TIFF 2011 - New Films Enter the Race

There are a couple new films that were announced as additions to the Toronto International Film Festival in a couple of weeks.

• Winnie, starring Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard about Winnie Mandela will premeire here. I am not sure how this one will play out. The trailer was less than enthusiastic, and if the filmmakers are afraid to delve into Mandela's dark side, this may not please critics or audiences. Or it could be an epic historical drama that is right up the Academy's alley. We'll have to wait and see.
• Violet & Davis is the directorial debut for Geoffrey Fletcher who recently won an Oscar for his Precious screenplay. The film stars Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel, as well as James Gandolfini. The cast is great, but being a directorial debut, I am going to caution too much enthusiasm.
• Also The Awakening, a thriller starring Rebecca Hall, Imelda Staunton, and Dominic West is coming, as well as another British entry, Page Eight starring Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, and Rachel Weisz, which will close the festival on September 18th.