Stephen Chbosky's "Dear Evan Hansen," based on the smash stage musical, will open this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
Organizers have announced the first selections of galas and special presentations for the 46th edition, which runs Sept. 9 to 18 with a bigger theatrical experience than last year's pandemic-tailored showcase.
More than 100 films will screen digitally and in-person at downtown drive-in and open-air cinemas, as well as some in-person venues, including TIFF Bell Lightbox and Roy Thomson Hall.
TIFF says it has added Scotiabank Theatre Toronto to its screening venues for the first five days of the festival, and will also show films at the Princess of Wales Theatre and the Cinesphere Theatre at Ontario Place.
Steven Levenson adapted "Dear Evan Hansen" from his Tony Award-winning stage show, and it features Ben Platt reprising his acclaimed leading role as a teenager with social anxiety disorder.
Amy Adams and Julianne Moore are among the other cast members in the story directed by Chbosky, who's known for his film and novel "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."
The feature will have its world premiere with a gala presentation at Roy Thomson Hall.
Chinese director Zhang Yimou's "One Second," about the connection between a travelling film projectionist and an escaped prisoner, will close the fest.
TIFF announced 10 galas and 22 special presentations Tuesday, including the world premiere of Michael McGowan's Canadian drama "All My Puny Sorrows," based on the Miriam Toews book. Alison Pill and Sarah Gadon star in the adaptation of a tale inspired by the Manitoba author's relationship with her older sister and father.
Other newly announced world premieres include "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" by Michael Showalter, starring Jessica Chastain as televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, and Walt Becker's "Clifford the Big Red Dog," a Canada/United States/United Kingdom co-production based on the children's book series about a giant red pooch.
Previously announced titles getting world premiere gala presentations include U.S. filmmaker Alison Klayman's documentary "Jagged," about Ottawa-raised singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2021.
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
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Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
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The B.C. First Nation involved in the ongoing effort to rescue a stranded killer whale calf on Vancouver Island has asked the government for financial support – but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was non-committal when asked about the request Friday.
Several Nova Scotia groups that assist women are speaking out against comments on domestic violence by Justice Minister Brad Johns, and at least one is calling for his dismissal.
Israel and Iran on Friday both played down an apparent Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran, signalling the two bitter enemies are ready to prevent their latest eruption of violence from escalating into a full-blown regional war.
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New York lawmakers are proposing rules to humanely drive down the population of rats and other rodents, eyeing contraception and a ban on glue traps as alternatives to poison or a slow, brutal death.
A full jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, setting the stage for opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
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Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.
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Lululemon Athletica will close its distribution centre in the state of Washington at the end of the year and lay off more than 100 employees, the apparel retailer told Reuters on Friday.
Netflix shares fell on Friday, as its surprise move to stop sharing subscriber additions and average revenue per member from 2025 sowed doubts in investor minds about growth peaking in some markets for the streaming pioneer.
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts.
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The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.
The Winnipeg Jets will face the Colorado Avalanche for the first time ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
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Tiber River, a shop that sells natural body care products, is ceasing operations.
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Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
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A Canadian Hall of Fame golfer from Kitchener is finally getting recognition for starting the skip-shot tradition at The Masters.
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Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
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The war of words between the presidents of Sault College and Conestoga College has escalated into a legal battle.
‘Onto Adelaide and just zip down’: Cars no longer have to deal with trains on Adelaide Street North, near Central Avenue.
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A section of Duckworth Street in Barrie's east end will be closed for several months so that crews can continue the improvement project.
A Windsor man convicted in a violent murder 20 years ago awaits ruling on bid for early parole.
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Nurses held a rally Wednesday at a hospital in the B.C. Interior that closed its emergency department more than a dozen times last year due to insufficient staff.
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Mounties say a 32-year-old Medicine Hat woman has been charged in connection with the theft of $60,000 from the Redcliff Legion.
Three men who helped lead and co-ordinate the 2022 border blockade at Coutts, Alta., have been found guilty of public mischief.
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A Sault Ste. Marie-based support group for women is hoping to work with other groups to provide more inclusive services.
The war of words between the presidents of Sault College and Conestoga College has escalated into a legal battle.
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Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
A pricing agreement has been reached between crab fishers and seafood processors that will allow for Newfoundland and Labrador's annual crab fishery to get started.
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