Toronto Film Festival To Feature Three Warner First By The Editor Aug 12, 2005 - 6:29:00 PM

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Warner Bros. Pictures will unveil three new films at the 30th Toronto International Film Festival next month.

Acclaimed director Niki Caro's ("Whale Rider") drama "North Country" will make its world premiere at the Festival as a Gala Presentation on Monday, September 12. "North Country," from Warner Bros. Pictures and Participant Productions, stars Academy Award winners Charlize Theron ("Monster"), Frances McDormand ("Fargo") and Sissy Spacek ("In the Bedroom") in the inspiring story of a single mother who rallies her female coworkers to rise above the unfair treatment they face at a local mining company.

In the wake of a failed marriage, Josey Aimes (Theron) returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota hoping to build a better life for herself and her two children. Encouraged by her friend Glory (McDormand), one of the few female miners in town, Josey takes a job at the local mine.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

She's prepared for the back-breaking and often dangerous work, but coping with the harassment she and the other female miners encounter from their male coworkers proves far more challenging. Josey's attempts to carve out a better future for her family put her at odds with her children, her disapproving parents (Spacek and "Six Feet Under's" Richard Jenkins) and her community. It is through this struggle that Josey finds the courage to stand up for what she believes in - even if that means standing alone. Ultimately, her journey takes her farther than she could have ever imagined and inspires countless others to follow.

"North Country" also stars Sean Bean ("Lord of the Rings"), Jeremy Renner (title role in 2002's "Dahmer"), Michelle Monaghan ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith") and Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson ("The People vs. Larry Flynt"). The film is produced by Nick Wechsler from a screenplay by Michael Seitzman, and will be in theaters Friday, October 14th.

The action comedy thriller "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" makes its North American debut at the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday, September 8, following a successful screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Starring Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. ("Chaplin"), Val Kilmer ("Spartan") and Michelle Monaghan ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith"), "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is produced by Joel Silver (the "Matrix" trilogy) and marks the directorial debut of renowned screenwriter Shane Black (the "Lethal Weapon" series). In this breezy take on writer-director Shane Black's trademark buddy action/comedy oeuvre, a petty thief (Downey Jr.) is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation, along with his high school dream girl (Monaghan) and a detective (Kilmer) who has been training him for his upcoming role. "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" opens Friday, September 16.

"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" will make its North American debut at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday, September 10, closely following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Featuring the vocal talents of Academy Award nominee and longtime Tim Burton collaborator Johnny Depp ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") and Oscar nominated actresses Helena Bonham Carter ("The Wings of the Dove") and Emily Watson ("Breaking the Waves"), this stop-motion animated fantasy carries on in the dark, romantic tradition of Burton's classic films "Edward Scissorhands" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Set in a 19th century European village, Corpse Bride tells the story of Victor (Depp), a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious "Corpse Bride" (Bonham Carter), while his real bride, Victoria (Watson), waits bereft in the Land of the Living. Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love. It's a tale of optimism, romance and a very lively afterlife, told in classic Tim Burton style.

"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," in theaters Friday, September 23, is directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, and produced by Burton and Allison Abbate from a screenplay by John August and Caroline Thompson and Pamela Pettler.

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