Priyanka Chopra, Anurag Kashyap Listed Among 50 Celebrity Ambassadors For TIFF 2020
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)
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,
2020,
has
been
tailored
to
fit
the
moment
and
will
be
opting
for
digital
screenings
and
virtual
red
carpets
for
the
first
time
due
to
the
Coronavirus
pandemic.
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
the
province's
reopening
framework
to
ensure
that
festival
venues
and
workplace
practices
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.
"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.
TIFF
2020
Line
Up
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)
Cameron
Bailey,
Artistic
Director
And
Co-Head,
TIFF:
"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,"
Cameron
Bailey
Added:
"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,"
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.
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.