TIFF Long Take

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Ep. 83: Looking Back on TIFF’18 Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

With another Toronto International Film Festival in the books, Rob and Geoff sit down with the founder of 'The Black List', Franklin Leonard, to talk about the films, performances, trends, and stories that had the industry talking at this year's TIFF.

Franklin talks about the most buzzed about films of the slate, how the various studios and distributors faired, and which festival film he thinks has the potential to be a sleeper hit following its release.

He also discusses the changes he's seen in the types of films getting funded, how the role of film festivals is evolving, and his favourite memory from his many years coming to TIFF.

Ep. 82: How Steven Yeun Went From ‘The Walking Dead’ to ‘Burning’ Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff sit down with one of the film’s most exciting young actors, Steven Yeun. Steven is probably best known for his role as Glenn Rhee on 'The Walking Dead', but since leaving the show has leaned more towards independent and international cinema with roles in Bong Joon-ho’s 'Okja', Boots Riley’s 'Sorry To Bother You', and, most recently, Lee Chang Dong’s 'Burning'. The Korean thriller premiered at Cannes to rave reviews and is the first film to feature Yeun in a starring role.

Yeun talks about the films and filmmakers that influenced him growing up, why he was initially hesitant to make a film in Korea, and what makes Lee Chang Dong so special.

He also talks about how he prepares for his roles, the under-representation of Asian Americans in Hollywood films, and why thinks he wouldn’t have been offered a role as substantial as ‘Burning’ in the United States.

Ep. 81: 'Icebox' Takes us Inside the World of Child Migrants Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff speak with Daniel Sawka, director of the timely social drama Icebox. The film, which premieres at TIFF 2018, tells the story of a 12 year old Honduran boy, interned at a US immigration detention centre, and has gained added resonance in the wake the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy. The group also welcome Karine Jean-Pierre, advisor and national spokesperson for ‘MoveOn’. The progressive policy advocacy group recently helped to organize #FamiliesBelongTogether, a day of coordinated protest against family separation and family detention.

The four discuss the making of Icebox, how film can be used to increase awareness of a social issues, and why Sawka chose to highlight this issue through a narrative film, rather than a documentary.

They also talk about the casting of the film’s remarkable young lead, Anthony Gonzalez, how issues of immigration of migration in the United States have become exacerbated under Trump’s policies, and the influence of the film’s producer, the legendary James L. Brooks.

Ep. 80: Piers Handling on TIFF’s Past and Future Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff welcome TIFF’s Director and CEO, Pier’s Handling. This will be Handling’s final festival in charge of TIFF, having assumed his current position in 1994. He originally joined the festival in 1982.

Handling looks back on the films that made him a cinephile, his first exposure to the Toronto International Film Festival, and biggest challenges facing film festivals now vs. 40 years ago.

He also discusses how TIFF’s philosophy has evolved since it was founded in 1976, the long road to opening the TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2010, and what audiences are looking for from a film festival in 2018.

Ep. 79: Are we in a Golden Age of Documentary Film? Aug 21, 2018

Show notes

In 2018 alone, three documentaries: Won’t You Be My Neighbor, RBG, and Three Identical Strangers have exceeded $10 million at the domestic box office, a remarkable trend considering only 25 other documentaries has reached this milestone in the past 35 years. To find out what is leading to this sudden increase in the genre’s popularity, Rob and Geoff are joined by TIFF programmer, and host of the documentary themed podcast ‘Pure Nonfiction’, Thom Powers.

Powers discusses how “documentary” went from a dirty word to a financially viable genre, how Netflix helped expand the artform, and the technological innovations that have changed the genre for the better.

He then goes through some of the more anticipated documentary titles coming to TIFF next month including: Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9, Werner Herzog’s Meeting Gorbachev, Alexis Bloom’s Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes, John Chester’s The Biggest Little Farm, E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Free Solo, and Errol Morris’ American Dharma.

Ep. 78: What Does a Festival Award Mean to a Young Filmmaker? Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Geoff sits down with independent filmmaker Desiree Akhavan. Following her acclaimed 2014 debut, Appropriate Behavior, Akhavan’s latest is an adaptation of Emily. M Danforth’s novel The Miseducation of Cameron Post. The film, which stars Chloë Grace Moretz and Sasha Lane, won the Grand Jury Prize for US Drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Akhavan is also an actress, appearing in projects like Girl’s and Creep 2.

Akhavan talks about how she approached the adaptation process, why having a hit film at Sundance didn’t make the financing of her future projects any easier, and how she adapted her original vision of The Miseducation of Cameron Post script to make it work with a smaller budget.

She also talks about why Chloë Grace Moretz’s interest in joining the cast surprised her, why, despite glowing reviews and festival awards, it took so long to sell the film, and why she finds making TV more difficult than making movies.

Ep. 77: What the Disney-Fox Merger Means for Audiences and the Industry Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

Last week, Disney and Fox shareholders approved a deal that would see Disney acquire 21st Century Fox for a whopping $71.3 billion. The deal - which includes properties like Fox Searchlight, X-Men, Avatar, The Simpsons, and many more - gives Disney an unprecedented market share in the film and television industry. To find out how this acquisition will impact audience members, as well as the industry at large, Rob and Geoff speak with Kayleigh Donaldson, staff writer and editor for Pajiba.

Donaldson explains why the deal will likely lead to fewer theatrical films, the uncertain fate of Fox Searchlight, and how other Hollywood studios might react to this merger.

She also talks about how the deal has disrupted the streaming landscape, possible crossover opportunities, and why the merger could be a threat to independent cinemas.

Ep. 76: Is Artificial Intelligence Good for the Future of Film? Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff speak with Nadira Azermai, founder of the script analysis company, ScriptBook. Founded in 2015, ScriptBook claims they will be able to save film studios a fortune using artificial intelligence to more accurately identify which scripts will lead to financially successful films.

Azermai discusses how ScriptBook functions, the product’s track record of accurately (and sometimes inaccurately) predicting which films will hit or flop, and the most glaring blind spots that studios and producers fail to recognize when analyzing scripts.

She also talks about whether applying a scientific method to a creative artform will lead to more homogenized films, how the #MeToo movement has influenced ScriptBook, and whether computers will eventually replace writers altogether.

Ep. 75: A Guide to Festival 2018 Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff are joined by TIFF’s Director of Programming, Kerri Craddock, to discuss some of the most exciting and anticipated titles on this year’s Toronto International Film Festival slate.

Craddock gives her thoughts on some of the Gala and Special Presentation titles that TIFF just announced, including Elizabeth Chomko’s directorial debut, 'What They Had'; Paul Dano’s family drama, 'Wildlife'; Bradley Cooper’s musical drama, 'A Star is Born'; Claire Denis’ sci-fi adventure, 'High Life'; Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic, 'First Man'; Steve McQueen’s heist film, 'Widows'; Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winner, 'Shoplifters'; Asghar Farhadi’s psychological thriller, 'Everybody Knows'; and Jacques Audiard’s western, 'The Sisters Brothers'.

Ep. 74: Boots Riley on the Long Road to Making 'Sorry to Bother You' Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff sit down with filmmaker Boots Riley. Although he is perhaps better known as an activist and the front man for the popular political hip-hop group The Coup, Riley has recently focused his talents on filmmaking, writing, and directing the critically adored 'Sorry to Bother You', starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer.

Riley talks about the six-year battle to get Sorry to Bother You made, why he wanted the screenplay to read more like a novel than a film script, and how a previous job working at a call centre helped to inspire the film’s plot.

He also discusses how he reconciles his socialist beliefs with working in the inherently capitalist film business, how he assembled such a phenomenal cast for his debut film, and his talent for directing grounded performances within absurdist plot-lines.

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