TORONTO – Tales starring Cate Blanchett (search), Christian Bale (search), Nick Nolte (search) and Robin Wright Penn (search) are among the movies looking to grab Hollywood's attention at North America's biggest film festival.
Nine additional movies were announced Tuesday for the Toronto International Film Festival (search), which runs Sept. 8-17. All the films will be seeking distributors at the festival, a prime spot for studios to acquire movies as well as show off key fall releases and Academy Award contenders.
Blanchett stars with Sam Neill and Hugo Weaving in "Little Fish" (search), about a woman who becomes involved in a menacing drug deal while trying to raise money to open an Internet cafe.
"Harsh Times" (search) stars Bale and Freddy Rodriguez as out-of-work pals whose lives spiral downward during a fun-seeking spree in South Central Los Angeles.
Nolte, Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen and Brittany Murphy are featured in "Neverwas" (search), a drama about a psychiatrist who takes a job at a mental hospital where his father resides.
Wright Penn stars in "Sorry, Haters" (search), about a career woman who develops a relationship with an Arab cab driver (Abdel Kechiche) amid the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Also premiering at the Toronto festival: Terry Gilliam's "Tideland," the tale of a teen (Jodelle Ferland) who concocts a vivid fantasy life to cope with her hard upbringing. Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Tilly co-star.
Other Toronto films announced Tuesday were "L'Enfer," a drama about three sisters from Danis Tanovic, director of the Oscar-winning "No Man's Land"; "Brothers of the Head," a mockumentary by directors Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe about conjoined twins enlisted by a 1970s music promoter; "Bam Bam and Celeste," a road-trip tale written by and starring Margaret Cho; and "Winter Passing," starring Zooey Deschanel, Ed Harris and Will Ferrell in the story of a woman reunited with her reclusive father.
Previously announced Toronto films include Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins' "Proof," Cameron Diaz's "In Her Shoes," Keira Knightley's "Pride and Prejudice" and Steve Martin's "Shopgirl."