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10 Landmark Premieres from the Toronto International Film Festival
Since its inception in 1976, the Toronto International Film Festival has remained the unofficial kick-off to Oscar season. The acclaimed festival, which has seen its popularity grow in recent years, features a wide array of soon-to-be released and distribution-seeking films that never fail to get both moviegoers and moviemakers buzzing. With this year’s festival nearing its close on September 13, MM takes a look back at 10 of the landmark premieres TIFF has hosted in its 30 years.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Five years after the festival’s birth, Chariots of Fire stormed in, making its North American debut and winning the fest’s distinguished People’s Choice Award. The story of two British track athletes who compete in the 1924 Olympics proved to be a feel-good hit. The film won Best Picture at the 1982 Oscars and its haunting music, by Vangelis, quickly became one of the most recognizable film scores of all time.
Roger & Me (1989)
Before controversy surrounded him wherever he went, Michael Moore was just another ambitious moviemaker who debuted his first documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1989. Soon after, audiences nationwide got a chance to see his provocative film, which details his attempts at interviewing General Motors CEO Roger Smith about the closing of the company’s Flint, Mich. plant. The closing resulted in the loss of 30,000 jobs in Moore’s hometown. Roger & Me won the People’s Choice Award and ever since, Moore has remained one of the most polarizing documentarians alive. His indictment of President Bush, Fahrenheit 9/11, still stands as the highest-grossing documentary of all time.
Whale Rider (2002)
The unlikely tale of an 11-year-old girl determined to become the new chief of her patriarchal New Zealand tribe was one of the bigger success stories of the 2002 festival, winning the coveted People’s Choice Award. The star of Whale Rider, Keisha Castle-Hughes, broke record books in 2004 by being, at 13-years-old, the youngest actress ever to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. The film had its premiere at TIFF, proving yet again that the prestige and power of the festival continues to grow, nabbing high quality, low-budget films like Whale Rider before even Sundance has a chance to screen them.
Ray (2004)
Taylor Hackford’s in-depth portrait of the extraordinary life of legendary, blind R&B singer and musician Ray Charles made its premiere at TIFF in 2004. Audience buzz about Jamie Foxx’s career-defining, note-perfect portrayal of the music icon quickly caught Hollywood’s attention, making it no surprise when, several months later, Foxx won Best Actor at the Oscars.
Alexander Payne’s wine-infused tale of love and friendship, starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh, had audiences punch-drunk raving when the film made its premiere at the festival in 2004. A crossover indie hit, Sideways made over $70 million at the box office and garnered many awards, including Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars and one in each of the six main categories at the Spirit Awards.
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