(Toronto) Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan will world premiere his latest feature, Seven Veils, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.
The director from Toronto finds in this film the American actress Amanda Seyfried, who had played in 2009 in his Chloe, shot in Toronto. This time, Seyfried embodies a theater director who revives the most famous work of her former mentor, the opera Salomé by Richard Strauss.
The film also features singers from the most recent production of Salomé by the Canadian Opera Company, staged by Egoyan. Soprano Ambur Braid and baritone Michael Kupfer-Radecky return to their roles as Salomé and Jean-Baptiste in the film.
Seven Veils (the “Dance of the Seven Veils”, famous scene from the opera) is set to be Egoyan’s 18th film to premiere at TIFF.
This 48th edition, from September 7 to 17, risks being deprived of Hollywood stars, if the strike of the Guild of American Actors continues until then. The rules surrounding industrial action prevent members from promoting films or even participating in film festivals.
Canadian films, with Canadian actors and creators who are not members of American unions, however, are not affected by this watchword.
“Having the world premiere of this film at TIFF and being partnered with the Canadian Opera Company really brings my two great passions together in a great way,” Egoyan said in a statement Wednesday.
The full TIFF lineup is expected to be released in August.
