CANADA: HOLLYWOOD GOES NORTH OF THE BORDER FOR THE 22ND TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Record ID: 387143

  • Title: CANADA: HOLLYWOOD GOES NORTH OF THE BORDER FOR THE 22ND TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
  • Date: 5th September 1997
  • Summary: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (SEPTEMBER 7, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) POSTER FOR "APOSTLE" ROBERT DUVALL AND FARRAH FAWCETT ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE / POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS DUVALL (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "I'D REALLY GOTTEN INTO THIS AND ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT ANYWAY. SO I BEGAN TO PIECE TOGETHER MY OWN SCRIPT. I WROTE IT MANY YEARS AGO BUT I COULDN'T RAISE A NICKEL ANYWHERE, SO I FIGURED I'D PUT IT ON THE BACKBURNER. THIS YEAR IT WAS NOW OR NEVER...IT WAS ESSENTIALLY GREEN LIT BY JOEL JACOBSON, MY CPA IN HOLLYWOOD. I COULDN'T GET A NICKEL OUT OF ANYONE IN THAT TOWN. IT WAS SOMETHING WE HAD TO DO ON OUR OWN" FAWCETT (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "HE WAS SO CALM, PREPARED, HE HAD SUCH CONVICTION THAT I WAS AMAZED HOW HE COULD STEP FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER SO SMOOTHLY. IT WAS ONE OF THE EASIEST, MOST RELAXED SETS THAT I'VE EVER BEEN ON"
  • Embargoed: 20th September 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA AND FILM lOCATIONS
  • Country: Canada
  • Topics: Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA5AKL219LJ236CL6VE9APDAQWS
  • Story Text: Hollywood went north of the border on the weekend as the 22nd Toronto International Film Festival opened with world premieres, gala parties and a galaxy-full of celebrity sightings.

    Although the festival officially opened on Thursday (September 4) with Canadian-born filmmaker Atom Egoyan's "The Sweet Hereafter," the stars started appearing the day after.

    Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito were among the guests at the North American premiere of the period crime drama "L.A.

    Confidential." Set in Los Angeles in the early 1950's, the film details corruption in the Los Angeles police department during the course of an investigation of a brutal mass murder.

    "LA Confidential" had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

    The film's Toronto showing also was an opportunity for husband and wife team Kim Bassinger and Alec Baldwin to perform a double act. Baldwin's film "The Edge" premiered the next night. In fact, the star couple's films open a week apart.

    "The Edge" is the new thriller from New Zealand native director Lee Tamahori.

    Starring Anthony Hopkins, Baldwin and Elle Macpherson, the film tells the story of the hidden tensions between two men.

    The animosity is unleashed when the pair is forced into a struggle to survive in the hostile Alaskan wilderness.

    The hottest film of the festival - so far - was RobertDuvall's "The Apostle".

    Duvall spent 13 years trying to get Hollywood to finance "The Apostle" and finally spent 5 million US dollars of his own money on it.

    He's also the writer, director and executive producer of the film.

    "To some people, this is a low-budget film but not for me," Duvall said.

    October Films paid 6 million US dollars for the worldwide rights to the film.

    "The Apostle," which premiered at Toronto on Sunday, is the story of a wayward preacher's struggle to redeem himself.

    It co-stars Farrah Fawcett, Miranda Richardson, Billy Bob Thornton and June Carter Cash, wife of Johnny Cash, who has agreed to do a song for the gospel-themed soundtrack.

    The full line-up for the festival includes 281 films from 58 countries which will screen over the course of 10 days.

    Other films due to bow later in the week include Kevin Kline's comedy "In and Out," Donald Sutherland and Aidan Quinn in "The Assignment" and on closing night, the world premiere of Brad Pitt's new drama "Seven Years in Tibet." The Toronto Film Festival is considered one of the world's top four film forums, closely trailing the Cannes, Berlin and Venice festivals.
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