TORONTO â€" Always a robust presence at movie awards time, the Weinstein Company showed up this year at the film festival here, where the early campaigning gets hot and heavy, with a heavy load of five pictures. No, make that six. No, seven.
On Wednesday, the festival announced that Weinstein’s documentary “Salinger,†which is opening in American theaters on Friday, would make a surprise appearance at an 8 p.m. screening on Thursday, the opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival.
That creates a bit of a bind for those who were planning to be at one of two first-night screenings of “The Fifth Estate,†from DreamWorks and Disney. Both of those overlap the “Salinger†showing. But it’s that kind of year: crowded, and competitive.
Just days ago, Weinstein expanded its festival array by picking up American distribution rights to “Tracks,†which is in Toronto after appearances at festivals in Telluride and Venice. The film stars Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver in the story of Robyn Davis, who in 1977 trekked through the Australian outback with camels.
Already, Weinstein and its co-chairman Harvey Weinstein had planned to be here with “August: Osage County,†“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,†“One Chance,†“Philomena†and “12.12.12.†And there is still time to buy a picture or two before film festivities here end, on Sept. 15.
