Frances O’Connor’s Emily, a biopic based on the classic author Emily Brontë, will be the first film shown at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform program this year. The festival will run from September 8 through September 18 and Emily will later have a regular release by Warner Bros. in 2023 in the United Kingdom, with Bleecker Street releasing it in the United States.
Emily will explore the short life of Brontë before the release of her most popular novel, Wuthering Heights. This biopic also serves as the directorial and writing debut of O’Connor, who is known for acting in a variety of AAA productions, including Mansfield Park, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Importance of Being Earnest, and more. She won an AACTA Award for Best Actress in Leading Role for her role in Blessed and received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her performances in Madame Bovary and The Missing.
The biopic will feature the acting talents of Emma Mackey as Brontë; Fionn Whitehead as Branwell Brontë; Amelia Gething as Anne Brontë; Oliver Jackson-Cohen as William Weightman; and others. The film is produced by Jo Bamford, David Barron, Robert Patterson, and Piers Tempest.
TIFF’s Platform program is widely known for promoting the work of a diverse group of filmmakers across the globe, with each creative project offering unique perspectives and interpretations of stories. Since 2015, the Platform shows up to 12 films, with one lucky winner selected by the program judges to receive the Platform Prize of $20,000 CAD.
Alongside Emily, films selected for screening this year include Carvão by Carolina Markowicz, La Gravité by Cédric Ido, Hawa by Maïmouna Doucouré, How to Blow up a Pinline by Daniel Goldhaber, Riceboy Sleeps by Anthony Shim, Tafrigh by Mani Haghighi, Foudre by Carmen Jaquier, Tora’s Husband by Rima Das, and Viking by Stéphane Lafleur. These screenings will serve as the world debut for each of these films.
Anita Lee, chair of TIFF programming, released a statement regarding the screening selections, saying:
“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas.”
The TIFF has also recently announced its entire lineup of films expected to debut this year. Check out TIFF’s 2022 teaser down below:
