Continuing TIFF’s commitment to championing women filmmaker, Beans director Tracey Deer will receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award at the 2020 TIFF Tribute Awards, during this year’s 45th Annual Toronto International Film Festival.
Tracey Deer’s film and TV credits include the documentaries One More River: The Deal that Split the Cree, Club Native, and Kanien’kehá:ka: Living the Language, as well as the critically acclaimed series Mohawk Girls, which was nominated for Best Comedy at the Canadian Screen Awards and earned Deer a nomination for Best Direction in a Comedy Series. Deer was also honored at TIFF as a recipient of the Birks Diamond Tribute Award on behalf of the series. Her debut feature, Beans, will screen at TIFF this September. Inspired by her own experiences, the film is a coming-of-age story about a young Mohawk girl during the Oka Crisis in 1990.
“We’re thrilled to honor TIFF alumna Tracey Deer at the TIFF Tribute Awards this year as she debuts her first feature, Beans,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director and Co-Head of TIFF. “Tracey is an authentic, leading Indigenous voice globally and one the industry should watch closely.”
TIFF previously announced that Academy Award–winning actress Kate Winslet and Academy Award–winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins will receive TIFF Tribute Actor Awards; director Chloé Zhao will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award; Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Mira Nair will be honored with the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media; and Grammy Award–-winning composer Terence Blanchard will receive the TIFF Variety Artisan Award.
On Friday, September 11 at 6pm, the public will have the opportunity to join a live discussion with Academy Award–winning actor Halle Berry as she discusses her directorial debut, Bruised. The In Conversation With… virtual event will delve into all aspects of Berry’s experience directing the film, in which she also stars, and will also provide a first-person discussion about her groundbreaking film and television career, spanning 30 years. Registration is FREE and the event is made even more special by being part of the Share Her Journey campaign, which stands for empowering women behind and in front of the camera with a focus on mentorship, skills development, and other opportunities for emerging women creators.
For the first time, all of the TIFF Rising Stars are women. Celebrating its 10th year, TIFF Rising Stars is an annual professional development program that highlights a unique selection of charismatic up-and-coming actors from around the globe through a variety of events and industry meetings during the Festival.
The four Rising Stars for 2020 are: Sheila Atim (Bruised), Rainbow Dickerson (Beans), Tanya Maniktala (A Suitable Boy), and Madeleine Sims-Fewer (Violation). Notable alumni of this programme include Stephan James (Selma, If Beale Street Could Talk, Golden Globe winner for Homecoming), Tatiana Maslany (Stronger, The Other Half, Emmy winner for Orphan Black), Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace, Maps to the Stars, A Dangerous Method), Jessie Buckley (Judy, Wild Rose, Chernobyl), and Shamier Anderson (Bruised; Endings, Beginnings). This year’s Rising Stars will have the opportunity to connect with critically acclaimed actors David Oyelowo, Hiam Abbass, and Tantoo Cardinal.
Also showing TIFF’s commitment to professional development opportunities for women who are emerging creators, TIFF has unveiled Molly McGlynn as the recipient of the Micki Moore Residency for 2020. The screenwriting residency for women is supported by Toronto journalist and broadcaster Micki Moore and Share Her Journey. McGlynn, an Ambassador for Share Her Journey, will receive a 10-week residency, mentorship from a script consultant, Industry accreditation for the Festival, and $3,000 towards developing her screenwriting project.
The TIFF Tribute Awards will be broadcast on Tuesday, September 15, at 8pm ET/PT on CTV and everywhere CTV content can be found, during the 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Awards will be streamed to a global audience by Variety.
The 45th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10–19, 2019.