Xavier Dolan’s ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan’ to World Premiere at TIFF 2018

Published by
Share

Photo credit: TIFF

[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]

The Toronto International Film Festival® today revealed Xavier Dolan’s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will have its World Premiere at the Festival this September. The surprise announcement was made at TIFF’s Canadian press conference, held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan follows the story of a young actor (Jacob Tremblay) as he reminisces on the letters he once shared with an American TV star (Kit Harington), who passed away a decade earlier, and the impact those letters had on both their lives. The film also stars Natalie Portman, Ben Schnetzer, Susan Sarandon, Jared Keeso, Kathy Bates, Thandie Newton, Emily Hampshire, and former TIFF Rising Star Sarah Gadon.

“In only a few short years, Xavier Dolan has drawn film lovers all over the world into his personal vision,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “That vision and his remarkable skill as a filmmaker are on full display in his English-language debut. We are honoured to premiere it in Toronto.”

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will screen as part of the Special Presentations programme.

The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013. He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

Recent Posts

Interview: Yura Borisov is the Heart and Soul of ‘Anora’

Gentle giant. Strong but silent type. We've seen this description attributed to brutish men in… Read More

December 1, 2024

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 73 – Three Colours: White (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1994)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt… Read More

November 30, 2024

Frontrunner (Black) Friday Oscar Predictions: The Post-Thanksgiving Malaise Makes Way for the Beginning of Awards Season – 11/29/24

It's Black Friday. It's Frontrunner Friday. It's the combination Frontrunner Black Friday Oscar predictions. If… Read More

November 29, 2024

African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Honorees: ‘Nickel Boys,’ ‘The Piano Lesson’ Filmmakers and Casts and More

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has announced the honorees for its 2025 Special… Read More

November 27, 2024

36th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) Announces Full Lineup, Opening with ‘Better Man’ and Closing with ‘The Penguin Lessons’

The 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced that the Festival’s Opening Night film will… Read More

November 26, 2024

‘Kneecap’ Leads 2024 British Independent Film Craft Awards Winners (BIFA)

Love Lies Bleeding, Civil War were double winners The winners across the craft categories of… Read More

November 26, 2024

This website uses cookies.