Creation to open TIFF

Jul 14, 2009 by Ian Evans

Some journalists at a press conference for September’s 34th Toronto International Film Festival murmured when it was announced that Jon Amiel’s Creation would be the opening night film. After all, it was an unwritten rule that a Canadian film usually opens the festival. One reporter even asked if the film, which stars Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, even had any Canadian connection.

The Festival’s co-directors, Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey, added that the unwritten rule was just that, an unwritten rule and that the film’s message was an important one to unspool at the fest’s opening.

“The tension between faith and reason is prominent in contemporary culture and this intimate look at Darwin puts a human face on a man whose theory remains controversial to this day,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “We are pleased to open the Festival with such an impassioned look at Charles Darwin, especially on the year marking the 200th anniversary of his birth.”

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