Producer Says TIFF Turned Down 'Birdman'

While pundits study each fall film festival lineup, gauge the reactions at each screening, and endlessly alter their awards season charts, what often goes unappreciated is the burden of expectation programmers face when choosing the movies to debut. Not only do they have to tussle with competing fests for the big premieres, but they also see early, unfinished cuts of movies and must then determine if the project is one they can afford passing up or if it's worth taking the risk. And last year, it looks like Toronto International Film Festival lost a gamble on an Oscar winner.

In a THR piece today about major purchases from distributors at TIFF, "Birdman" producer John Lesher noted that programmers at that fest passed over the Best Picture winner. "We didn't go to Toronto because we didn't get into Toronto," he said. "We showed it to them as an early cut. Let's just say folks at Toronto weren't as enthu­siastic as everyone else was." Indeed, the...