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One of the many films to world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival was the directorial debut of William McGregor, Gwen. The slow-burn gothic thriller is set in Wales in the 19th century and follows a girl named Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) as she tries to hold her family together while a series of increasingly ominous calamities befall them. Without giving too much away, the film has you questioning almost everything that’s happening as you try and piece together the unfolding mystery. Each scene is loaded with a sense of dread and you constantly wonder when it’s all going to go wrong. It’s a great debut feature that I definitely recommend. The film also stars Maxine Peake as Gwen’s mom and Jodi Innes as her younger sister.

Shortly after I saw the film, William McGregor and Eleanor Worthington-Cox came by the Collider studio at TIFF for an interview. During the wide-ranging conversation they talked about what the film is about, how the landscape provided ideas for where to take the story next, how much changed between the script and the final film, memorable moments from filming, how they decided on the title, if there were any films that inspired this one, being authentic to the time period, and so much more.

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Image via TIFF

In addition, towards the end of the interview they played “Get to Know Your TIFF Attendee”, which includes questions like what TV show they’d like to guest spot on, what film scared them as a kid, what is the background photo on their phone, what TV show have they watched all the way through more than once, have they watched a movie more than 20 times, and more.

Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

William McGregor and Eleanor Worthington-Cox:

  • What is it like to world premiere a movie at TIFF?
  • An overview of what the movie is about and the character Worthington-Cox
  • McGregor on translating his work to screen, and how tension and dread fuel the film.
  • How the landscape can provide ideas for where to take the story next.
  • gwen-william-mcgregor-eleanor-worthington-cox-interview-2
    How Worthington-Cox got involved with the project.
  • Memorable moments from filming.
  • How much changed between the script and the final film?
  • What was the moment for Worthington-Cox that made her really breakthrough with her character?
  • What was the biggest challenge once they got the green light for the movie?
  • Were there other movies that inspired the making of this one?
  • How did they decide on the title, and what were the alternate titles?
  • Being authentic to the time period and the research they did to prepare.
  • They play “Get to Know Your TIFF Attendee”.

Finally, big thanks to the partners who made our TIFF interviews possible:

Aurora, Presenting Partner, one of Canada’s largest federally licensed cannabis companies and an official partner of the Toronto International Film Festival. Aurora’s involvement is anchored by its passion for the arts and commitment to providing financial support for the creative community.

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Diageo Canada joins as the official spirit sponsor and will be showcasing cocktails featuring brands from their luxury portfolio including Ciroc Vodka,Tanqueray™ No. TEN Gin, Johnnie Walker Black Label and Bulleit Bourbon.

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Toasting the evening’s festivities will be La Marca Prosecco, an elegant, luxurious sparkling wine. The premium wines of California’s Ghost Pines Winery will also be served!

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Dutch beer brand Grolsch, the official beer sponsor of the Toronto Film Festival recognizable by its iconic swingtop bottle, will tap into the House of Aurora to extend its VIP footprint at the Festival. Grolsch has long been a champion of creativity and independent thinking.

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Frank Rea Event Designs Toronto’s top event florist and ambient designer Frank Rea creatively lends his support with décor statements and floral designs through Forget Me Not Flowers & Frank Rea Event Designs.

The Collider Studio at the House of Aurora was produced by A-list Communications and The Substance Group.

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