TIFF Special Presentations bring in the glam

The addition of 8 titles to the Special Presentations lineup at this year's Toronto International Film Festival has substantially bolstered the fest's red carpet cred, by making festival appearances all but inevitable for some of Hollywood's priciest glitterati. Everyone from Richard Gere to Jack Black now seems to be featured in one of the showstopper productions announced for festival runs today.

Keira Knightley's new film, Atonement, has been added to a lineup that already includes her other new movie, Silk. The move goes a long way towards guaranteeing Knightley's presence on one or the other (or both) red carpets. Also keep an eye out for Knightley's Atonement co-star, 14-year-old Saorsie Ronan, who is about to become a hot commodity when she begins filming the lead role in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones, starting this October.

Meanwhile, Andrew Dominik's much-anticipated film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, features Brad Pitt as the notorious outlaw. Pitt attended the fest last year for Babel, and could be good for a return appearance.

Todd Haynes' unique interpretation of the life of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There, features Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett (both of whom appeared at the 2006 festival) along with Joker-in-waiting Heath Ledger. Crash director Paul Haggis returns to the festival as well, with In the Valley of Elah, starring Tommy Lee Jones. And Noah Baumbach, writer/director of The Squid and the Whale, returns with Margot at the Wedding, starring Nicole Kidman. We'll also be seeing new work by Sean Penn, Tamara Jenkins, and Stuart Townsend.

More info about the Special Presentations announced today can be found in the media section of the Festival's web site.

So now you know who you stand a shot at bumping into in the washrooms at the Elgin this year.