TIFF 2018: A Star is Born, The Hate U Give, First Man announced for Toronto festival

Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in First Man, YA book adaptation The Hate U Give and a pair of high-profile remakes — A Star is Born and Widows — are among the first offerings unveiled for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Organizers announced an initial batch of gala and special presentation films slated for this year’s edition on Tuesday, highlighting a list of celebrity-studded projects, acclaimed titles from the film festival circuit and the latest entries from notable international filmmakers.

The movies were revealed in a release, scaled back from the planned press conference following the shooting in Toronto’s Greektown neighbourhood on Sunday evening that has sparked some concern for upcoming large public gatherings in the city.

Security has been paramount for the last number of years, according to TIFF director and CEO Piers Handling.

“We’re paying significant attention to it. Last year, we put a bunch of measures in place: you probably noticed more concrete barriers, more visible security in terms of dogs, bag checks, those types of things. We’re upping that,” he said Tuesday, noting that he couldn’t share more specific details.

TIFF, Pride, Toronto Caribbean Carnival and dozens of other major public events roll out safely each year, Handling emphasized.

“We hope they continue to be safe,” he said, adding that the festival remains in touch with Toronto police along with its own security companies regarding TIFF’s security measures.