For most movie-goers, Christopher Nolan Summer is going to kick off on July 17, when the filmmaker brings his vision of the classic Homer epic “The Odyssey” to theaters with an all-star cast. But for our neighbors in the Great White North, the season is going to kick off a little earlier, thanks to a massive new Nolan retrospective coming to Toronto’s TIFF Lightbox theater.
The series, part of TIFF’s Summer Marquee series, will include screenings of Nolan’s work exclusively on 35mm and 70mm film, plus a variety of other events. (Also announced today: a fall and winter animation-focused program, curated by Masaaki Yuasa). To launch the series, “The Ringer” and Spotify’s “The Big Picture” will host a live podcast recording at TIFF Lightbox with Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins — marking the first time the podcast has been recorded in Canada.
Additional programming includes a Silver Screenings presentation of “The Right Stuff” (July 24), preceded by an in-cinema talk from a space exploration expert and accompanied by a free pop-up planetarium activation in the Lightbox atrium, other events in partnership with Space Place Canada and Astronomy in Action, a Quote Along screening of “Barbie” directly before “Oppenheimer” (July 18) as a nod to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, and a free and interactive Introduction to Film Formats event (July 12) programmed in collaboration with IMAX.
“The marquee series at TIFF Lightbox was envisioned to present big artists and ideas that capture and shape popular imagination,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF in an official statement. “Christopher Nolan is one of the most influential voices in contemporary cinema today, where each new film is a cultural event, while anime continues to explode as an art force shaping global entertainment across mediums. These programs offer audiences of all ages a compelling look at the scale, creativity, and innovation that define film today.”
Christopher Nolan: “Grand Designs,” July 8 – August 20
July
- July 8, 7:00 PM – “The Big Picture: Live from TIFF Lightbox”
- July 9, 7:00 PM – “Tenet” (2020) in 70mm, with Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
- July 10, 6:30 PM – “Memento” (2000) in 35mm
- July 11, 4:00 PM – “Following” (1998) in 35mm, with guest Adam Nayman
- July 12, 3:00 PM – “Oppenheimer” (2023) in 70mm
- July 14, 6:00 PM – “Tenet” (2020) in 70mm
- July 16, 6:00 PM – “The Prestige” (2006) in 35mm, with Scott Hammell (magician and stunt artist)
- July 17, 6:00 PM – “Following” (1998) in 35mm
- July 18, 4:00 PM – “Oppenheimer” (2023) in 70mm
- July 19, 3:00 PM – “Memento” (2000) in 35mm
- July 19, 7:00 PM – “Tenet” (2020) in 70mm
- July 22, 7:00 PM – “Oppenheimer” (2023) in 70mm
- July 25, 3:00 PM – “Inception” (2010) in 35mm, with pre-screening discussion by author/journalist Dan Jolin
- July 26, 3:00 PM – “The Prestige” (2006) in 35mm
- July 28, 6:30 PM – “Insomnia” (2002) in 35mm
- July 31, 6:00 PM – “Batman Begins” (2005) in 35mm
August
- August 1, 6:00 PM – “The Dark Knight” (2008) in 35mm, with recorded introduction by Academy Award–winning sound designer Richard King
- August 2, 6:00 PM – “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) in 35mm
- August 6, 6:30 PM – “Inception” (2010) in 35mm
- August 7, 6:30 PM – “Interstellar” (2014) in 70mm
- August 8, 3:00 PM – “Batman Begins” (2005) in 35mm
- August 9, 4:00 PM – “Interstellar” (2014) in 70mm
- August 12, 6:00 PM – “Dunkirk” (2017) in 70mm
- August 14, 6:00 PM – “Insomnia” (2002) in 35mm
- August 15, 3:30 PM – “The Dark Knight” (2008) in 35mm, with recorded introduction by Richard King
- August 15, 8:00 PM – “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) in 35mm
- August 16, 4:00 PM – “Dunkirk” (2017) in 70mm
- August 18, 7:30 PM – “Interstellar” (2014) in 70mm
- August 20, 5:30 PM – “Dunkirk” (2017) in 70mm, preceded by Nolan Trivia presented by Air France
Also on offer from TIFF this year: “Drawn Universes: Visions in Animation,” an animated-focused series taking place in November and December. Masaaki Yuasa, one of Japan’s most celebrated and influential anime filmmakers, will guest-curate the series.
“It is an honour to curate this series for TIFF,” said the filmmaker in an official statement. “I am looking forward to finally meeting the Toronto audience that I have heard so much about. As I begin shaping the lineup, I am excited to revisit the works that sparked my imagination from a young age, and to highlight the artists who have defined the genre alongside the incredible creators continuing to push the visual possibilities of anime today. I hope to bring a program that truly surprises and delights everyone.”
