Legendary filmmaker Atom Egoyan returns to the Toronto International Film Festival with the World Premiere of his latest work Seven Veils, the opera-inspired film starring Amanda Seyfried with Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Mark O’Brien, and Vinessa Antoine. Also featured are Ambur Braid as Salome and Michael Kupfer-Radecky as John the Baptist, who both starred in the Canadian Opera Company’s most recent production of Salome, also directed by Egoyan, from which the film was inspired.
“We are honoured to premiere Atom Egoyan’s extraordinary film at this year’s Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “Egoyan’s cinematic works are unmatched, and we’re excited to bring Seven Veils to our TIFF audiences and to the city of Toronto, his home.”
With Seven Veils, the Academy Award®–nominated Egoyan reunites with Seyfried (Chloe), who plays Jeanine, an earnest theatre director tasked with remounting her former mentor’s most famous work, the opera Salome. Haunted by dark and disturbing memories from her past, Jeanine allows her repressed trauma to colour the present as she re-enters the opera world after so many years away. Egoyan first directed Salome for the Canadian Opera Company in 1996 and returned earlier this year to revive the production on stage.
“Amanda is a phenomenal actress, and here she brilliantly plays a woman dealing with complex and explosive relationships in her past, present, and future,” said Egoyan. “To have the world premiere of this film at TIFF and to be partnering with the Canadian Opera Company really brings my two great passions together in such a beautiful way.”
“Atom’s production of Salome electrified the stage when it debuted in 1996 and has evolved with each remounting,” said producer Niv Fichman, Rhombus Media. “The opera explores themes that resonate through Atom’s body of work, and Seven Veils is an exciting and provocative next step in this ongoing evolution.”
Seven Veils is Egoyan’s 18th film to premiere at TIFF. Prior to the TIFF Special Presentation World Premiere screening on Sunday, September 10, an Avant-première of the film will be presented in partnership with the Canadian Opera Company on Friday, September 8, at 7pm at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
The Toronto International Film Festival takes place September 7–17, 2023.