With a few days to go, this list might seem sort of ‘last minute’ for some of you. This is how TIFF planning goes for me, though. I use TIFFR as my place to ‘heart’ many films I would like to see. This includes short films, feature films and Primetime / Series titles.
From there I have a short list, which is what I am sharing with you here and includes 50 or so films. In this first volume, I will list the first 29 picks – in alphabetical order – to give you an idea of the array of programming at this year’s festival.
This short list contains film titles for which I have public tickets; it also includes films I have screened pre-festival and others I aim to see using my media/press pass.
Aberdeen
A tour-de-force performance by Gail Maurice (Bones of Crows, TIFF ’22) sees her inhabit the role of Aberdeen, a woman who must rise above hardships to save her grandkids, and herself.
Addition
A mathematician struggles to balance her compulsive counting habit (and imaginary friendship with Nikola Tesla) with a budding romance in this charming adaptation of Toni Jordan’s bestselling novel.
Alazar (Short Cuts Programme 05)
In Beza Hailu Lemma‘s deeply affecting and beautifully performed drama, the mysterious disappearance of a family patriarch’s body from his grave raises profound questions for a member of a farming community in Ethiopia.
The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire
Inspired by the life of the eponymous Martinican writer and activist, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich’s feature debut, The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire, is a sumptuous, critical reflection on art, love, and politics — employing the spells of cinema to contend with an elusive legacy.
Beloved Tropic (Querido Trópico)
In Panama City, the delicate connection between a pregnant Colombian immigrant with status issues and a well-to-do matriarch with dementia propels documentarian Ana Endara’s accomplished narrative feature debut.
Bonjour Tristesse
This film is Durga Chew-Bose’s adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s unforgettable coming-of-age novel of the same name, is a sun-soaked heralding of a singular artist.
Collective Monologue
With this film, Wavelengths alumna Jessica Sarah Rinland pursues her ongoing concerns with the relationship between humans and the natural world in this intricate portrait of Buenos Aires zoos and animal shelters.
Dahomey
The Golden Bear winner at this year’s Berlinale, Mati Diop’s latest film traces the historic repatriation of 26 royal treasures from France to Benin, simultaneously forging a speculative and political reflection on cultural heritage, collective memory, and the implications of restitution.
The Damned
A daring period drama by celebrated Italian-born, American-based filmmaker Roberto Minervini, this film is an at-once philosophical and disarming portrayal of a group of volunteer Civil War soldiers on the western frontier.
Daniela Forever
In the latest from Nacho Vigalondo (Colossal, TIFF ’16), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) soulfully portrays a bereaved man who enrolls in a clinical trial for a drug that allows him to reunite with his lost lover (Beatrice Grannò) through lucid dreams.
Dead Talents Society
A meek and newly dead teen (Gingle Wang) learns from an undead diva (Sandrine Pinna) how to haunt the living, in this bloody and hilarious supernatural comedy from writer-director John Hsu (Detention).
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
Drawing upon a trove of unpublished images, this moving portrait of South African photographer Ernest Cole from director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) offers a harrowing history of Apartheid and chronicles the life of an artist in exile.
The Exiles
Starring Antonia Zegers (The Club), Spanish director Belén Funes’ emotionally intelligent second feature focuses on a mother-daughter relationship complicated by unprocessed grief and financial strife.
The Freedom of Fierro
At 63, newly freed César Fierro must rebuild his life after being wrongfully convicted in Texas 40 years earlier. In this documentary, the audience accompanies Fierro on his journey, observing his often painful transition back into society.
Freedom Way
A start-up faces unfavorable government laws and police harassment, causing a ripple effect in the lives of nine individuals, setting them on a collision course.
From Ground Zero
The combined work of 22 artists living in a besieged Gaza Strip, this omnibus film provides a contextualizing and critically important look beyond the brutal livestream. Organized by the Mashawari Fund for films and filmmakers in Gaza.
Hard Truths
In his 23rd film, British director Mike Leigh reunites with Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies) to create a challenging but ultimately compassionate look at modern family life.
Horizonte
A mother and her long-lost son journey through war-torn Colombia seeking redemption and discovering that only great sacrifices can heal their souls and mend their fractured past.
The Knowing
Acclaimed journalist Tanya Talaga brings her evocative storytelling from the page to the screen with her search for a long-lost matriarch named Annie, solving an 80-year-old family mystery.
The Life of Chuck
Mike Flanagan takes a detour from the macabre with this adaptation of a uniquely structured Stephen King novella that unravels a seemingly ordinary accountant’s world.
Maybe Elephants (Short Cuts Programme 01)
Drawing once again from her family history, Academy Award–winning animator and filmmaker Torill Kove reflects on an especially rich chapter in her past to create a film that’s engaging, delightful, and poignant in equal measure.
Men of War
“Rambo meets Fyre Fest” could be the pitch for this tragicomedy from filmmakers Billy Corben and Jen Gatien about American-trained mercenaries who try to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
Mercenaire (Short Cuts Programme 02)
Marc-André Grondin delivers a searing performance in Pier-Philippe Chevigny‘s viscerally powerful drama about a recently incarcerated man trying to reintegrate into a society that has little place for him.
The Mountain
Rachel House’s heartfelt debut film follows a brave trio on the journey of a lifetime, where they learn the true meaning of friendship and the power of their cultural legacy.
My Fathers’ Daughter
Egil Pedersen’s delightful debut film follows the wistful teenaged Elvira (Sarah Olaussen Eira) as she discovers the truth about her father’s identity. Featuring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones).
On Swift Horses
Set in the 1950s, this gorgeous adaptation of Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel follows a seemingly sensible newlywed (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her wayward brother-in-law (Priscilla’s Jacob Elordi) as they undertake parallel journeys of risk, romance, and self-discovery.
Paul Anka: His Way
One of the world’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters participates in a candid and celebratory look at his life and career.
Paying For It
A cultural snapshot of turn-of-the-millennium Toronto with subtle comic energy and a great cast, Sook-Yin Lee’s adaptation of Chester Brown’s autobiographical 2011 graphic novel is a movie only Lee could make… because it’s her story, too.
This short list will not be my final list. Curious about how my TIFF experience unfolds in real time? Come follow me on social media @HyeMusings.
Information on all of the films listed here, as well as, ticketing details are available at tiff.net.
