TIFF 2022: World Premieres of WHILE WE WATCHED and LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES, and LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE To Close Out Midnight Madness

Posted by BK on August 25, 2022 in Arts, celebration, documentary, Events, Festival, film, grand opening, Movie Reviews, premiere, Showcase | Leave a comment

LONO Studio and Britdoc Films
Present

WHILE WE WATCHED

Directed by Vinay Shukla
Produced by Vinay Shukla, Khushboo Ranka and Luke W. Moody
Executive Produced by Maxyne Franklin, Jess Search and Beadie Finzi
Featuring Ravish Kumar

 World Premiere  – 2022 Toronto International Film Festival 

2022 Toronto International Film Festival Screening Schedule:
*Press/Industry Screening* – Sunday, September 11th at 11:10 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
*WORLD PREMIERE* – Sunday, September 11th at 6:05 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Tuesday, September 13th at 11:35 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 
*Press/Industry Screening* – Thursday, September 15th at 9:05 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Friday, September 16th at 9:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

About the film WHILE WE WATCHED
The Prime Time Indian TV journalist, Ravish Kumar, is in trouble.

Famous for his unflinching takedowns of the ruling establishment during his long-running primetime news hour, his nerves have begun to fray from carrying the torch of ‘good journalism’ for too long. In the public eye, Ravish has become a regular fixture, beaming from TV sets and widely shared phone videos. His primetime news bulletin has long been characterized by solid research, verified evidence, vignette-style notes from the field, and a sharp commentary with a touch of rustic sass. In the Indian media landscape, Kumar’s show is a far cry from the new industry standard of high-decibel, polarizing, blustering TV news debates.

As press freedom further disintegrates and self-censorship becomes the new normal, Kumar struggles to stay afloat in the rising tide of his own network’s financial hardships, sinking TRP ratings, and the strain of continuous downsizing. The dangerously deteriorating standard of public discourse finds Ravish at the receiving end of harassment, intimidation, morphed images, threats to his life and even violence against his family.

With a growing target on his back, and the looming threat of his network’s imminent closure, Ravish transforms from a spunky troublemaker into a deeply troubled man, worried for himself, his family, and the soul of his nation.

About the filmmaker Vinay Shukla
Vinay Shukla is a filmmaker, producer, and a leading figure in the Indian documentary landscape. His debut feature in 2016, the non-fiction political thriller, An Insignificant Man (co-directed with Khushboo Ranka) was internationally acclaimed, set a new anti-censorship precedent, and went on to become the most theatrically successful documentary film in India. His short film Bureaucracy Sonata (2011), won the HBO Best Short Film Award at the South Asian International Film Festival in 2012.

His work has attracted distinguished partnerships with Sundance, DocSociety, NFDC India, Asian Network of Documentaries, IDFA, and IDFA Bertha. His work has been previously celebrated at Warsaw Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, BFI London, Sheffield Doc/Fest, among other leading festivals in the world. Vinay has also produced the globally renowned political strategy board games ‘SHASN’, and its sequel, ‘SHASN: AZADI’.

Vinay’s highly-anticipated second feature film, While We Watched– a non-fiction newsroom drama – is premiering at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

https://tiff.net/events/while-we-watched

Year 2022 | Country United Kingdom | LanguageEnglish, Hindi | Runtime 92 mins

Music Box Films
Presents

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE

Written and Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar
Starring Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides and Anthony Falcon

 Midnight Madness Closing Night Film – 2022 Toronto International Film Festival

WINNER – Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit – 2022 Sundance Film Festival
WINNER – Special Jury Mention, Narrative Feature – 2022 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival
WINNER – Best Narrative Award – 2022 CAAMFest 

2022 Toronto International Film Festival Screening Schedule:
*Press/Industry Screening* – Thursday, September 8th at 9:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
*Midnight Madness Closing Night* – Saturday, September 17th at 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre
Sunday, September 18th at 2:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

About the film LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE
Leonor Reyes was once a major player in the Filipino film industry during its ragtag action cinema glory days, but now in her golden years and struggling to pay her bills. When she reads an advertisement for a screenplay contest, Leonor begins tinkering with an unfinished script about a young man avenging his brother’s murder at the hand of thugs. After a falling television knocks Leonor unconscious and sends her into a coma, she finds herself inside her incomplete movie, re-writing and editing on the fly in a fantastical bid to complete the film while her body lies in limbo.

About the filmmaker Martika Ramirez Escobar
Martika Ramirez Escobar was born in Manila in 1992. Her love for the bizarre is best reflected through her films and photography. After graduating with honors from the University of the Philippines, her thesis Stone Heart, competed at the 19th Busan International Film Festival and screened around the world. It also won Best Film at Cinemalaya. Her latest work, Quadrilaterals, premiered at the 9th DMZ Docs.

She is an alumna of the Berlinale Talents Tokyo, Asian Film Academy, Southeast Asian Film Lab, Luang Prabang Talent Lab, Fantastic Film School, Mowelfund Film Institute and is a recipient of the Purin Film Fund. She is currently working as a freelance director-cinematographer for various production houses in Manila

https://tiff.net/events/leonor-will-never-die
https://www.musicboxfilms.com/film/leonor-will-never-die/ 

Year 2022 | Country Philippines | Language Filipino, English | Runtime 99 mins

Apple Original Documentary and Imagine Documentaries
Present

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES

Directed by Sacha Jenkins
Produced by Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Sacha Jenkins and Julie Anderson
Executive Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Michele Anthony and David Blackman

 World Premiere  – 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF Docs Opening Film)

2022 Toronto International Film Festival Screening Schedule:
*WORLD PREMIERE* – Thursday, September 8th at 6:00 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox
*Press/Industry Screening*– Friday, September 9th at 12:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Saturday, September 10th at 2:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Sunday, September 18th at 11:45 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

About the Film LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES
Drawing on Louis Armstrong’s audio diaries, documentarian Sacha Jenkins (Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men) revisits the music and reappraises the politics of the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer.

About the Director Sacha Jenkins
Sacha Jenkins was born in Philadelphia. His films include Fresh Dressed, Word is Bond, Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, and the television mini-series Everything’s Gonna Be All White. Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues  is his latest feature.

www.tiff.net/events/louis-armstrongs-black-and-blues

Mins 104 | Language English | Year 2022 | Country USA

We would like to thank David Magdael & Associate for the press release.