Priyanka Chopra will join Martin Scorsese & Nicole Kidman on virtual red carpets as TIFF 2020 plans to go digital
Anurag Kashyap is also among the celebrated filmmakers invited as the ambassador.
By PTI | Updated:
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Priyanka Chopra (L), Martin Scorsese (C), Nicole Kidman (R) and Anurag Kashyap are among the ambassadors for a downsized TIFF 2020.
TORONTO: Indian star Priyanka Chopra and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap are among the 50 celebrated filmmakers and actors invited as the ambassadors of a slimmed down Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year. The festival, slated to run from September 10 to September 19, will be opting for digital screenings and virtual red carpets for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it "tailored to fit the moment".
Chopra and Kashyap will join Oscar winners and celebrated international names including filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuaron, Taika Waititi, Ava DuVernay, Rian Johnson, Denis Villeneuve, and actors Nicole Kidman, Nadine Labaki, Riz Ahmed, Isabelle Huppert, Zhang Ziyi to help TIFF deliver a strong gala this year, the organisers said in a press statement.
The 45th edition of the festival plans to screen 50 films during its first five days in physical theatres through socially-distanced screenings.
Physical screenings will need the approval from the health authorities of the city as it is dependent on province's reopening framework to ensure that festival venues and workplaces practice, meet, and exceed public health guidelines.
Festival goers can also opt for drive-ins to experience cinema.
For the first time in its history, TIFF will launch a digital platform for the festival, hoping to connect with audiences beyond Toronto by hosting digital screenings, as well as numerous talks and special events.
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TIFF is ensuring its facilities are outfitted with appropriate health precautions, and is working with the Province… https://t.co/GKTrRxr2Lf
"We could never have anticipated the global seismic changes we would be facing in 2020. We tapped into the original spirit of the Festival from when it began in 1976 as our guiding light. The distilled edition of TIFF 2020 reflects a deep love of film, passion for our loyal audiences, commitment to the industry, and a whole lot of heart," said Joana Vicente, executive director and co-head, TIFF.
"Ammonite", directed by Francis Lee (UK); "Another Round", from director Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark); "Bruised", the debut film from director Halle Berry (US); "Concrete Cowboys" by filmmaker Ricky Staub (US); "Fauna", from director Nicolas Pereda (Mexico/Canada); "Good Joe Bell" by director Reinaldo Marcus Green (US); "Spring Blossom", the debut film by director Suzanne Lindon (France); and "True Mothers" by director Naomi Kawase (Japan) are among the festival line-up.
"The pandemic has hit TIFF hard, but we've responded by going back to our original inspiration - to bring the very best in film to the broadest possible audience," said Cameron Bailey, artistic director and co-head, TIFF.
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"Our teams have had to rethink everything, and open our minds to new ideas. In countless video calls over the past three months we have rebuilt our Festival for 2020 drawing on our five decades of commitment to strong curation, support for filmmakers, and engagement with audiences," added Bailey.
Welcome to #TIFF20:️ September 10 to 19 Physical, socially-distanced screenings for the first five days Digit… https://t.co/Lf8DmxmfUM
The festival's annual TIFF Tribute Awards event, which acknowledges and celebrates outstanding contributors in the film industry, is going virtual this year as well.
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Screenings for the press and industry will also move online.
A number of international cultural events, including Cannes and Tribeca film festivals, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic this year.
It’s A No-Show for Met Gala, Cannes & IPL In 2020
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The Covid-19 pandemic has been wreaking havoc on humanity and has brought the world to a screeching halt. From leading a global economic slowdown to locking up the global population indoors, needless to say, its effects will be felt for years to come.
The pandemic has also led to the cancellation and postponement of several high-profile events, including award shows, film festivals and sporting events around the world.
From the iconic Cannes Film Festival which was cancelled for the first time in history since World War II to the Met Gala being put on hold, here’s a list of all the events that are a no-show in 2020.
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However, the Met announced on Tuesday that this year's event has been called off entirely "due to the global health crisis", as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
This year’s theme was "About Time: Fashion and Duration". The likes of Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Louis Vuitton's creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere were set as the hosts for the event.
The exhibit was earlier said to open from May 7 to September 7. It will now open from October 29 to February 7, 2021.
Sadly, all of us would have to wait another year to see our favourite fashion icons, dazzle in their attire at the pink carpet.
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The question remains - will the 2021 Oscars take place at all, given the current global health crisis?
While it is possible that the Covid-19 outbreak might become less intense by the end of 2020, that doesn’t mean Oscars 2021, (scheduled to take place on February 28 next year) can take place as planned.
One of the multiple anonymous sources told the Variety magazine that the ceremony is likely to be postponed, particularly because the Hollywood film industry has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Due to the Covid-crisis, several theaters have been shut, blockbuster releases delayed and production halted. The Academy has been forced to make several changes in the eligibility criteria and rules and given the current situation, it is likely that the ceremony itself might be postponed.
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Every year in the month of May, the iconic French Riviera resort is all decked up for the revered Cannes Film Festival 2020. The who’s who from the world of cinema descend the iconic red carpet, looking their sartorial best.
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Another thing the music festival is famous for, is the rather huge number of footfalls it receives every year and with the social distancing norms in place, the event organizers decided to postpone the 2020 edition of the event to October 9.
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On April 9, a BCCI official told a news outlet that BCCI might host the tournament in July or in winter, that too behind closed doors (with no audience in the stadium), due to the current global health crisis.
Eventually, BCCI suspended the tournament indefinitely due to the pandemic. Several renowned cricket players of the IPL franchise, like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya were seen making videos and participating in awareness campaigns around the Covid-19 pandemic.
Status: Postponed Undoubtedly the most looked-forward-to sports event of the year, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, scheduled to commence on 29 March was postponed to April 15 as Indian..
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