Thaindian News

Toronto, July 27 (IANS) “From the Sky Down,” Academy Award-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim’s documentary about Irish band U2, will open the 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that runs here from September 8 to 18.

Films produced by Madonna and George Clooney are among 10 films that will have their international galas at the festival. There will be 43 special presentations during the 11-day festival that generates $170 million into the Toronto economy.

Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto, who made her mark at last year’s film festival with for her role in two films - Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger” and Julian Schnabel’s “Miral” - will be back in Toronto this year also.

She stars in Michael Winterbottom’s film “Trishna” which will have its world premiere at the festival.

Based on Thomas Hardy’s novel ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles,’ the film is shot in Rajasthan and Mumbai. It tells the tragic love story between the son of a wealthy property developer and the daughter of a rickshaw puller. Riz Ahmed (Centurion) plays the role of the son of the wealthy property developer in the film.

There will be at least four films from India this year, said film festival co-director Cameron Bailey. Asked to name of any of them, he told IANS, “Not yet. You have to wait. We will make these announcement soon.”

Interestingly, this is the first time that a documentary will open the world’s premier film festival.

“Davis Guggenheim’s fascinating account of this world-renowned band (U2) is the perfect film to kick off our 11-day celebration of artists, stories and voices from around the world,” festival director and CEO Piers Handling said here Tuesday.

Film festival co-director Bailey added, “Davis Guggenheim returns to the Festival with his powerful marriage of music and film that honours U2’s talent, dedication and music. We look forward to sharing this film with audiences on Opening Night.”

Guggenheim, who is known for such notable films as “Waiting for Superman,” “An Inconvenient Truth” and “It Might Get Loud,” has shown new interviews, stories and unseen footage from Berlin and Dublin in the documentary about the Irish band which, according to him, has “defied the gravitational pull towards destruction” and “endured and thrived.”

The 10 films that will have their international galas include “W.E.” by Madonna, “The Ides of March” by George Clooney, “Albert Nobbs” by Rodrigo Garcia, “Butter” by Jim Field Smith, “A Dangerous Method” by David Cronenberg, “A Happy Event” by Remi Bezancon, “The Lady” by Luc Besson, “Moneyball” by Bennett Miller, “Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding” by Bruce Beresford, and “Take this Waltz” by Canadian Sarah Polley.

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)