“TIFF is on,” beamed the Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey to Deadline, “Our dates are the same, the films are coming.” With a dual strike by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA gripping Hollywood, gray clouds and paranoia from awards strategists have wondered how the fall film festival troika of Toronto, Telluride and Venice will be rocked.
Word is, despite an opening of Luca Guadagnino’s Zendaya R-rated romance, Challengers, on the Lido, that Venice will be booking more foreign titles.
Bailey calmly tells us that TIFF’s upcoming line-up of 200+ features, which will outstrip last year’s total when the first phase of programming is unveiled next week, a lineup that’s comprised of the fest’s standard 70% international films and 30% Hollywood/awards season films.
In sum, the major studios aren’t curbing their awards season contenders. Already playing the fest is Oscar winner Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy, Next Goal Wins.
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