TIFF to host world premiere of Steven Spielberg's 'The Fabelmans' in his first appearance at fest

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is set to make his first-ever appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival with the world premiere of "The Fabelmans."

The most recent film from the Academy Award winner is described as a "deeply personal portrait of 20th Century American childhood." In collaboration with Tony Kushner, the author of "Lincoln," "Munich," and "West Side Story," Spielberg based the movie on his formative years.

"The Fabelmans" is a coming-of-age narrative about a young man's discovery of a shocking family secret and an examination of the power of movies to help us understand the truth about each other and ourselves, according to the official TIFF synopsis for the film.

Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Keeley Karsten, and Judd Hirsch make up the ensemble cast of "The Fabelmans."

Spielberg tapped Williams to play a character in the film based on his mother. "It's funny, it's sad, it's kind of everything," Williams told Variety of the project earlier this year. "It's the muchness of life. We're trying to reflect all of that."

"My phone beeped, and I had a message that Steven wanted to talk to me," Williams added of landing the role. "I couldn't comprehend that he might want to work with me. I thought he had a question or something. Then he got on Zoom and told me that he wanted me to play this person, his mama."

The sequel to Spielberg's first film, "West Side Story," which hit theatres last December, is "The Fabelmans." Despite the musical adaptation's disastrous box office performance, it received favourable reviews and received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture and director.

Universal Pictures is supporting "The Fablemans," which will open in theatres on November 11. September 8-18 is the duration of the Toronto International Film Festival.

( With inputs from ANI )