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D

avid Cronenberg is making
his long-awaited return to
the Toronto International
FilmFestival–justnotbehindthe
camera. The iconic Canadian
filmmaker, who hasn’t directed a
film since the dark 2014 drama
Maps to the Stars,isoneofthestars
of Albert Shin’s new psycholog-
ical thrillerClifton Hill, which will
have its world premiere at the
44th edition of TIFF this Septem-
ber, organizers announced
Wednesday.
“Hehasafairlysubstantialrole
inthis,whichisAlbert’shighlyan-
ticipated third feature film that
explores the seedy structural un-
derworkings of Niagara Falls,”
says Ravi Srinivasan, who joined
TIFFthisyeartohelpprogramthe
festival’s Canadian lineup along-
side long-time programmer Steve
Gravestock. “Cronenberg plays
sort of a town historian-slash-
podcaster. And local crank.”
Adds Shin, who says the film is
inspiredbyhisownfamily’shisto-
ry with Niagara Falls: “As a young
Canadianfilmmaker,todirectDa-
vid Cronenberg in my own dark,
quirky mystery film, was as sur-
real as he was sublime.”
Clifton Hillwillbeoneof26Can-
adian features to screen at this
year’s festival. Aside from featur-
ing the acting talents of Cronen-
berg, though, the film can also be
seenasasymbolicchangingofthe
guard for homegrown filmmak-
ers, with this year’s TIFF featuring
analmost-equalmixofworkfrom
emerging talent such as Shin and
more established industry veter-
ans.
On that latter front, this year’s
festival includes new work from
familiar TIFF faces Atom Egoyan

(Guest of Honour, starring Luke

Wilson and David Thewlis), Fran-

çois Girard (the Clive Owen-star-

ringThe Song of Names),Zacharias

Kunuk (One Day in the Life of Noah

Piugattuk), Ellen Page (stepping

behind the camera for the first

time with her “environmental

racism” documentary There’s

Something in the Water, co-direct-

ed by Ian Daniel) and established

documentarians Alan Zweig (the

police-focusedCopper), Barry Av-

rich (David Foster: Off the Record)

and Alanis Obomsawin (Jordan

River Anderson, The Messenger).

“Alanis proves again that she’s

a real force and, as you’d expect,

this film has an emotional wal-

lop,” Gravestock says of Obom-

sawin’s latest, which focuses on

the political response in Canada

to the 2005 death of five-year-old

IndigenouschildJordanRiverAn-

derson. “But like her last film,

[2017’sOur People Will Be Healed],

this is also quite optimistic, while

obviouslydealingwitharealCan-

adian tragedy.”

Jordan River Anderson, The Mess-

engermarks Obomsawin’s 53rd

feature. On the flip side of experi-

ence, this year’s TIFF will feature

seven debut features and a hand-

ful of films from recently emerg-

ing, homegrown talent.

In addition to Shin, this year’s

fresh-but-experienced Canadian

contingent includes Joey Klein

(whose second feature,Castle in

the Ground,looksattheopioidcri-

sis in Sudbury, Ont.), Elle-Maija

Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hep-

burn (who unite to co-direct the

Indigenous-focused dramaThe

Body Remembers When the World

Broke Open, which also stars Tail-

feathers) and Calvin Thomas and

Yonah Lewis (who are following

upthisyear’sexperimentalcome-

dySpice It UpwithWhite Lie).

“From a production stand-

point,thiswasamajorgraduation

for us, from shooting on 35mm to

working with a professional cast

and crew,” Thomas and Lewis say

in a joint statement to The Globe

and Mail aboutWhite Lie, which

focuses on an undergrad student

who fakes a cancer diagnosis.

“Most of all, we’re excited by Ka-

cey Rohl’s performance. We al-

ways thought this could be a spe-

cial role for a talented actor, but

whatKaceydeliveredwentfarbe-

yond what we expected.”

Rookie films for 2019 include

Aisling Chin-Yee’s family drama

The Rest of Usstarring Heather

Graham, Harry Cepka’s Vancouv-

er-setcharacterstudyRaf,starring

Grace Glowicki, and Matthew

Rankin’sThe Twentieth Century,a

gonzo-looking biopic of former

Canadian prime minister Mack-

enzieKingthatwillplaythefestiv-

al’s extreme-cinema-friendly

Midnight Madness program.

Notably, this year’s TIFF first-

timer club features two films de-

veloped under Telefilm’s upstart

Talent to Watch initiative, which

was launched in 2018 with the

goal of financing up to 50 micro-

budget features. Two of the film-

makers from that inaugural pro-

gram’s slate, Heather Young (the

documentary-esque character

studyMurmur) and Sanja Zivkov-

ic (the family dramaEasy Land),

will see their films enjoy world

premieres at this year’s festival.

“I went to the gym after work

one day and, as always, kept my

phone close by. [My producer, Ju-

lie Strifler,] called, and I could tell

by her, ‘Hi, how are you?’ that she

had something to tell me. It’s a

tight, intimate space at the gym

and talking is pretty disruptive.

Bless the people that put up with

me screaming in joy and crying

while trying to carry on with their

class,” recalls Zivkovic upon find-

ing out thatEasy Landwas select-

ed.“Iranoutofthegymandspent

the next hour trying to come to

terms with the news.”

One highly anticipated Cana-

dian film that wasn’t announced

on Wednesday, though, wasMat-

thias et Maxime,the eighth film by

Xavier Dolan which premiered at

Cannes this spring.

Last year, TIFF waited until its

splashy Canadian programming

news conference to reveal that it

had secured the world premiere

of Dolan’sThe Death and Life of

John F. Donovan– a surprise to the

assembled media, who were not

informed of the move when pre-

sented with TIFF’s initial Cana-

dian slate the day before. Graves-

tock, however, assures that there

will be no such Dolan twist this

year.

“Idon’tthinktherearegoingto

be any surprises, not that I know

of,”hesays.“Therewillbeawhole

slew of announcements over the

nextcoupleweeks,butno[onthe

Dolan].Therearelotsoffilmsthat

are not available to us, and that’s

just the way programming is.”

The44theditionoftheToronto

InternationalFilmFestivalrunsSept.

5to15.

TIFF’sCanadianlineupisamixoffilmveterans,rookies

The44thedition

ofToronto’sannual

festivalmarksthereturn

ofCronenberg–asthe

starofAlbertShin’s

thrillerCliftonHill

CanadianfilmmakerDavidCronenberg,seenattheVeniceFilmFestivalin2018,stepsoutfrombehindthe

camerafor‘afairlysubstantialrole’inAlbertShin’snewthriller,CliftonHill.ALBERTOPIZZOLI/AFP/GETTYIMAGES

BARRY
HERTZ

SCREENTIME

‘T

o sing the blues you’ve

got to live the dues.” Ste-

phen Stills wrote the lyr-

ics toCarry On, a love song and

generational call for perseve-

rance on the 1970 Crosby, Stills,

Nash & Young albumDéjà Vu.

None of the four paid the price

more than David Crosby, a free-

spirit indulger, angry imp, trou-

ble-making cat and world-class

harmony singer with CSNY and

the Byrds, who ended up in a

Texas jail for drug possession and

gun charges in 1983. A survivor

and working musician at 77,

Crosby is the intriguing subject

of the new documentaryDavid

Crosby: Remember My Name,

which opens Aug. 2. He spoke to

The Globe and Mail about his es-

trangement from Neil Young, his

unaccountable career renais-

sance and having no choice but

to carry on.

A.J. Eaton directed the new docu-

mentary about you. Cameron

Crowe co-produced it and handled

the interviews. But because of

your candidness, you did all the

heavy lifting. I almost feel like you

should have been paid as the

interview subject. Were you?

Absolutely not. The satisfaction

is in the catharsis. Being able to

tell, as close as you can, the truth,

and getting it off your chest –

that’s where the payment is.

Your tone is often apologetic. Is

that what the film is, an apology

for your past behaviour?

It wasn’t intended to do that. If

there was an apology, it would be

made to the women who I was

not kind to.

Not to Neil Young or other former

bandmates?

CSNY, you know, we were horri-

ble to each other. All of us were,

over and over and over again. I

did apologize to Neil about say-

ing bad things about his girlf-

riend [now wife, actor Daryl Han-

nah]. But the truth is that we all

owe apologies to each other,

massively. I mean, Neil leaving

Stephen Stills in the middle of a

tour? Just cutting out on him,

with no warning? We’ve done

horrible things to each other, but

apologies aren’t what’s at stake

here. There’s a long, bitter com-

petition between all of us. I don’t

think we really care about each

other that much.

It doesn’t sound like a reunion is

coming any time soon.

I don’t hate those guys. I certain-

ly have no beef with them at all.

Truthfully, though, I really can’t

stand around and wait. I gotta be

making music while I’m still

here, alive.

You display a high level of self-

awareness in the film. Is that

something you’ve developed over

the years?

I don’t know where that came

from. I think it’s a positive effect.

It makes some people uncom-

fortable, but I think it works well

for me.

You just landed a gig as an advice

columnist for Rolling Stone, and, in

addition to this film, you’re a big

part of Jakob Dylan’s documen-

tary about the sixties music scene

in Los Angeles’s Laurel Canyon.

Can you explain the continuing

fascination with you?

I don’t know if I can. I mean, it

doesn’t make any sense. It

doesn’t make any sense that I

can still sing, I did it all wrong.

I’m not supposed to be here. All I

can do is, if this is how it is, is to

be very grateful, and to work the

hell out of it.

This interview has been edited and

condensed.

DavidCrosbykeepsonkeepin’

oninnew,candiddocumentary

BRADWHEELER