Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut to close TIFF despite ongoing controversy involving producers 

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) says Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut will close this year’s event despite alleged threats to bury the film by its shamed producers.

In a video shared to her Instagram account last week, Wilson called out numerous “business partners” on her film The Deb, who she says embezzled money from its production budget and behaved badly towards cast and crew members, including the lead actress.

Wilson says she reported multiple incidents during shooting but was met with threats from producing partners to block the film’s release as a result.

The producers in question were named by Wilson as Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron and Vince Holden.

They have since launched a defamation lawsuit against the Pitch Perfect star in California. 

Nonetheless, it was announced today that her film will premiere at TIFF.

The festival will kick off on Sept. 5 with David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller and the festival will close with The Deb on Sept. 15, with both films set to premiere at Roy Thomson Hall. 

Nutcrackers follows the hard-working, by the book Mike (Ben Stiller) as he is unexpectedly pushed into the role of caregiver for his boisterous, parentless nephews.

The Deb, which is written and directed by Wilson, is a musical comedy about two teenage cousins on the search for self-acceptance and a date to the debutante ball in a small Australian town.

“This year’s Festival is shaping up to be a star-studded event with highly anticipated films that reflect the world around us with humour and empathy,” Anita Lee, chief programming officer for TIFF, said in a press release on Tuesday.

“TIFF aims to showcase both returning and first-time directors to the Festival on a big stage, and we are excited for fans to experience these two films — and the many diverse works premiering in between,” she continued.

Further festival details will be announced in the next few weeks. 

Tickets for TIFF 24 go on sale to TIFF Members by level on Aug. 16. 

Tickets for the general public go on sale on Aug 26.

For more details, visit tiff.net/join. 

The full festival schedule will be released on Aug. 13.