The Los Angeles Times will be at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Sept. 7-17 with around-the-clock coverage and special programming.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), the festival’s official bank partner, will present the L.A. Times Studio and Los Angeles Times Talks @ TIFF at RBC House, their venue for film and industry parties located at Petros82 in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District. During the festival, The Times will welcome directors and international stars to the L.A. Times Studio at RBC House for video interviews, photo portraits and panel discussions.
As part of the new Talks @ TIFF series, The Times will host an in-person conversation with George C. Wolfe, director of Netflix’s “Rustin,” a historical drama about civil rights icon and LGBTQ pioneer Bayard Rustin. The panel will take place at the L.A. Times Studio at RBC House on Monday, Sept. 11 and will be moderated by Deputy Entertainment Editor Matt Brennan.
Additionally, Brennan and reporters Jen Yamato and Mark Olsen will host video conversations with directors in the L.A. Times Studio, including Lulu Wang whose limited series “Expats” will premiere at the festival; Pedro Almodóvar whose short “Strange Way of Life” will be screening; and Roger Ross Williams, who has three films coming out in the fall, including “Stamped From the Beginning” premiering at TIFF.
Although TIFF had to reboot some of its programming due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Brennan said he’s excited to engage the directors in more in-depth conversations.
“TIFF has often been seen as a directors’ festival, so being able to really highlight the presence of some very high-caliber directors is enticing,” Brennan said.
The Times has started rolling out its TIFF coverage with pre-festival guides, and will continue through the duration of the festival. Follow the coverage.