Mandela's biopic to premiere at Toronto film fest

The biopic on anti-apartheid icon and ailing former South African president Nelson Mandela will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

Titled "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom", the film stars actor Idris Elba in the lead role and actress Naomie Harris in the supporting role as Winnie Mandela, reports contactmusic.com.

"As soon as we saw it, we knew that it would set the right tone for opening night. It's a movie about what we thought is one of the most important issues of the day - information and who controls it," said Cameron Bailey, the festival's artistic director.

Piers Handling, chief executive officer and director of TIFF, said the first round of films "offers a taste of the powerhouse line-up at this year's festival. These are the works that will have everyone talking because they capture the mood of the times".