This year’s Toronto International Film Festival is just around the corner, and the annual celebration has something special planned for Christopher Nolan fans. According to reports, TIFF will screen 12 Nolan features at its Lightbox theaters in July and August, including Following, Insomnia, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and more!
If you recall, Nolan brought his directorial debut, Following, to TIFF in 1998. The film, starring Jeremy Theobold, Alex Haw, and Lucy Russell, was a smash at the fest. The positive word of mouth gave Nolan the credibility he needed to move on to his psychological drama Memento, starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano. The schedule for this amazing opportunity is pending, so keep an eye out for updates.
The Odyssey is nigh
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17. The film is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, with Matt Damon playing the Greek king of Ithaca on a long, arduous journey home after the Trojan War, as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope. The 10-year mission finds Damon’s character running afoul of many stopgaps and deadly encounters, including several cyclopes. Meanwhile, Penelope and Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, struggles to fend off those who would come for the throne.
Nolan’s take on the story stars Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth, Zendaya, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Ryan Hurst, Logan Marshall-Green, Lupita Nyong’o, Josh Stewart, Benny Safdie, Corey Hawkins, and Elyes Gabel. Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan produce The Odyssey for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.
Where was The Odyssey filmed?
Filming took place in Morocco (Aït Benhaddou for Troy), Greece (Peloponnese, Pylos, Methoni Castle, Nestor’s Cave), Italy (Favignana, Aeolian Islands in Sicily), Scotland (Moray Firth coast, Findlater Castle), and Iceland. Favignana, Sicily’s “Goat Island,” is believed to be the place where Homer envisioned Odysseus landed with his motley crew to barbecue goats and stock up on food. The idyllic isle is part of the Egadi archipelago off Sicily’s north-west coast.
While we attend TIFF every year, I doubt we’ll have time for the entire retrospective. We could drop in and out of certain films, but it’s schedule-dependent. Which of Nolan’s films would you like to catch in TIFF’s Lighbox theater? Let us know in the comments section below.
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