Ralph Fiennes Steers the Spotlight at the Toronto International Film Festival

Celebration of Cinema at TIFF

At the Toronto International Film Festival, last year’s Hollywood actors’ strike has started to seem like a distant memory. Fans throng King Street, which hosts several festival theatres, craning to see stars en route to screenings and enjoying the fellow feeling in the autumn air. If actors are absent this year, it is often because they are elsewhere, shooting something new — good news for future movie-goers.

A Feast for Film Lovers

The 49th edition of the festival is another busy showcase of 278 films. All hope to attract some love — from audiences, of course, but also from the troupe of buyers, critics, and other industry professionals surfing the densely scheduled line-up.

Exciting New Premieres

The opening movie was Nutcrackers, a well-received family comedy starring Ben Stiller. But many festival fans eagerly anticipated Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, which contrasts the character-driven narrative with a sharp portrayal of contemporary issues.

Exploring Power Plays with Ralph Fiennes

Conclave drops us into a very different maelstrom: the Vatican’s selection of a successor to its newly deceased Pope. In an elegant adaptation of Robert Harris’s best-seller, Ralph Fiennes plays the judicious Cardinal Lawrence, tasked with stewarding the election, and unofficially with vetting candidates. The film unfolds amid the monumental architecture of the Vatican, revealing the complex gamesmanship of religious politics.

Other Notable Films

The festival line-up showcases numerous compelling narratives, including Eden, a survival story in the Galápagos, and On Swift Horses, a beautiful exploration of forbidden love set in the 1950s.