Mira Nair to Serve on Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform Jury

Mira Nair, Bela Tarr, and Lee Chang-dong will form the 2018-Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform jury. Now in its fourth year, Platform champions up to 12 works with high artistic merit also demonstrate a strong directorial vision. The three-person jury will select the winner of the CAD 25,000 Toronto Platform Prize for the best film.

“We are privileged to have a platform jury that so perfectly embodies the programme’s essence,” TIFF director and CEO Piers Handling said. “Our 2018 jurors’ bold and daringly uncompromising artistic visions have not only influenced but helped mould the next generation of filmmakers. The wealth of experience, passion, and knowledge that they will bring to this year’s edition will be priceless, and exciting to watch.”

The TIFF Platform juried competition opened with the Frank Grillo starrer Donnybrook.

Now in its fourth year, the Platform section opened with a world premiere for Donnybrook, a gritty indie thriller that stars Grillo, Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley, and is directed by Tim Sutton. As TIFF director and CEO Piers Handling while commenting on the sidebar opener choice said Tim Sutton’s unflinching portrayal of the American heartland masterfully captured many of the anxieties that exist in our society today.

There is also anticipation for the Nicole Kidman-starrer Destroyer, by director Karyn Kusama, a modern-day Los Angeles crime thriller; Alex Ross Perry’s Her Smell, which stars Elisabeth Moss as a punk rocker; and writer-director Carol Morley’s Out of Blue, a neo-noir mystery starring Patricia Clarkson as a homicide detective.

For much of the film industry, the Toronto International Film Festival is a major player in Oscar season, and the 2018 edition is no exception. The hype that launching Oscar titles can bring, cannot be denied. However, Handling who wraps up his nearly 40 years at the festival this year has some reservations about its impact on the festival as a whole. “Obviously, those films don’t need publicity help. They have their own machines behind them.” To remedy that, he launched the ‘Platform ‘ section four years ago. It has quickly grown into the most exciting aspect of the lineup. A competition section of 12 titles, primarily from younger filmmakers who have only made a handful of features. It tends to be the area of the festivals where critics and cinephiles congregate. While several Platform titles have become a part of the Oscar game, these titles Handling maintains to have a different profile and a different mission. “We’re trying to keep the focus on a diversity of cinema around the world.”

The latest Platform lineup includes four women directors and a plethora of titles from Europe and Asia in addition to the US. Handling said that there were several movies built around stories of strong female characters and movies with a strong sense of cinematic value. He believes, “The challenge for Toronto and Venice and other festivals which run close to the Oscar season, lies in maintaining a balance and an identity of their own choice other than the one imposed on them.” The inspiration behind the Platform selection and screenings is proof of the festival's commitment to this end.(IANS)