Toronto Film Fest Set to Draw Curtains

Actress Blake Lively, actor Jeremy Renner, actor Ben Affleck, actress Rebecca Hall speak at 'The Town' press conference during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival at the Hyatt Regency on September 10, in Toronto, Canada. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Film fanatics are counting down the days to the 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which opens on Sept. 8. TIFF will commence its 11-day movie extravaganza with a documentary about mega-rock group U2’s musical journey. The grand Gala presentation by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim is set to open TIFF’s curtains.

From the Sky Down explores U2’s success and how the group has persevered in the music industry. Guggenheim, who also directed Waiting for Superman and An Inconvenient Truth, dissects U2’s Achtung Baby released in 1991.

He also explains why “in the terrain of rock bands … U2 has defied the gravitational pull toward destruction,” according to a TIFF press release.

“We look forward to sharing this film with the audiences on Opening Night,” said TIFF’s Co-Director Cameron Bailey in the release.

Guggenheim’s feature is but one of a long list of buzz-worthy films at this year’s festival. Filmmakers from every corner of the world have prepared for years for the chance to showcase their work at one of the world’s greatest aggregation of film magnates, industry gurus, and programmers.

George Clooney will showcase The Ides of March, which he co-produced with a team that includes Leonardo DiCaprio. Clooney also is a co-writer, director, and star of the film, which is honored with one of the 10 Gala presentations.

The film follows a U.S. presidential campaign press secretary, played by Ryan Gosling, who is marred by scandal. The A-list cast includes Oscar nominees Clooney, Gosling, Paul Giamatti, and Evan Rachel Wood, along with Oscar winners Marisa Tomei and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Madonna’s new film will also be featured. She co-wrote and directed a romantic drama about two women’s search for romance in W.E, which stands for Wallis and Edward. Two stories, set in the present and the past, intertwine the lives of two women. One is Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, who captures the heart of King Edward VIII; the other, Wally, a Manhattan woman disappointed in her marriage and in search of new romance.

Other notable films include Derick Martini’s Hick starring Blake Lively, Alec Baldwin, and Chloe Moretz; William Friedkin’s Killer Joe starring Emile Hirsch and Matthew McConaughey; and Julian Farino’s The Oranges starring Adam Brody, Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, and Sam Rosen.