The Toronto International Film Festival will host the World Premiere of Emmanuelle Bercot’s “150 Milligrams.” The fest continues to gradually roll out its complete slate, and the French actress-director’s newest film is among the recently announced titles in the fest’s Special Presentations program.
Of 14 additions to the Special Presentations lineup, three are directed by women, or 21 percent: Bercot’s “150 Milligrams,” Robin Swicord’s “Wakefield,” and Miwa Nishikawa’s “The Long Excuse.”
“150 Milligrams” is Bercot’s follow-up to last year’s “Standing Tall,” which premiered to strong reviews at Cannes. Her newest feature, based on a true story, centers on Irène Frachon, a pulmonologist who makes a shocking discovery about a popular drug that’s been marketed for over 30 years.
“Wakefield” stars Bryan Cranston as a man seeking refuge in his garage attic in the midst of a nervous breakdown. Jennifer Garner co-stars. Swicord made her feature directorial debut in 2007 with her adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler’s best-selling novel “The Jane Austen Book Club.” Her screenwriting credits include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and “Matilda.”
Japanese writer-director Nishikawa tells the story of a recently widowed man in “The Long Excuse,” an adaptation of her own novel of the same title. The man lost his wife in a bus accident, and makes a rash offer to care for the children of another man who lost his wife in the same tragedy.
Previously announced women-directed films screening as Special Presentations at TIFF include two of Cannes’ biggest hits: Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey” and Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann.”
TIFF also added two Galas to their program, but neither is helmed by a woman. Women-directed Galas at the 41st iteration of the fest include Mira Nair’s chess underdog film “Queen of Katwe,” starring Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”), Amma Asante’s interracial romance “A United Kingdom,” Lone Scherfig’s period dramedy “Their Finest,” and Kelly Fremon Craig’s coming-of-age story “The Edge of Seventeen.”
