The recently announced film honouring the late Rush drummer will be receiving its world premiere on Sept. 16 along with several additional screenings, ahead of its release on CBC on Sept. 23. Plus, Heated Rivalry's Hudson Williams joins TIFF for its In Conversation With... series.
TIFF is celebrating a Canadian rock music legend. The Toronto International Film Festival has released its full programming, revealing that it will host the world premiere of the forthcoming documentaryNeil Peart: No One's Disciple, which was announced by CBC last week. The 106-minute film gathers Peart's Rush bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, plus other famed drummers like Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, The Police’s Stewart Copeland and Tool’s Danny Carey, all of whom honour the late musician's life, legacy, upbringing and illustrious career as part of one of the biggest Canadian bands of all-time.
"That Peart’s parts are so challenging even for such revered players says a lot about the ingenuity and dexterity he brought to Rush’s music," TIFF programmer Jason Anderson writes of the film. "The performances also become one of several means of commemorating a man who — as Dunn’s film reveals — was equally complex. The remembrances and anecdotes of the musicians and other intimates help fill out the portrait that Dunn creates via archival interviews and other footage."
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The Canadian film is hitting the big screen for the first time on Sept. 16 at 9 pm at the Princess of Wales Theatre, before receiving additional screenings on Sept. 17 and 19, giving festival attendees a chance to catch the film in between the other 292 titles playing across the festival's ten days. The documentary will receive a wide release on CBC the following week, on Sept. 23.
The premiere marks the latest meaningful homage to an integral member of one of Canada's biggest rock bands, which continues to celebrate a milestone 50th anniversary this year. Rush is currently making its homecoming stop on its Fifty Something reunion and anniversary tour in Toronto, and announced that all four of its blockbuster concerts in the city would be recorded, with the footage possibly used in a later concert film. With two shows played, the band returns to the Scotiabank Arena stage tonight and on Thursday (Aug. 13), before circling back to Canada in September to play Montreal.
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TIFF also announced an appearance from one of Canada's biggest recent breakthrough actors, alongside the final list of films that completed its programming. Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry fame is set to join TIFF for its In Conversation With... series, participating in an exclusive interview where he will talk about his "creative journey, craft and career" in front of an audience.
The Crave-produced Canadian hockey romance series exploded in popularity last winter, causing the songs featured in the show to skyrocket on streaming platforms. The show's official soundtrack recently hit the top 10 of the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and the Billboard 200 following its physical release, marking the first soundtrack to achieve the feat in Canada this year, and the first in the U.S. in over a decade.
As filming for the show's second season is already underway in Toronto, the hype stemming from the inaugural season continues to make waves, with tens of thousands of fans showing up to hear Wet Leg and Wolf Parade deliver their Heated Rivalry hits at Osheaga, one of Canada's biggest music festivals, and other massive stages worldwide.
