TIFF 2017: Lady Gaga set for Toronto festival with new doc, intimate show
World premiere to be followed by intimate performance from pop superstar
Lady Gaga doesn't need a million reasons to visit Toronto this fall — she's got one: the world premiere of the documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two.
The festival has squeezed the international pop superstar into its slightly slimmed down lineup for the upcoming edition, which runs Sept. 7 to 17.
The premiere screening will be accompanied by "an intimate onstage performance" from the American singer, organizers said Thursday.
A Netflix doc directed by Chris Moukarbel, Gaga: Five Foot Two is described as a cinema verité-style production that gives "unfiltered, behind-the-scenes access" to Lady Gaga onstage and off.
It follows the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Germanotta, during an eight-month period as she recorded and released her latest album, Joanne, amid personal struggles. It also shows interactions with family and friends in her everyday life.
Last fall, after scoring major career victories such as being named Super Bowl halftime show headliner and the successful release of Joanne — which marked a more personal, stripped-down, country-influenced style for Gaga — the singer opened up about being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and her daily struggles with the condition and her mental health.
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"Moukarbel's documentary offers an unprecedented look at Lady Gaga in full creative mode: the ideas, the emotion, the sheer work it takes to do what she does," TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey said in a statement Thursday.
"We're thrilled to be bringing this film to audiences in Toronto, and even more excited that Lady Gaga will follow the screening with a performance. This one is for all her fans, Little Monsters, and movie lovers alike."