TIFF Long Take

For film lovers, the end of summer usually signals the start of awards season, with studios rolling out major campaigns for their “prestige films” before the end of the year. But this year, Oscar buzz seems slightly more subdued than usual. Last year’s rating were down significantly, and there appears to be a growing disconnect between the films winning awards and those topping the box office. Is this just a fluke, or are the Oscars becoming less relevant to both films and their audiences? To get the answers, Rob and Geoff are joined in the studio by Katie Rich, Mike Hogan, and Richard Lawson, the hosts of Vanity Fair’s 'Little Gold Men' podcast. The group discusses what an Oscar means to a film or studio now versus 10 years ago, how television has bumped film from the “prestige space,” and what the Oscars can do to attract younger audiences. This also wouldn’t be an Oscars episode without some wild prognostication, so the guests weigh in on a few of the biggest questions surrounding the 2017 awards class: will 'Get Out' get a nomination? Will 'Dunkirk' win Best Picture? And what yet-to-be-released film could make a late-season push?

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff lose their minds as they sit down with one of their childhood idols, Jim Carrey. The legendary comic is the subject of Chris Smith’s new documentary 'Jim & Andy: the Great Beyond - the story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman with a very special, contractually obligated mention of Tony Clifton', an exploration into Carrey’s intense adoption of Kaufman’s persona during the making of the 1999 film 'Man on the Moon'. Carrey talks about his earliest comedic influences, his compulsion to create characters at a young age, and why his rebellious side was drawn to Kaufman’s challenging approach to comedy. He also discusses how his outlook on life has changed over the last few years, why disappearing for long periods of time is important to his art, and why becoming a character like Andy Kaufman is difficult to come back from.

If you’ve spent time at a film festival, you’ve probably heard the term “sales agent” tossed around. And while the title sounds very impressive, few of us know exactly what this mysterious person actually does, or how they contribute to the life of a film. To figure it out once and for all, Rob and Geoff sit down with one of the best sales agents in the business: Vice President of Celluloid Dreams, Charlotte Mickie. Mickie talks about her somewhat accidental entry into the film industry, how she balances art and commerce in her role, and how she’s developed her eye for talent. She also talks about why short films are the best calling cards for emerging talent, why film festivals are not the buyers’ market they used to be, and how her job has become more challenging in the digital age.

It’s been a strange few months for film. Box-office revenues are down 13% from last summer, Game of Thrones hijacked the cultural conversation, and despite a few great original stories, studios continued to shovel the vast majority of their money towards franchises and sequels. So where does film go from here, and what lessons can we gather from this confusing period? To find out, Rob and Geoff sit down with IndieWire’s Tom Brueggemann. Brueggemann explains why the international market can’t get enough of sequels (2:40), how studios are becoming more economical (5:45), and what film studios could learn from the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight (14:20). He also breaks down why, despite successes like Dunkirk and Baby Driver, original ideas continue to struggle at the box office (16:30), why reviews really don’t mean anything anymore (21:00), and why the biggest film of Summer 2017 didn’t come from Hollywood (28:50).

It’s no secret that the digital age has shaken the film world dramatically, and film festivals are no exception. Audience members’ viewing habits are evolving, and with the dramatic rise of online content and on-demand viewing, Rob and Geoff are wondering if film festivals still occupy the same role they used to, even as recently as a few years ago. To get the answer, the two sit down with TIFF’s Artistic Director, Cameron Bailey. The three chat about the allure of film festivals in an age where fewer people are going to theatres (5:40), why the popularity of festivals has risen even as the role of the critic as an arbiter of public taste has declined (12:55), and why film festivals shouldn’t feel threatened by the rise of streaming sites (17:50). The discussion then turns to TIFF 2017. Bailey lays out his top five films to see at the Festival, breaks down his Festival rituals, and describes how he answers the question “What is this year’s Moonlight?” (23:00)

Last week, at the Television Critics Association press tour, Disney made the surprising announcement that it will be removing its entire catalogue from Netflix by the end of 2019. The decision was viewed by many as the beginning of a change in the way that we view content, and has got many wondering what this means for Netflix — and for viewers. To get the answers, Rob and Geoff sit down with IndieWire’s Editor-at-Large, Anne Thompson. The three discuss how other major studios are reacting to this news (5:10), if any future streaming platforms will be able to reach the level of ubiquity that Netflix has (8:00), and if Netflix can survive on original content alone (11:45). They also talk about how how streaming is killing the theatre business (15:10), what we can read into Shonda Rhimes jumping ship to Netflix (25:30), and who poses the biggest threat to Netflix moving forward (26:30).

In 1949, starlet Ida Lupino changed film history when she stepped behind the camera to direct her first film, ‘Unwanted’. Now, nearly 70 years later, Rob and Geoff sit down with Karina Longworth, host of the incredibly popular podcast ‘You Must Remember This’ to talk about Lupino’s story, struggles, and influence on a profession that is still, sadly, overwhelmingly male. The three talk about Lupino’s rise to Hollywood stardom (7:20), the hurdles she overcame to get in the director’s chair (9:40), and how the infamous Howard Hughes both helped and hurt her career (13:45). They also discuss her great works like ‘Outrage’ and ‘The Bigamist’ (16:25), her influence as an early Hollywood multi-hyphenate (18:00), and why, in 2017, women filmmakers are still fighting an uphill battle to gain the trust of studios (20:10).

Director Stella Meghie has had quite a year. In 2016 her debut film ‘Jean of the Joneses’ premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival to rave reviews, and just over twelve months later she had her first big financial hit with with the studio film ‘Everything, Everything’. It’s an impressive trajectory for any young director, but when you consider how grossly underrepresented black women filmmakers are in Hollywood, Stella’s ascent seems even more significant. In fact, Stella is the only black woman with a wide-release movie in 2017, a shocking stat that speaks volumes about Hollywood’s diversity problem. Stella sits down with Rob and Geoff to discuss how she went from indie darling to studio director in just over a year (3:25), the challenges that come working within the studio system (5:30), and why, despite her recent mainstream success, she’s excited to go back to telling more personal stories (6:45). She also explains why women filmmakers have more trouble making the leap to studio films than their male peers (12:00), the consequences of diverse audience members not seeing themselves represented onscreen (17:25) and why she’s not happy with the distinction of being the only black woman with a wide release film in 2017 (18:30). Stella is currently an ambassador for TIFF’s Share Her Journey campaign, a five year initiative prioritizing gender parity within the film industry. To find out more about the campaign, please visit: http://www.tiff.net/shareherjourney/

Any filmmaker will tell you that the journey to getting their first feature made is full of ups and downs. But what exactly are the biggest challenges facing aspiring filmmakers and how can we make things easier and more accessible for future generations? To learn more, Rob, and special guest host Chandler Levack, sit down with director Ashley McKenzie, whose debut film ‘Werewolf’ garnered a tonne of attention and admiration at last year’s TIFF. Ashley talks about her long path to getting ‘Werewolf’ made (5:40), why she considers her films “termite art” (13:25), and why young filmmakers need to question the systems in place and find a method that works for them (15:50). She also explains why she thinks female filmmakers have more to prove than their male peers (21:30), why she doesn’t feel at a disadvantage working out of Cape Breton Island (29:30), and why, despite ‘Werewolf’s’ success, she’s not confident that making her second film will be an easier road (30:40) Ashley is currently an ambassador for TIFF’s Share Her Journey campaign, a five year initiative prioritizing gender parity within the film industry. To find out more about the campaign, please visit: http://www.tiff.net/shareherjourney/

Throughout film history, censor boards have often come into conflict with artists looking to push boundaries, from Howard Hawks to Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But in the current digital age, where so much content is unfiltered and readily available, do censor boards still have a role to play in the films we watch? To get the answer Rob and Geoff sit down with Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla, the co-directors of the documentary ‘An Insignificant Man’. The film, which documents the journey of Arvind Kejriwal, "the Bernie Sanders of India," was recently denied an exhibition certificate in the pair’s home country. Khushboo and Vinay discuss the trials they’ve gone through to get their film released (2:35), how India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is holding them to the same standards as films released in 1952 (10:15), and why they believe that stringent censorship guidelines are discouraging the next generation of Indian filmmakers (14:00). They also explain why they believe the majority of censorship is used to create a narrative (15:20), and why the definition of what is "appropriate" can only be determined by the consumer (18:10).