Some really exciting news, Alicia fans! Toronto International Film Festival announced their platform lineup a few days ago, which included one of Alicia’s latest films – Euphoria. The director-driven section of the festival has been gaining momentum during its three-year run, and last year, it turned out a best picture winner with ‘Moonlight’.

Source | No pressure or anything, but last year’s Toronto International Film Festival Platform section turned out a Best Picture winner.

Now in only its third year, the festival’s director-driven program aims to showcase original names in international cinema, and has steadily become one of the most exciting sections of the annual festival. Last year, it played home to such gems as “Moonlight,” “Jackie,” and “Lady MacBeth,” following its inaugural year, where it bowed titles like “High-Rise,” “Bang Gang,” and “Land of Mine.”

This year promises to only further the mission of the section, thanks to 12 titles that speak to the breadth of modern cinema, and some of the rising stars it’s currently fostering. “Platform is the place to look for the distinct stamp of today’s most interesting directors as they establish their reputations,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF’s Artistic Director, in a statement.

This year’s lineup hails from eight countries on five continents. The films will compete for the Platform Prize, to be awarded by a jury that includes award-winning filmmakers Chen Kaige, Malgorzata Szumowska, and Wim Wenders.

The section will open with the world premiere of “The Death of Stalin,” from award-winning director-writer Armando Iannucci, which “follows the final days leading up to the Soviet dictator’s death.” “Sweet Country,” a period Western from acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton, will close out the section.

Other highlights include Mike White’s Ben Stiller-starring “Brad’s Status” and Clio Barnard’s “Dark River,” along with Lisa Langseth’s “Euphoria,” starring Alicia Vikander and Eva Green as sisters on a mysterious trip.

“The films unveiled today embody our bold vision for the programme, and our ongoing commitment to showcase artistic and inventive directors that fearlessly push boundaries,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “The twelve titles exemplify bravery, dynamism and a unique voice in storytelling that we look for when curating the Platform programme.”

Below are the newest additions to the TIFF 2017 lineup, including the Platform program. Stay tuned for more programming announcements in the days to come.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7 – 17 in Toronto, Canada.

PLAYLIST – The consistently busy actress Alicia Vikander doesn’t seem to know the word “vacation,” and recently she added the role producer to her resumé, putting her talent behind the upcoming project “Euphoria.” Well, production has started on that picture, and the first image has arrived, and based on those involved, it already has us excited.

Co-starring Eva Green, Charles Dance, Adrian Lester, and Mark Stanley, and directed by Lisa Langseth (who previously directed Vikander in “Hotel” and “Pure“), the English language film tells the story of Ines and Emilie, two sisters meeting up again after many years apart and the profound journey that they undertake together. Simple enough premise, and anything that gives Vikander and Green a chance to shine together gets our vote.

Filming is currently taking place in Bavaria, with the production to also shoot in Munich, “Euphoria” will definitely be one we’ll be keeping an eye out for on the festival circuit in 2017.

Oscar winner Alicia Vikander just added a new hyphen to her considerable list of talents: that of producer. The 27-year-old Swedish actress, arguably the hottest and most in-demand young European actress working today, has launched her own production banner Vikarious Productions along with her London-based agent Charles Collier of Tavistock Wood. The company has set its first feature, Euphoria, with Vikander also set to star alongside Eva Green as sisters in conflict travelling through Europe towards a mystery destination. The project marks the English-language directorial debut of award-winning Swedish writer/director Lisa Langseth, who previously collaborated with Vikander on two Swedish-language pics, Pure and Hotell. Euphoria is a production with Sweden’s B-Reel Films’ Patrik Anderson and Frida Bargo, and starts shooting in the German Alps in early August.

“Euphoria is Lisa’s third film as writer and director. I have worked with her on each of them and I jumped at the chance to do so again,” said Vikander. “It’s a uniquely European approach, enabling me to work with a great Swedish team alongside my colleagues in London. It is a profound story about the journey of two estranged sisters, full of suffering but also full of joy, and squaring up to very important subject matter. It also has compelling female voices and is packed to the rafters with female talent both sides of the camera. All these ingredients made this film the obvious choice for our first film at Vikarious. Charles and I will be developing more films in this space over the next 24 months.”

The news further cements Vikander’s stratospheric rise and is testament to her formidable drive and ambition. Last week, she was confirmed as Lara Croft for MGM, Warner Bros and GK Films in Tomb Raider. The reboot will tell the story of a young and untested Lara Croft fighting to survive her first adventure. Roar Uthaug (The Wave) is directing. MGM and Warner Bros are co-producing the film with MGM overseeing production. They acquired film rights from GK Films, which had previously purchased film rights in 2011 from Square Enix LTD. Graham King is serving as producer.

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