Annette Bening plays Julia Lambert in the film Being Julia

The actress plays a theatrical diva in 1930s London who fears her days as a leading lady are numbered.

Other stars due at the festival, which runs until 18 September, include this year's best actor and actress Oscar winners Sean Penn and Charlize Theron.

Kevin Spacey shows off his biography of 50s singer Bobby Darin, Beyond the Sea.

Jeremy Irons stars alongside Bening in Being Julia, an adaptation of Somerset Maugham's novel Theatre.

Discovery

Dustin Hoffman's I Heart Huckerbees and Helen Hunt's A Good Woman also get world premieres.

Al Pacino takes the stage as Shylock in the North American premiere of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and comedian Jamie Foxx turns in a powerful performance as singer Ray Charles in Ray.

Festival co-director Noah Cowan said people saw Toronto as a "festival of discovery".

Sean Penn took the 2004 best actor Oscar for his role in Mystic River

"Our more traditional roles as the most significant launch platform for award-destined films and as the home films and as the home of the Canadian cinema also remain intact."

Der Untergang (Downfall) is sparking controversy by depicting Hitler's last days.

Two new films also look at Rwanda's genocide.

Hotel Rwanda stars Nick Nolte, and a documentary, Shake Hands with the Devil, the Journey of Romeo Dallaire, traces the agony of the Canadian general who commanded a United Nations force which failed to stop the carnage.