Is Brian De Palma really going to make a Harvey Weinstein-inspired horror movie and set it at the Toronto International Film Festival? If so, it could help serve as a reminder of the need to fight sexual harassment and to empower women, says TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey.

“It reminds us of just the real importance and the urgency of making a change in the film industry when it comes to gender parity,” Bailey told the Star.

Online reports this week, drawing from interviews De Palma is doing while on a European book tour, say the writer/director plans to make a horror film called Predator in Toronto based on the alleged sex crimes of disgraced producer Weinstein.

The film, to be produced by the same people who made Paul Verhoeven’s controversial rape-reckoning film Elle, would potentially use TIFF as a backdrop for the title predator’s crimes. Weinstein, who this week pleaded not guilty to multiple rape and criminal sex act charges in New York, is alleged to have used film festivals — including TIFF, Cannes and Sundance — as his hunting grounds to abuse women.

Bailey, who will become TIFF’s co-head on Oct. 1, said he hasn’t yet been approached about the film by Hollywood veteran De Palma, whose previous movies include Carrie, Dressed to Kill and Mission: Impossible.

He said TIFF is “following it as we read Twitter” and it’s too soon to say whether the festival would allow De Palma, 77, to use its TIFF Bell Lightbox headquarters and other facilities for a movie shoot, the way Cannes did when the American filmmaker used the French festival for multiple scenes in his 2002 thriller Femme Fatale.

Added Bailey: “I think we’d probably wait to see where this project goes and what it asks of us, but for us, really, what it raises is just the kind of harassment that had been happening throughout the industry, including at film festivals over the years, and how important it is to get women into more positions of power in the industry, telling their own stories. We’ve been doing a lot of that here, by Share Her Journey and other things.”

De Palma has been a familiar face at TIFF for decades. He most recently visited the festival in 2016, where he served as one of the three jury members of the Platform program, a mini-competition within the festival to select the best of new and challenging world cinema.

“Brian’s been at the festival many times and we think he’s a great filmmaker,” Bailey said. “This project (Predator) is something that I think we just need to see what happens with it.”

You have not told us where this pessimistic view of politics comes from.

I was in my twenties during the 1960s, the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. These last two were killed in 1968 and, with our stagnation in Vietnam, I think that my idealism disappeared forever at that time. Kennedy's death fascinates me, I had to read 27 different books behind the scenes of his murder and it always fascinated me. Since Vietnam, I have never believed in the justifications of our elected for these wars led by America and based on lies. When I do Casualties Of War or Redacted, they are metaphors about how we violate those countries where we go to war. I watch on TV these wars, the thousands of refugees they provoke and I feel helpless to stop that, like the heroes of my films. And I am angry to see that this is where my tax dollars go to.

But ... are not the wars against Al Qaeda then the Islamic State inevitable since they themselves are declaring war on us?

No, but ... pfff ... how was the Islamic State born? How long have we been [making a mess] in the Middle East?

Are you going to discuss this topic in your next movie Domino?

Domino is not my project, I did not write the script. This is the story of revenge of a cop duo against terrorists who killed another cop. But the whole political aspect will be very little exploited, the film was more for me a new opportunity to explore a visual narrative. In the fim, terrorists are obsessed with the idea that their actions are instantly visible live on the Internet or on TV.

Domino, could it be to Brian De Palma what Frenzy was to Hitchcock, that of the unexpected big comeback?

(laughs!) Only in the sense that, like Hitchcock on Frenzy, I had all the trouble in the world to finance this film. I have never had such a horrible experience, a large part of the team was not paid by the Danish producers, the film is finished and ready to go out, but I have no idea of ​​its future, it's in the hands of the producers. This was my first experience in Denmark and most likely my last.

Previously:
De Palma writing Hollywood horror movie

De Palma entered the podium after a screening of the harrowing Casualties of War. After only a few minutes Brian became very emotional. "It was a very difficult movie to make. I have a hard time watching it, it's very sad, Brian said tearing up. "I can't listen to that score."

It was one of several poignant moments. A few minutes later he told the audience that often times after a difficult time in your life, something positive will happen: "So don't give up."

Later he mentioned that he quit Fatal Attraction after deciding the short film made by the original writer of the project was perfect as it was. "Why remake it?" And it led to a very difficult lunch with his producer where De Palma told her: "I can't do this."

Two weeks later Art Linson called about The Untouchables.

Translation: "Just out of the Brian De Palma Masterclass at the @cinemathequefr! A very interesting character to listen to, with an immense experience in his career and his eclectic filmography, but also someone very authentic and spontaneous. It was almost too short!"

There were massive lines outside the Cinematheque in Paris tonight for the screening of Blow Out. 15 minutes before the film the line was almost 100 yards (and growing). Massive security with armed police were on hand.

De Palma seemed in great spirits for screening of Blow Out the at the Cinematheque retrospective tonight. The event has long been sold out.

After a standing ovation De Palma gave a five minute introduction to the movie. He joked about how he was allowed to do anything after making a big hit with Dressed to Kill. "And they would regret in dearly once they saw it."

De Palma talked about how the executives told him "A movie about a soundman.. That doesn't sound like a big hit like Dressed to Kill.."

But once Travolta decided he was interested in the part they told him to make the film "bigger and bigger". "So I made it real big", De Palma added. "And spent a lot of money. And after we screened it for them they were in shock."

The film played beautifully and the crowd laughed in the right places. The print looked pristine with detail and vivid reds and blues. The ending still holds up as one of cinemas most haunting and powerful comments on America.

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The director did not abandon the cinema. He is currently working on a new feature film, Domino. "I do not know yet when the film will come out, we had a lot of problems with the financing", laments Brian De Palma. But finally, after many starts and stops, "the last stroke of the crank took place last week".

Speaking of which, De Palma and Lehman were at the Fnac des Ternes bookstore yesterday, and Nowayfarer Guitarist posted five videos from the event and discussion on YouTube. In part 5, De Palma is asked about Domino, and responds, "Oh boy... a very difficult situation. A film that was underfinanced. I was in many hotel rooms waiting for the money so that we could continue shooting. I was in many fabulous cities, waiting in hotel rooms. I was here a hundred days in Europe, and shot thirty. However, somehow we managed to make a movie out of this completely chaotic production situation, and hopefully you'll be seeing it in your local cinemas sometime in the future."

BBC News adds a bit more from De Palma, in regards to the #MeToo movement: "It will be interesting to see when women start controlling the aesthetic, what is going to happen. It would be interesting to see if their gaze is so much different than ours. Because a lot of movies are about the male gaze, what the male sees."

The quotes from Le Parisien caught on like wildfire today all over the place, with some other aspects of that interview being sprinkled into the articles here and there. Here's the whole thing, with assistance from Google translation:

The plot of your novel "Are Snakes Necessary" was supposed to be a movie?

Brian De Palma. I had tons of ideas I'd written over the years, thinking about scenarios. And then one day, I told Susan: What if we made a novel? I gave her the intrigues and the dialogues, and Susan developed the characters. When you write for the cinema, you do not work the characters too much, because they depend a lot on the actors who will embody them ...

Susan, was it hard working with Brian?

Susan Lehman. No, it was very pleasant! Brian has millions of ideas all the time. We tried to have fun with each other and we often arrived there.

Brian, it makes you happy, this retrospective at the Cinémathèque?

B. de P. I am very honored that the French recognize my work, as they did in 2000 at the Center Pompidou. That's why we published our book in France and not in the United States: because you seem to understand me better than "those" Americans.

Of all your movies, which ones are your favorites?

B. de P. I hate this question ...

So which one is the most undervalued?

B. de P. "Casualties Of War", which had bad reviews at its release, while I think it is the best movie about the Vietnam War.

And you like "Scarface"?

B. de P. "Scarface" is a wonderful film, very special. This is an example of a perfectly successful collaboration between different talents.

You have just finished "Domino", a film about terrorism, shot in Denmark, Belgium and Spain ...

B. de P. It was a horrible experience. The film was underfunded, it was far behind, the producer did not stop lying to us and did not pay some of my staff. I don't know at all if this feature will be released.

But you like it?

B. de P. Yes, it is good.

S.L. It's very good.

"Passion", your last movie, dates from 2012. Why did you wait five years before making a movie?

B. de P. If you do not just make a blockbuster, it's very hard to redo a movie ... I could never have done "Casualties Of War" (in 1989) if I had not done "The Untouchables"(in 1987).

You're mad at Hollywood ...

B. from P. Hollywood has changed. Dinosaur and superhero movies are made for kids! You can not make serious movies over there ... unless you are Spielberg and you are the studio. After "Mission: Impossible", when Tom (Cruise) said he wanted to make another one, I said, "Are you kidding?" Why do I want to make another movie like this? ... After that, I did "Snake Eyes", "Mission to Mars" and there I said: Stop. I was tired of these big movies, where you fight with the studios to know how much the special effects cost.

What movies did you recently like?

S.L. We love "A French village". We watched all the seasons and we will see them again.

Brian, have you been offered to make movies for Netflix?

B. de P. Yes, but I need a big screen because I am a visual stylist.

Since October, the world of cinema only talks about the Weinstein affair ...

B. de P. I'm writing a film about this scandal, a project I'm talking about with a French producer. My character won't be named Harvey Weinstein, but it will be a horror film, with a sexual aggressor, and it will take place in the film industry.

De Palma / Hitchcock part. MMMMMDCCCLXXXVIII

The picture immediately below accompanied an article posted at Le Parisien