Midnight Madness! A Caped Canadian Prime Minister Stars In ‘Ladies And Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney’ – Toronto Film Festival
Brian Mulroney, Canada's Progressive Conservative prime minister from 1984 to 1993, is being celebrated at this year's Toronto International Film Festival through "Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney", a satirical documentary placed in the festival's unconventional Midnight Madness section. Directed by Matthew Rankin for the National Film Board of Canada, the film uses archival footage and a heightened, theatrical style to chart Mulroney's rise from small-town Quebec to national power, blending affection with irony rather than straightforward tribute or takedown.
Rankin describes the film as neither hagiography nor an "ideological curb-stomping" of Mulroney, instead portraying him as a charismatic and ambitious television-era political figure. Mulroney, who died in 2024 aged 84 in Palm Beach, Florida, is not alive to see the film's premiere, which takes place on Tuesday 15 September at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. The documentary marks a rare instance of a former Canadian leader being the subject of a Midnight Madness selection, a programme strand usually reserved for genre and cult cinema.
In short
- Documentary on ex-PM Brian Mulroney premieres in TIFF's Midnight Madness section
- Director Matthew Rankin blends satire and archival footage for a stylised portrait
- Mulroney died in 2024; film premieres 15 September in Toronto
Explained simply
Brian Mulroney led Canada’s Progressive Conservative government from 1984 to 1993. He grew up in Quebec and became known as a charismatic politician who was skilled at reaching voters through television.
The Toronto International Film Festival is a major annual film event, and its Midnight Madness programme is usually associated with unusual or cult films. Matthew Rankin’s documentary uses archival footage and a theatrical style to explore Mulroney’s rise and public image, mixing affection with irony.
Mulroney died in 2024, aged 84. The film is made by Canada’s National Film Board and is presented as neither a straightforward tribute nor a political attack, offering festival audiences a stylised portrait of a former prime minister.
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