Spike Lee’s filmed version of former Talking Head David Byrne’s theatrical concert “American Utopia” will kick off the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Sept. 10-19, but it’s still unclear whether the opening gala will be live or virtual.

TIFF had previously announced that this year’s version of the film festival – the largest in North America – would be much-diminished due to the coronavirus pandemic, with significantly fewer films, virtual red carpets and drive-in and outdoor screenings.

On Tuesday, Festival organizers said that “American Utopia” will premiere on Sept. 10, but whether it will be a physical screening is contingent on the dictates of Ontario health officials. (The Canada-US border also remains closed potentially limiting industry and non-resident attendees).

The Toronto festival, one of the leading launching pads for fall movies and Oscar contenders, is typically a sprawling city-wide affair that hosts 250-400 feature-length films and the debuts of many of the fall movie season’s top releases.

Dubbed a bona fide “spectacle,” the stage version of “American Utopia” had played at New York’s Hudson Theatre from October through February and a fall return was planned before the pandemic shuttered Broadway through the end of the year. The show features former rock star Byrne and 11 musical artists from around the world performing songs from the 2018 album of the same title, as well as Talking Heads hits.

NME calls the stage show “the best musical experience on the planet,” while Billboard says it is “an experience like no other.”

“Spike Lee has somehow always been exactly of his moment and ahead of his time,” says TIFF artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey. “With David Bryne’s ‘American Utopia,’ he brings Byrne’s classic songs and joyous stagecraft to the screen just when we need it. Spike’s latest joint is a call to connect with one another, to protest injustice, and, above all, to celebrate life.”

No major film festival has been held since the global onset of COVID-19. France’s Cannes Film Festival, Austin’s SXSW and New York’s Tribeca Film Festival have all been shut down and forced to improvise.