attempts to use high-profile fights against boxing legends like Rocky Marciano as a way to find his first love again. |
SCREENINGS:
Monday, September 13 at 5:30PM @ Roy Thomson Hall – TIFF Premiere
Monday, September 13 at 9:00PM @ Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater
Saturday, September 18 at 5:00PM @ Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater
