The Circuit

Dade Hayes predicts that they'll be a lot of buying at Toronto this year:

With plenty of new buyers in the mix -- Summit, Overture and Senator among the new domestic distribs -- Toronto is a happy hunting ground, given how much mainstream product remains available. For the specialty divisions, the challenge is a dual one: beguiling the world film media with gala unspoolings and preems of their long-awaited pics while also not missing the boat on acquisition titles.

Given the fest's massive scale -- some say too massive -- expect a steady hum of activity.

Hayes singles out "Le deuxieme souffle" as a title on buyers' minds -- Alain Corneau's version of José Giovanni novel, which was earlier adapted by Jean-Pierre Melville in 1966.  The chase thriller stars Daniel Auteuil as a famous mobster who escapes from lockup.  I haven't seen it, but any question of how much this version diverts from Melville's style might be answered by looking at the French teaser poster, above.