Priyanka Chopra, Anurag Kashyap to walk the red carpet as ambassadors at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

Indian star Priyanka Chopra and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap are among the 50 celebrated filmmakers and actors invited because the ambassadors of a slimmed down Toronto International festival (TIFF) this year.

The festival, slated to run from September 10 to September 19, are going to be choosing digital screenings and virtual red carpets for the primary time thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, making it tailored to suit the instant.

Chopra and Kashyap will join Oscar winners and celebrated international names including filmmakers Scorsese, Alfonso Cuaron, Taika Waititi, Ava DuVernay, Rian Johnson, Denis Villeneuve, and actors Nicole Kidman, Nadine Labaki, Riz Ahmed, Isabelle Huppert, Zhang Ziyi to assist TIFF deliver a robust gala this year, the organisers said during a press statement.

The 45th edition of the festival plans to screen 50 films during its first five days in physical theatres through socially-distanced screenings.

Physical screenings will need the approval from the health authorities of the town because it depends on province’s reopening framework to make sure that festival venues and workplaces practice, meet, and exceed public health guidelines.

Festival goers also can choose drive-ins to experience cinema.

For the primary time in its history, TIFF will launch a digital platform for the festival, hoping to attach with audiences beyond Toronto by hosting digital screenings, also as numerous talks and special events.

We could never have anticipated the worldwide seismic changes we might be facing in 2020. We tapped into the first spirit of the Festival from when it began in 1976 as our luminary. The distilled edition of TIFF 2020 reflects a deep love of film, passion for our loyal audiences, commitment to the industry, and an entire lot of heart, said Joana Vicente, executive and co-head, TIFF.

Ammonite , directed by Francis Lee (UK); Another Round , from director Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark); Bruised , the debut film from director Halle Berry (US); Concrete Cowboys by filmmaker Ricky Staub (US); Fauna , from director Nicolas Pereda (Mexico/Canada); Good Joe Bell by director Reinaldo Marcus Green (US); Spring Blossom , the debut film by director Suzanne Lindon (France); and True Mothers by director Naomi Kawase (Japan) are among the festival line-up.

The pandemic has hit TIFF hard, but we’ve responded by going back to our original inspiration to bring the absolute best in film to the broadest possible audience, said Cameron Bailey, artistic director and co-head, TIFF.