TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto International Film Festival is the clean-up hitter of the fall festival circuit. Coming on the heels of Venice and Telluride, Toronto tends to pull together many of the top films from those festivals, as well as a whole bunch more.
But it’s been a few years since TIFF was quite itself. The pandemic stretched across several editions and, last year, the actors strike left Toronto’s red carpets unusually bare.
This year’s festival, running through Sept. 15, is opening Thursday with the premiere of David Gordon Green’s “Nutcrackers,” starring Ben Stiller as a workaholic forced to care for his rural Ohio nephews.
More than most years, it’s hard to say what’s likely to stand out the most at this year’s TIFF. But with more than 200 feature films set to unspool, the festival is sure to offer up many of the fall’s top films. Here are five questions heading into North America’s largest film event.
Last year’s TIFF was a diminished one but it still launched a bona fide hit and eventual Oscar-winner in Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction.” Not many were buzzing about that film before it debuted in Toronto — a reminder that TIFF can surprise.
This year, some of the top movies debuting in Toronto include Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch,” starring Amy Adams; “Hard Truths" by the British master Mike Leigh; John Crowley's years-spanning melodrama “We Live Inside,” starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield; the Scott Beck and Bryan Woods thriller “The Heretic,” with a diabolical Hugh Grant; cinematographer Rachel Morrison's directorial debut “The Fire Inside"; the DreamWorks animation “The Wild Robot”; and the Anthony Robles true-life tale “Unstoppable,” with Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez.
Aside from the movies making a first impression in Toronto, many films will be trying to build off of their receptions in Venice, Telluride or Cannes. At this early point, the Oscar race feels wide open — particularly compared to last year, when “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” were, by September, already frontrunners. Nothing has yet ascended to favorite status, though some movies – like Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning “Anora,” Jacques Audiard’s trans drug lord musical “Emilia Perez” and the Vatican drama “Conclave” — come in with a lot of momentum.
Many of Toronto’s premieres are more focused on buyers than the awards race. That's partly by design. In two years, TIFF will officially launch a sales movie market, similar to the one operated during the Cannes Film Festival. This year, the many movies on offer include Ron Howard's “Eden,” starring Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney; the Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck,” with Tom Hiddleston; Rebel Wilson's directorial debut “The Deb”; “The Last Showgirl,” starring Pamela Anderson; David Mackenzie's “Relay,” starring Riz Ahmed; and “On Swift Horses,” with Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Studios and streamers will kick the tires on those, and many more.
You can count on little in life as much as the predictive powers of TIFF’s People’s Choice award. While countless Oscar stats get trotted out annually, this one is virtually always true: The winner of Toronto’s top prize will be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. That’s been the case every year since 2012. It was true when “Green Book” emerged a surprise hit in Toronto, and it was true last year when “American Fiction” won. Because TIFF gathers together so many of the fall’s movies, and because it boasts big audiences made up not just of industry professionals but regular moviegoers, what goes over gangbusters in Toronto usually does with the academy, too.
While the majority of Toronto’s selections will be heading to theaters or streaming services sometime in the next few months, some movies — including some very good movies — may not show up for a year or more. Azazel Jacobs’s “His Three Daughters,” a standout at last year’s festival, just arrived in theaters. Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour,” will land on Netflix next month, more than a year after bowing at Toronto. For some of Toronto's top titles, patience may be required.
This image released by Neon shows Mikey Madison in a scene from "Anora." (Neon via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures shows, from left, Kim Matula, as Jane Curtain, Emily Fairn, as Laraine Newman, Gabriel LaBelle, as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott, as Rosie Shuster, and Matt Wood, as John Belushi. (Hopper Stone/Sony Pictures Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Focus Features shows lego characters Pharrell Williams, left, and Gwen Stefani in a scene from "Piece By Piece." (Focus Features via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Roz, voiced by Lupita N'yongo, left, and Brightbill, voiced by Kit Connor, in a scene from DreamWorks Animation's "Wild Robot." (DreamWorks Animation/Universal Pictures via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — An apparent attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida has rocked a presidential campaign already marred by violence and raised questions about how such a thing could have happened for the second time in as many months.
U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire Sunday afternoon on a man who was spotted pointing an AK-style rifle through a fence while hiding in the bushes as Trump golfed at his club in West Palm Beach. The FBI described it as an apparent attempted assassination on the GOP nominee.
At a Pennsylvania rally in July, Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet when a gunman was able to gain access to an unsecured roof, unleashing a hail of bullets that left one of Trump's supporters dead and two others badly injured.
While the Secret Service has grappled with how to keep Trump safe as he campaigns across the country, holding rallies that often draw thousands, less attention has focused on his protection when he is off the trail, often at his own clubs and properties.
The fact that there are places along the perimeter of the property where golfers — including Trump — are visible to those standing behind the fence has long been known to law enforcement. While Trump was president, news photographers were often able to capture images of him on the greens by finding gaps in the shrubbery.
While Trump’s plans to golf Sunday were not part of any public schedule, on days he is not campaigning, he can often be found golfing at one of his courses. Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago residence, is a favorite. One of three golf clubs he owns in Florida, it boasts 27 holes of championship golf, as well as event spaces. Trump often eats lunch and holds meetings in the clubhouse between rounds.
Trump had just returned from a West Coast swing that included stops in Las Vegas and Utah, and had announced on social media that he would be delivering remarks Monday from Mar-a-Lago about cryptocurrency as he launches a new crypto platform.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw noted at a briefing that because Trump is no longer in office, security protocols around the course had loosened.
“He's not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he's not, his security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," he told reporters.
Law enforcement officials praised the work of the agents assigned to protect Trump. One agent, tasked with jumping one hole ahead of the former president to scope out potential threats, managed to spot the gunman's rifle barrel sticking out of the fence that surrounds the golf club and “immediately engaged that individual,” Bradshaw said.
In an email to campaign staff Sunday night, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles credited the Secret Service for saving Trump, who has praised the agents in his own protective detail for their bravery as they rushed on stage to protect him in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.
Unlike other past presidents and typical VIPs who live in private residences with tall fences or in gated communities, Trump has his official residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. The club is open to dues-paying members, who mingle with the former president at meals and at events and can invite their own guests to the property.
Many nights, Trump holds court on the club's patio, playing DJ with his iPad. While president, he once plotted a response to a North Korean missile launch from the candlelit terrace, the meeting captured and posted on social media by a club member.
The club is also a popular Palm Beach venue and hosts a constant stream of fundraisers, weddings and other events that sometimes see Trump drop by unannounced.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a social media post that the agency is working closely with the FBI, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement to investigate what happened.
Trump will be briefed in person Monday by acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe about the investigation, according to a person familiar with the plan who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The incident sparked immediate finger-pointing and calls for answers on Capitol Hill.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chair and a close ally of the former president, said she was grateful Trump was safe. “However, we must ask ourselves how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again?” she asked in a statement.
The leaders of the bipartisan task force that has been investigating the security failures in Pennsylvania said they were monitoring the situation and had requested a briefing from the Secret Service.
“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump's rivals in the GOP primary, said his state will conduct its own investigation.
“The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” he wrote in a social media post.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna echoed that message. “Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable," he wrote. "The Secret Service must come to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources are needed to expand the protective perimeter, & lets allocate it in a bipartisan vote the same day.”
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “relieved” that Trump was unharmed and said “there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country.” He said he had directed his staff “to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”
Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)
This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)
The main entrance of Trump International Golf Club is seen after police closed off the area following the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the World Market Center, Friday, Sept.13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
