TIFF 2016 Preview: Period Dramas and Biopics
With the Toronto International Film Festival about to start, we take a look at the most anticipated films and the lesser known projects that are worth checking out at this year's festival.
A United Kingdom
Oh, forbidden love. How well you go with the biopic.
Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo star in this 1940's love story between a white British girl and a black African royal, Seretse Khama. While leading his people towards independence from the British Empire, he marries her against the will of basically everyone in her home country.
In Dubious Battle
James Franco directs and stars amongst Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, Vincent D’Onofrio and Robert Duvall.
Two fruit pickers in 1930's California want to unionize, so they can stand up against their horrible working conditions. Based on the book by the acclaimed author John Steinbeck.
Jackie
Natalie Portman's 'Jackie' will finally see the light of day, after being teased for nearly a year.
It tells the story of Jackie Kennedy before and after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. Covering an event that shook the world, it will surely be a grave and great tragedy.
LBJ
After Bryan Cranston in HBO's 'All the Way,' it's Woody Harrelson and director Rob Reiner's turn to take on the story of Lyndon B. Johnson.
Lyndon B. Johnson, as many of you probably know, became president after the assassination John F. Kennedy. Jennifer Jason Leigh joins Harrelson as the First Lady.
Loving
Director Jeff Nichols brings Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga together in this true story about a interracial couple in the 1950's.
The couple was sentenced to a year in prison because their marriage was considered illegal by the state of Virginia.
The Birth of a Nation
After its splash at Sundance earlier this year, much of the glow of 'The Birth of a Nation' has worn off, since the director's controversy overshadowed any news of the film in recent months. It'll be interesting to see what the response at TIFF will be, as I suspect most people covering the festival won't have much interest in the director's personal life. But we'll see.
The film follows the life of the black slave Nat Turner in 19th-century Virginia. He has the rare opportunity to learn to read and grows up to become a preacher. Getting more and more tired of the way his people are treated, he starts a slave rebellion against the white plantation owners.
The Exception
Christopher Plummer plays German Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German Kaiser who was exiled to the Netherlands after World War I.
Also starring Jai Courtney as an SS officer and Lily James as his maid, the film follows his last years, when Germany returns to power and starts World War II.
