Frenzied GameStop Stock Trading & Murderous Game Show Contestant Debut at Toronto Film Fest
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), North America’s largest film festival, kicked off with a bang, featuring two world premieres that promise to captivate audiences. Against the backdrop of a Hollywood strike and discussions surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in art, the festival unveiled an impressive lineup of debuts and marquee screenings.
One of the highlights of the festival is the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actress Anna Kendrick, who also stars in Woman of the Hour. This film delves into the strange-but-true story of a murderer who appeared on the popular 1970s game show, The Dating Game. Rodney Alcala, responsible for a series of murders in the 1970s, participated as a contestant on the show during his killing spree. Kendrick portrays contestant Cheryl Bradshaw, who ended up winning a date with Alcala but ultimately refused to go due to his disturbing behavior.
Following Kendrick’s debut, another highly anticipated film titled Dumb Money premiered with a star-studded cast that includes Seth Rogen and Paul Dano. The film explores the frenzy of amateur investors who turned GameStop into a Wall Street phenomenon in 2021. Inspired by true events, the story revolves around Keith Gill, played by Dano, who invested his life savings in GameStop and shared his journey on social media under the username Roaring Kitty. Other small-time investors followed suit, leading to the stock’s meteoric rise and an eruption of meme-worthy trading activities. This movement was partially fueled by retail investors collaborating on Reddit to counter short sellers. Despite the disconnect between GameStop’s financial performance and its stock valuation, the film aims to shed light on the wealth disparity in the country and give a voice to ordinary investors.
Although the Toronto International Film Festival has a long-standing reputation for launching successful and award-winning films, this year’s lineup seems particularly promising. The festival’s People’s Choice Award has proven to be a reliable predictor of future Academy Award winners, with past recipients including Green Book and Nomadland. French filmmaker Ladj Ly also unveiled his latest project, Les Indesirables, which sheds light on marginalized communities in the suburbs of Paris, acting as a follow-up to his Oscar-nominated debut feature, Les Miserables.
After a challenging period of virtual or hybrid events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TIFF returned to its full glory in 2022. Featuring films until September 17, the festival provides a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work to a global audience. As the curtain rises on the Toronto International Film Festival, film enthusiasts eagerly await the next wave of cinematic gems that may have the potential to shape the future of the industry.
