TIFF, Sphere Films, and Serendipity Point Films to host the North American premiere of David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future, starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart and Scott Speedman, on May 30

TORONTO — TIFF, Sphere Films, and Serendipity Point Films are pleased to present the North American premiere of David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future on Monday, May 30, at 7pm. Immediately following the screening, there will be a Q&A with the director, the producer, and members of the cast at TIFF Bell Lightbox, the exclusive Canadian venue to screen the film’s North American premiere. Produced by Robert Lantos and shot on location in Athens in the summer of 2021, Crimes of the Future also stars Welket Bungué, Don McKellar, Tanaya Beatty, Nadia Litz, and Lihi Kornowski. Distributed by Sphere Films (formerly MK2 | MILE END) in Canada and NEON in the US, the film opens across North America on Friday, June 3, including TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Tickets for the Crimes of the Future special one-night-only event as well as tickets for the film’s regular theatrical screenings go on sale starting at 10am on Wednesday, May 18 for TIFF Members, and to the general public on Thursday, May 19. Tickets will be limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Crimes of the Future is a meditation on human evolution. As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission — to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.

Following its North American premiere on May 30, Crimes of the Future will start its theatrical run at TIFF Bell Lightbox on June 3. On Tuesday, May 31, the day after the premiere, TIFF will screen Crash (1996), setting the stage for both the theatrical release of Crimes of the Future and a four-film TIFF Cinematheque series spotlighting Cronenberg’s earlier work, titled Cronenberg: Crimes of the Past and running July 2 to July 10. The series features screenings of Videodrome (1983), Dead Ringers (1988), eXistenZ (1999), and a second screening of Crash. Tickets for Cronenberg: Crimes of the Past go on sale Wednesday, June 22 for TIFF Members and to the public the following week on June 29. All screenings will take place at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

To celebrate the Torontonian auteur’s premiere, several objects and props from the David Cronenberg permanent collection will be on display in TIFF public spaces. The collection is housed in TIFF’s Film Reference Library, which is dedicated to preserving Canadian cinema heritage and promoting cinema. Some of the objects that will be on display include the Meta Flesh Pod and Umby Cord from eXistenZ, Rosanna Arquette’s full-body brace from Crash, surgical tools from Dead Ringers, and the Accumicon Spectacular Optometry International Helmet from Videodrome, which were part of TIFF’s first major touring exhibition titled David Cronenberg: Evolution. Displaying over 200 objects, the exhibition charted Cronenberg’s evolution as a filmmaker who has a longstanding fascination with the possibilities and perils of human evolution itself.

“We all have bodies, but only David Cronenberg shows us their full potential,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Crimes of the Future marks a dazzling, challenging evolution of Cronenberg’s imagination, even as it grows out of his past work. We’re excited to introduce audiences to one of the year’s must-see films, and to invite film lovers deeper into Cronenberg through our TIFF Cinematheque series and our pop-up display of objects from his films.

David Cronenberg has established his reputation as an authentic auteur through his uniquely personal body of work as both a director and writer. Beginning with his career in underground filmmaking, Cronenberg has developed a dramatic oeuvre of outstanding depth and breadth, and consequently has been lauded as one of the world’s most influential filmmakers. Recognition of Cronenberg’s contribution to art and culture has included the Order of Canada and France’s Légion d’Honneur.

The North American premiere of Crimes of the Future is made possible with the participation of Telefilm Canada.

Crimes of the Future is a Serendipity Point Films and Argonauts co-production. This Canada–Hellenic Republic co-production is produced in association with Telefilm Canada, Ingenious Media, Bell Media, CBC, ERT S.A., Greek Film Centre, Ontario Creates, Coficiné, and the Harold Greenberg Fund, with the support of EKOME.

Announced late last year, a new benefit has been added to TIFF Memberships for the duration of 2022, with Members now receiving free access to over 200 Cinematheque screenings — including film classics, rarities, recent restorations, and works from new auteurs. Additionally, last month TIFF introduced the TIFF Under-25 Free Pass, which provides young film lovers under the age of 25 with access to a range of free benefits such as tickets to Cinematheque screenings. This pass encourages youth to take advantage of exclusive year-round benefits at TIFF and to be part of a community of up-and-coming film lovers.

Masks remain mandatory for all patrons and staff in the cinemas and throughout the building. Patrons are required to wear masks while not eating snacks or drinking beverages. Additional details are available at tiff.net/covid-19.