August 23, 2018 MEDIA RELEASE. ASTRONAUTS, MONSTERS, DRAGONS, AND REITMAN: TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ROSTER OF SPECIAL EVENTS Special appearances, sneak previews, and a larger-than-life journey to the stars are featured TORONTO —

August 23, 2018 MEDIA RELEASE. ASTRONAUTS, MONSTERS, DRAGONS, AND REITMAN: TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ROSTER OF SPECIAL EVENTS Special appearances, sneak previews, and a larger-than-life journey to the stars are featured TORONTO — Capping off this year’s already exciting film lineup, The Toronto International Film Festival ® is pleased to announce four Special Events. Reflecting the variety of TIFF’s audiences and the breadth of their interests, this year’s lineup focuses on a wide range of topics, from animation and music to politics and conservation, across oceans and in the skies. Monsters and Men with guest introduction from Drake In an age of political volatility and mistrust of the media, Monsters and Men addresses the systematic issue of police violence head-on. This provocative portrait of a community responding to crisis will have its Canadian Premiere at TIFF Bell Lightbox before activating the building during the Festival’s Opening Night Party. Championing this explosive and topical film is Toronto recording artist Aubrey 'Drake' Graham, who has partnered with NEON, and will join the cast for unique screening experience in Toronto, on Opening Night. When a Black man is shot dead by police, three members of his community face different but serious consequences if they reveal their knowledge of the murder or the systemic corruption behind it, in writer-director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s bracing feature debut, starring John David Washington, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Anthony Ramos. Monsters and Men was produced by Josh Penn, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Luca Borghese, and Elizabeth Lodge Stepp. Executive producers are Leonid Lebedev, Oren Moverman, Chiara Bernasconi, Charles Miller and Drake. It is distributed by NEON.


Jason Reitman Live Read For the fourth time, Jason Reitman brings his ever-popular series to TIFF. With an onstage live read of John Hughes' The Breakfast Club, Reitman continues the tradition of bringing beloved film scripts to life through performances by some of the industry’s favourite contemporary talent. Combining elements of theatre with the on-set experience, the Live Read is a rare event that promises an engrossing, immersive experience for audiences. Previous years’ Live Reads at TIFF have included American Beauty, Boogie Nights, and, most recently, The Princess Bride, featuring Rachel McAdams, Cary Elwes, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Donald Glover. This year’s cast will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep an eye on Jason Reitman’s Instagram account (@JasonReitman) for this exciting announcement! Jason Reitman created the Live Read in October 2011, in collaboration with Elvis Mitchell, for the film society of Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (LACMA). Since then, numerous live reads have taken place, including The Apartment with Steve Carell and Natalie Portman, The Big Lebowski with Michael Fassbender, Patton Oswalt, and Jennifer Lawrence, and Ghostbusters with Seth Rogen and Jack Black.