The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival unveiled today its In Conversation With… lineup featuring five remarkable, multi-talented industry heavyweights. This year’s lineup stands out for the richness and diversity of the experiences that these accomplished artists will share with Festival goers.
TIFF audiences will have the opportunity to hear about the fascinating careers — both in front of and behind the camera — of Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Antonio Banderas, Allison Janney, and Kerry Washington during intimate onstage conversations at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5 to 15, 2019.
The In Conversation With… program includes:
In Conversation With… Michael B. Jordan & Jamie Foxx
Hollywood megastars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx are both at the top of their game. They first gained fame for roles on television: Foxx with In Living Color in 1991 and later The Jamie Foxx Show, and Jordan with his heartbreaking turn as Wallace in HBO’s The Wire. In 2013, Jordan made his major feature-film breakthrough in Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed Fruitvale Station. He has collaborated with Coogler on two more game-changers: Creed, their acclaimed expansion of the Rocky saga; and the mega-hit Black Panther. In 2016 Jordan founded his production company, Outlier Society, in order to focus on more eclectic and diverse stories and voices. Outlier Society recently co-produced HBO Films’ Emmy-nominated adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, which netted Jordan a Producers Guild Award. Foxx is renowned for powerful lead performances in Ray, for which he won an Academy Award, Michael Mann’s neo-noir Collateral, and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. TIFF proudly presents this conversation with two iconic artists and producers about their creative process, their desire to tell inclusive stories, and Just Mercy, their highly anticipated new film premiering at the Festival.
In Conversation With… Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas is a superstar of international and Hollywood cinema. An alumnus of the famed Cervantes Theatre in Málaga, Spain, Banderas burst onto the film scene with performances in Pedro Almodóvar’s Labyrinth of Passion and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, paving his way to a series of acclaimed roles in Hollywood films directed by the likes of Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia), Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire), and Robert Rodriguez (Desperado). Deftly moving between blockbuster (The Mask of Zorro; the Shrek franchise) and independent films (Julie Taymor’s Frida), and with his recent portrayal of Picasso in the National Geographic miniseries Genius, Banderas has cemented his iconic status as one of the most versatile performers in film and television. TIFF is proud to welcome this award-winning actor, producer, director, and humanitarian for an inspiring conversation about his career in front of and behind the camera, his numerous philanthropic efforts, as well as his highly anticipated films at this year’s Festival: Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory, for which he won Best Actor at Cannes, and Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat.
In Conversation With… Allison Janney
Allison Janney swept the 2018 Awards season with an Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe Award, Critic’s Choice Award and SAG Award for her acclaimed portrayal of Tonya Harding’s mother, LaVona Golden in I, Tonya. Janney will next be seen opposite Hugh Jackman in director Cory Finley’s upcoming film, Bad Education, written by Mike Makowsky about the true, twist-filled conspiracy that occurred during his middle school years in Long Island in the early 2000’s. The film will have its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Additionally, Janney stars alongside Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Charlize Theron in Lionsgate’s yet untitled film directed by Jay Roach and written by Charles Randolph about the fall of Roger Ailes at Fox News. Janney lent her voice to MGM’s animated feature film The Addams Family with Charlize Theron and Oscar Isaac. She recently wrapped production for Tate Taylor’s Breaking News in Yuba County opposite Mila Kunis, Awkwafina, and Regina Hall. She has previously starred in The Help based on the best-selling novel of the same name, where the cast won ensemble awards from the Hollywood Film Awards, SAG, National Board of Review and Broadcast Film Critics and the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Independent Spirit Awards in Todd Solondz’s film, Life During Wartime. Janney also delivered outstanding performances in the Oscar nominated Juno, the movie version of the Tony Award winning play Hairspray, Girl on The Train, Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,The Hours, and American Beauty. On television, Janney has won seven Emmy Awards for her work on CBS’ Mom, Showtime’s groundbreaking drama Masters of Sex, and for her indelible portrayal of CJ Cregg in Aaron Sorkin’s acclaimed series The West Wing.
In Conversation With… Kerry Washington
Award-winning actor, producer, director, and activist Kerry Washington is always charting new territory. Following a number of guest-starring roles in network television and a breakout role in Save the Last Dance, Washington starred opposite Jamie Foxx in Ray (2004), and quickly added a string of notable roles in such acclaimed features as The Last King of Scotland, Miracle of St. Anna, and 2012’s Django Unchained. That same year, she landed the lead role of Olivia Pope in Shonda Rhimes’ series Scandal, on which Washington also went on to work as a producer and director. When Scandal premiered, Washington became the first Black woman in nearly four decades to headline a network television drama. A fearless and outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, she served on President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and is leading by example, producing diverse and inclusive content for various platforms through her production company Simpson Street. In this in-depth conversation, Washington will speak about her remarkable career, the Festival premiere of American Son – in which she reprises her lauded role from the Broadway production — and her highly anticipated adaptation of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.