Oscar Hopefuls Will Likely be Present at Toronto Film Festival

The Toronto Film Festival will see 268 feature films screened, with a strong lineup and those attending and swinging deals in the charged atmosphere in an excellent mood after Cannes and Sundance proceeded so well. A variety of big names will also be in attendance, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Madonna, U2 and Pearl Jam. With last year’s "The King’s Speech" having won at the Toronto Film Festival last year and having gone on to do well at the Oscars, the expectation is that this year’s screenings will also be a prelude to some big wins at the Academy Awards.

Noted Deadline Hollywood columnist Pete Hammond, "This year is going to be a turnaround in a very big way for Toronto in terms of getting people jazzed on movies. The enthusiasm from Canned is going to continue through." To add to the great atmosphere, red carpets will be featured for those films which feature big names, including, Clooney and Pitt as well as Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley and Jennifer Hudson.

Clooney will be in attendance for his film "The Ides of March" while Pitt’s portrayal of Billy Beane in "Moneyball" will see him at the festival. Added Hammond, "In terms of Oscar hopefuls I think it is a very good year (in Toronto) because there has been very little so far that has come out." He added that many of the directors of the films to be featured have "Academy pedigrees." With that said, industry insiders not in attendance will have their eyes on the festival to get a feel for what will be occurring later on at the Oscars.