The world premiere of Focus' Coen brothers film "A Serious Man" is among the special presentations and gala screenings added to the Toronto International Film Festival.
Also part of the mix: Fox Searchlight's Drew Barrymore-directed debut "Whip It," which opens Oct. 9, and Michael Moore's "Capitalism; A Love Story," which will be released on Oct. 2 from Overture.
Also getting a special presentation will be Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," starring Nicolas Cage. The film is a remake of the 1992 title from director Abel Ferrara.
The added gala presentations include writer-director Rebecca Miller's "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee," starring Robin Wright Penn and Alan Arkin. Screen Media will be releasing the film, an adaptation of her novel, on Oct. 13.
The Toronto fest runs from Sept. 10-19.
Press release details below:
GALAS
'Dorian Gray"
Oliver Parker, United Kingdom
World Premiere
In Victorian London, the handsome Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) is swept into a social whirlwind by the charismatic and cunning Lord Wotton (Colin Firth). Immersed in the hedonistic pleasures of the city, Dorian vows he would give anything to keep his youth and beauty – even his soul. Based on the Oscar Wilde novel, Dorian Gray examines the destructive power of beauty, the blind pursuit of pleasure and the darkness that can result from both.
"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee"
Rebecca Miller, USA
North American Premiere
From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) leads a charmed existence. An anchor of feminine serenity, she is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (Alan Arkin) 30 years her senior, the proud mother of two grown children, a trusted friend and confidant. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staid Connecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test. Adapted from writer-director Rebecca Miller’s novel of the same name, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
Werner Herzog, USA
North American Premiere
Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department, is promoted to Lieutenant after he saves a prisoner from drowning in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. However, during his heroic act, he severely injures his back and is put on prescription pain medication. A year later, Terence – struggling with his addictions to sex, Vicodin and cocaine – finds himself in the battle to bring down drug dealer Big Fate, who is suspected of massacring an entire family of African immigrants.
"Capitalism: A Love Story"
Michael Moore, USA
North American Premiere
On the 20-year anniversary of his groundbreaking masterpiece Roger & Me, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story comes home to the issue he’s been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
