Pitt, Damon add star power to TIFF

Get ready, Toronto. Cinephiles and celebrity gawkers alike can finally begin the daunting task of compiling their screening schedules as the Toronto International Film Festival's full lineup and guest list was revealed today.

Among the notable marquee talent attending the festival, running September 4-13, are Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Adrien Brody, Colin Farrell, Anne Hathaway, Frances McDormand, Rachel McAdams, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Aniston and Ricky Gervais.

International stars, directors, writers, insiders and special guests will flood the city when the festival kicks off with a gala presentation of Passchendaele, Paul Gross's moving tale about the famous and bloody Canadian WWI battle.

This year's fest boasts over 116 world premieres, including gala presentations for The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, a recently discovered Tennessee Williams play about a rebellious socialite, Pride and Glory, starring Colin Farrell, Edward Norton and Jon Voight in a tense drama about split loyalty between family and a badge for New York City cops, and Who Do You Love, a biopic starring Alessandro Nivola as legendary record producer Leonard Chess. The Coen Brothers also bring their ensemble piece Burn After Reading to TIFF for its North American premiere. The crime romp about misplaced CIA files stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich.

Twenty-five titles comprise the Contemporary World Cinema roster and include international premieres from Iceland, Brazil, Russia and Germany.

Adam Resurrected and Nuit de chien round out the Masters programme and Lyne Charlebois's Borderline finishes off the Canada First! lineup.

This year's Mavericks presentations include discussions with Kathryn Bigelow, the woman behind Point Break, Strange Days and Near Dark, historian, playwright and activist Howard Zinn who, along with actors Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, will discuss his doc The People Speak and artist-director Julian Schnabel talks Cubism and its effect on cinema.

Yonge-Dundas Square will be a hot spot for those who want to give their wallets a break with a series of free outdoor programming to be hosted at the street-level festival hub. Cast members of A Chorus Line, concerts by Senegalese sensation Youssou Ndour and an appearance by LeBron James are part of what festival-goers can expect in the downtown core.

The documentary arm of the festival, the Real to Reel programme, added three titles for a total of 30 docs showcasing the finest in non-fiction, including an exploratory look at the woman behind the blond icon in Paris, Not France.

In total, just shy of 250 feature films and 63 shorts will be screened during the fest and over 63 countries will be represented.