The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off on September 9 with the world premiere Gala Presentation of Score: A Hockey Musical, written and directed by Michael McGowan (One Week, Saint Ralph).
Starring Olivia Newton-John (Grease, Glee), singer/songwriter Marc Jordan, and newcomers Noah Reid and Allie MacDonald, The film tells the story of a teenage hockey phenom who lives the quintessential Canadian dream of being discovered on the ice and goes from obscurity to fame overnight.
"Score: A Hockey Musical captures key elements of Canadian identity – our passion for our national pastime, our unique musical style and our special brand of humour," says Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. "We're pleased to welcome back Michael McGowan to the Festival to help us kick off 11 days of exciting programming." Adds Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival: "I can't think of a better way to kick off our 35th anniversary Festival than with Score: A Hockey Musical. It continues our tradition of launching the very best in Canadian filmmaking - although in 35 years this is our first musical romance about hockey. Plan for a fun night on September 9."
In the film, seventeen-year old Farley has led a sheltered life. Much to the dismay of his parents (Newton-John, Jordan), Farley loves to play shinny with the local rink rats. To their even greater dismay, Farley is signed to a hockey league, where he achieves instant stardom, throwing him into a world of hype. Farley soon finds that hockey fame comes with a price.
The film co-stars Stephen McHattie (Watchmen, The Rocket), John Pyper-Ferguson (Hard Core Logo, Brothers & Sisters) and Brandon Firla (Little Mosque on the Prairie, Billable Hours), and features cameos by music artists Nelly Furtado, Hawksley Workman and John McDermott, journalists George Stroumboulopoulos and Evan Solomon, sports anchor Steve Kouleas, hockey dad Walter Gretzky and hockey star Theo Fleury.
Tags:
hockey musical, score, tiff opening
Comments:
I hope the First Weekend Club in Vancouver will preview this at their Main St. cinema ASAP. They preview only Canadian films and I have many many hockey/film fan friends who would love to see this one!
i agree!