Back to a new reality on the screens of TIFF
Discover more from Twelve Thirty Six
The preview coverage is a sign of the times for the Toronto International Film Festival, but the hybrid event features more real-life hype than last year, including live celebrity interviews and anticipation of titles being acquired amidst their premieres. The week will likely culminate in Steven Soderbergh showing up for a screening of something.
This is not a film festival suite
Novotel Toronto Centre was leased by the city as a homeless shelter in February—and the state of the hotel and surrounding Esplanade area is in the spotlight. The rest of the industry is cautiously optimistic about the future: the Four Seasons chain has a new overlord in Bill Gates, whose investment firm bought a slice from Saudi Prince Alwaleed.
A digital ID ecosystem is coming to Ontario. The plan for physical cards to appear in a virtual wallet was presented with greater confidence than the reported state of vaccine passport app development. Ontario also has a mayor opposed to that incoming system: Jackie Rombouts of Warwick Township vows to avoid showing proof of her vaccination for any reason.
The new era of political gravel
Gravel thrown at Justin Trudeau in London, Ontario, remains under police investigation, but internet detectives worked faster to identify alleged perpetrators, one of whom was tossed out of the People’s Party. And then came a debate in French, but coverage in English was dominated by federal court permission for Rebel News to ask questions:
TSN Radio now dedicates three midday hours to a sports betting and fantasy show. Game Play, hosted by Matt Cauz, arrived on the heels of the first legal single-event sports wagering options in Canada. Meanwhile, former Sportsnet Radio fixture Greg Brady is the host of a new Toronto Today morning show on Global News Radio.
Finally, the galloping gourmet
BadBadNotGood released their previous album five years ago, after which the Toronto act grew their profile based on collaborations, including one with rapper MF Doom before his death was public. But their next group effort, Talk Memory, is out October 8, preceded by a video starring a horse, with chronophotography inspired by Eadweard Muybridge’s first GIF ever: