What if the Toronto International Film Festival just called Taylor Swift up?
What would, and did happen: Taylor Swift is now set to give a keynote address during a special event at TIFF's 47th season
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Back when it was still August, Taylor Swift (by her own decree) never needed anything more than the salt air and rust on your door—that is, one presumes, until the Toronto International Film Festival came knocking. Now, in a crossover event tailor-made for the Swiftie behind this tweet, TIFF will offer a special “In Conversation With… Taylor Swift” event as part of its upcoming programming. Swift will join the 47th iteration of the festival for a keynote address on Friday, September 9, ahead of a screening of All Too Well: The Short Film.
Naturally, Swift’s keynote will introduce the first-ever screening of her All Too Well: The Short Film in 35mm—the cinematic video has drawn both critical acclaim and fan hysteria since its release last November. After the introduction and screening, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey will join Swift in an “engaging conversation about filmmaking and the visual aspects of her music.”
“We love the intersection of film and other art forms, and Taylor Swift is a brilliant visual thinker,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a Friday statement. “We’re excited to hear Taylor’s version of how absorbing influences from cinema led to her creating All Too Well: The Short Film.”
Although the “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” film may be the latest mountaintop Swift has conquered, she’s a master of absorbing influences and predicting trends, from country-pop crossover to folk to the indie-sleaze renaissance. All Too Well: The Short Film may be the sweeping, romantic video that has modern Swift fans enraptured, and they’re absolutely right and true for that. But for any Swift fan who had YouTube access in 2008, another video comes to mind first in the “cinematic” category: “You Belong With Me.” There’s no need to pit two great music videos against each other but the point stands—Swift has had a directorial vision from day 1. Whatever magic the pop maven has been putting in over a decade of memorable videos just keeps clearing—props to TIFF for giving her a lectern to discuss it.
Tickets for “In Conversation With…Taylor Swift” will go on sale to TIFF members on September 3, and to the rest of the world on September 5. They will be available for purchase via this link.
8 Comments
I’ve only recently started listening to Taylor Swift and yes, she’s a really good songwriter. Judging from that Netflix documentary she’s also a decent and nice person (difficult when you’re an international superstar, one assumes, so good for her). I’m not much into music videos but I’ve seen a few of hers, and … she’s good at those too.I mean – really good. There’s a bit in the documentary that shows that when she’s writing a song she also knows what the video is going to look like -and how expensive it will probably be. So what I’m saying is that Taylor Swift should go ahead and start directing full-length movies if she wants to.
I’m not a fan of most of her music, but from what I’ve seen, she seems like a decent enough person. I especially love that she invites her biggest fans to her actual home to preview albums. How many other artists get personal and connect with their fans like that?
Yeah, I’m impressed with how normal-seeming she is, while using her stardom to do fun things like fan invites, and more serious things like encouraging people to vote. I know the Netflix documentary was slanted but it seemed true enough. I just like how a kid who dreamed of being a singer songwriter when she was young ended up becoming a really good one.
She does seem nice. But there feels like there is this underlining phoniness to it all.
As a parent I’m most impressed at how she handled the transition from teen star to adulthood without completely showing her ass. She just knows how to carry herself in a way that makes her a worthy role model. And while I don’t really fault bands or singers who don’t write their own music, given how common that is, the fact that she does adds a layer of talent. She convincingly writes what she’s feeling and dealing with at that specific point in her life, which clearly forges a connection with fans experiencing the same things. It’s hard to not be impressed by her, frankly.
“I would like to thank the TIFF committee for inviting me to participate in this event, and will start with an extended rip session on Jake Gyllenhaal before moving on to my film about him.”Gyllenhaal, sitting in the crowd: “God DAMN it! It was 10 years ago!! For three months!”
Like, I don’t mean to be another person reducing the accomplishments of a talented artist to petty relationship bullshit, but this all seems like a major push to get Taylor a short film Oscar so she can look directly at Jake in the audience and say “ooooh, you want one of these don’t you?”
She’s not known for pulling her punches so that wouldn’t surprise me. I love that she’s so put together in every facet of her life except dealing with ex boyfriends.