Hello NEON Community,
Thanks so much for checking in. I’m making a list and checking it twice…and three times…and four times…all in an effort to squeeze in as many films as possible from the 50+ films I’d like to see over the next several days at The Toronto International Film Fest. In the end, I’ll only have room for 30-35 screenings, so some films will have to wait.
It’s early morning on Wednesday, Sept. 4, and I’m about to head to the airport. When I get to Toronto, I’ll head right to the industry hub where I’ll get my credentials for the festival. My pass will allow me to see a handful of public screenings (those are the ones with directors & stars in attendance with interesting Q&A’s) as well as numerous press and industry screenings (which are generally no-frills – but full of folks like me as well as some high profile journalists and studio execs…all kinds of people from the industry).
I’m staying in a condo just a couple blocks from the middle of everything, and I’m very excited about several films…and it’s always fun to discover films I didn’t know I needed to see.
Here are couple titles I’m excited about:
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR – Pedro Almodovar’s English-language feature film debut – starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. If you’ve read my blog and newsletters before, you might know that Almodovar is my favorite director of all time. I can’t wait for this one. It just received a 17-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival earlier this week.
WE LIVE IN TIME – the new film from John Crowley (director of BROOKLYN) – starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. I think this film looks lovely, and I’m a big fan of BROOKLYN.
MISÉRICORDE, the new film from Alain Guiraudie (director of STRANGER BY THE LAKE) is on my list as well.
In addition to movies, I’ll get to sit in on an interview with Cate Blanchett at an event called IN CONVERSATION: CATE BLANCHETT. I’ve been a fan for years (and there was even that time when I was a co-worker of sorts)…so I’m anxious to see her in this scenario.
Every day, I’ll take notes when I’m seeing movies. I’ll assemble those notes each night and publish my posts. This serves as a way for me to get my thoughts down on a daily basis…and to take you along for the ride.
If you’re in Dayton, please stop in to keep my co-workers company at THE NEON. Thanks for all of your support.
More soon,
Jonathan
