In an article on the Toronto Film Festival, reporter Brendan Kelly notes that Johnny Depp’s THE LIBERTINE is defying festival wisdom, which calls for a showing on opening weekend to capture maximum media attention. “Toronto has become a front-loaded event [. . .] . It’s thought to be harder to sell pics later in the fest,” writes Kelly. But he adds that THE LIBERTINE, which has its first showing as a work-in-progress on Thursday evening September 16th at 6:30 pm, is breaking that opening-weekend pattern. The later screening date should not hurt THE LIBERTINE’s chances of finding a U.S. distributor, however, since Kelly notes that many acquisitions executives were staying in Toronto specifically to see THE LIBERTINE. Apparently an earlier date was not an option for THE LIBERTINE because the film genuinely is a work-in-progress and could not have been ready for screening on opening weekend. “The Depp pic could not have screened any earlier,” Kelly writes, adding that “the filmmakers reportedly were racing this week to complete last-minute post-production.” We wish them the best of luck with their last-minute labors, and a great distribution deal as a reward for their efforts. The Zone thanks Emma for posting Kelly’s article on the News & Views forum, and congratulates the lucky Zoners who are en route to Toronto to see THE LIBERTINE!