TIFF adds world premiere documentaries, guest speakers

The additions include Bob Richman’s Ahead Of Time, a profile of 97-year-old former journalist and government figure Ruth Gruber; Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson’s exploration of autism, The Sunshine Boy; and Don Hahn’s Waking Sleeping Beauty, the story of Walt Disney’s role in the development of modern animation.

TIFF has also invited a number of attending filmmakers to public conversations about their craft and their influences. In the Mavericks program, Barry Levison will present the world premiere of The Band That Wouldn’t Die, his hour-long TV documentary about a marching band in his native Baltimore; comedian Chris Rock will discuss his documentary, Good Hair, which screens as part of the festival; documentary veteran Frederick Wiseman presents the North American premiere of his 160-minute opus La Danse; and Michael Caine, star of Harry Brown, will talk about his career.

In the Dialogues: Talking With Pictures program Neil Jordan will present a screening of Federico Fellini’s The White Sheik, Joe Dante will present the W.C. Fields classic It’s A Gift; and Ted Kotcheff will present his 1971 Cannes competitor Wake In Fright, long considered Australia’s lost masterpiece, now restored. Debut director Sook-Yin Lee will present a screening of Jane Campion’s debut Sweetie.