With the expanded Gala and Special Presentation line-up announced for Toronto International Film Festival, we have the first look at new films featuring some of the industry’s most popular leading ladies. First up, above, you can see Rebecca Hall in Nick Murphy‘s directorial debut The Awakening. The “sophisticated psychological/supernatural thriller” is being compared to The Others and The Orphanage with a big twist. It also stars Dominic West and Imelda Staunton and you can see the synopsis below.
Synopsis:
Haunted by the death of her fiancé, Florence Cathcart is on a mission to expose all séances as exploitative shams. However, when she is called to a boys’ boarding school to investigate a case of the uncanny, she is gradually forced to confront her skepticism in the most terrifying way, shaking her scientific convictions and her sense of self to the very core.
We also have the first official still from the directorial debut of Precious writer Geoffrey Fletcher, Violet & Daisy. The synopsis below reminds me somewhat of Hanna, especially considering Saoirse Ronan‘s involvement. She also stars with James Gandolfini and you can see the first image above with Alexis Bledel.
Synopsis:
Violet & Daisy, the whimsical story of a teenager’s surreal and violent journey through New York City, follows Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement, The Lovely Bones) as Daisy. With her volatile partner-in-crime Violet, played by Alexis Bledel (Sin City, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Gilmore Girls), the two young assassins face a series of opponents, including one unusually mysterious man (James Gandolfini), in a life-altering encounter. The film, written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), also stars Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Danny Trejo.
Last up we have the first image from Damsels in Distress, the new film from the Oscar-nominated Whit Stillman, who gave us The Last Days of Disco, Barcelona and Metropolitan. His latest film stars Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody and Analeigh Tipton (last seen in Crazy, Stupid, Love.). Check out the first still above and synopsis below.
Synopsis:
Damsels in Distress is a comedy about a trio of beautiful girls as they set out to revolutionize life at a grungy American university – the dynamic leader Violet Wister (Greta Gerwig), principled Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and sexy Heather (Carrie MacLemore). They welcome transfer student Lily (Analeigh Tipton) into their group, which seeks to help severely depressed students with a program of good hygiene and musical dance numbers. The girls become romantically entangled with a series of men – including smooth Charlie (Adam Brody), dreamboat Xavier (Hugo Becker), the mad frat-pack of Frank (Ryan Metcalf) and Thor (Billy Magnussen) – who threaten the girls’ friendship and sanity.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8th to 18th.
Which film are you most looking forward to?