Konkona Sensharma, Mira Nair’s films to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

The 41st Toronto International Film Festival being held from from 8 to 18 September 2016 opens with The Magnificent Seven starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Several Indian filmmakers and actors will also be presenting their films in the different sections of the prestigious film festival. Following the recent criticism the American film industry has received on gender and diversity, the festival features several films directed by female filmmakers and films with diverse casts and subjects.

Actor Konkona Sensharma’s first feature, a period drama called A Death in the Gunj, will be shown in the special presentation section of the festival. Set in the late 1970s, the films stars Vikrant Massey, Ranvir Shorey, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah, Tillotama Shome, Jim Sarbh, Om Puri and Tanuja. A Death in the Gunj is about a family vacation to McCluskiegunj that goes awry.

Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo will have its world premiere in the Gala section alongside big Hollywood films like Oliver Stone’s Snowden and Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven remake. Based on a true story, the Disney film focuses on Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan girl who goes to become an international champion at the World Chess Olympiads.

Another true story, Garth Davis’s Lion, follows a lost Indian boy, adopted by an Australian couple, who sets to search for his family. Lion stars Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara. Nawazuddin Siddiqui also has a small role in the Australian film.

American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi’s Barry shows a young Barack Obama navigating his way through New York city in the early 1980s. Barry stars Devon Terrell, Anya Taylor-Joy and Boyhood’s Ellar Coltrane.

And finally, the UK’s City of Tiny Lights stars Riz Ahmed as Tommy Akthar, a private detective and cricket fan who finally lands a case. Directed by Pete Travis, the film also stars Roshan Seth, Billie Piper and Cush Jumbo.

The Edge of Seventeen starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig will close the festival.