The Toronto International Film Festival opens today and Abbey Road Studios is thrilled to have contributed to several excellent films in the festival’s line up. Studios Manager, Fiona Gillott says, “we’re especially thrilled to see some of the films that have been scored and mixed at the Studios being launched at the festival – and to celebrate the incredible work of the composers who have become our good friends and Abbey Road regulars.” TIFF, which has been running for 42 years and welcomes 500,000 people, is internationally renowned for showcasing a diverse programme of films, workshops and panel discussions with leading industry professionals.
One film not to be missed at TIFF this year is Suburbicon directed by George Clooney with a script from the renowned Joel and Ethan Coen. Suburbicon is a dark comedy starring Julianne Moore and Matt Damon set in 1950s suburbia, exploring what happens when the American dream turns into a nightmare. It was a pleasure to see composer Alexandre Desplat returning to the studios to score in Studio One and engineered by Peter Cobbin, assisted by Abbey Road’s Toby Hulbert and George Oulton. Watch the trailer here.
A lot of home grown talent is showcased in Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool directed by Paul McGuigan and starring Annette Benning whose portrayal of Hollywood star Gloria Grahame has been described by critics as “as fine a performance as you will see this year”. Jamie Bell stars alongside Benning playing her much younger lover, actor Peter Turner, whose memoir the film is based on. Again, it was a delight to have the full score recorded in Studio One with composer J. Ralph and engineered by Abbey Road’s Gordon Davidson and Stefano Civetta. Watch the trailer here.
Another film showcasing at TIFF this year and again scored in Studio One is I Love You, Daddy directed by Louis C.K. Interestingly, the film was made entirely in secret and little was known about it when it came to the studios. Shot on 35mm black and white film, I Love You, Daddy is said to be a cinephiles' dream paying homage to the classic films which inspired it. Composers Robert Miller and Zachary Seman worked with Abbey Road’s engineers Simon Rhodes with assistance from Gordon Davidson and Matt Jones.
On Chesil Beach directed by Dominic Cooke was scored in Studio Two with composer Dan Jones. Based on the novel of the same name, On Chesil Beach is set in the 1960s on the beautiful coastline of Dorset examining the trials and tribulations of a young couple's wedding night. Starring Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle and adapted for the screen by author Ian McEwan himself, On Chesil Beach has been described as equally a horror story as it is a comedy. Abbey Road’s John Barrett engineered the session with the assistance of Toby Hulbert and Daniel Hayden.
Studio Three and The Gatehouse hosted Molly’s Game for a score led by composer Daniel Pemberton. Starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, Molly’s Game is the true story of Molly Bloom who single-handedly ran Hollywood’s most exclusive high stakes poker nights before being shut down by the FBI. This is screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut and is expected to be slick, thrilling and witty. Multiple Grammy award winner Sam Okell engineered with the assistance of Matt Mysko. Watch the trailer here.
We were delighted to mix Disobedience with composer Matthew Herbert in The Penthouse earlier this year, again with Sam Okell engineering and Toby Hulbert assisting him. Disobedience is directed by Sebastián Lelio and stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams in a dramatic love story when Weisz’s character returns to her Jewish Orthodox London family after the death of her rabbi father and rekindles an old flame with her childhood friend.
Finally, the festival will have a special presentation of acclaimed British auteur Stephen Frears’ Victoria and Abdul. Another film which examines a relationship with a large age gap, Victoria and Abdul, explores the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria, played by Academy Award Winner Dame Judi Dench, and a decades younger Indian clerk named Abdul Karim. Composer Thomas Newman utilised Abbey Road in its entirety to record the score in our legendary Studios One, Two and Three as well as making use of the new studios which opened earlier this year, The Front Room and The Gatehouse. Watch the trailer here.
There are many more enticing films on the schedule, but we are particularly thrilled to have been able to contribute to these fantastic projects which showcase brilliant talent both from the UK and internationally.
