Here's what to expect at this year's Toronto International Film Festival
TIFF laid out the selections to its galas and special presentations programs, which make up the bulk of the red carpet premieres to North America's largest film festival.
Films making their world premieres include Ansari's Good Fortune, starring Keanu Reeves as an angel trying to teach a struggling man (Ansari) a lesson; David Michôd's Christy, with Sweeney playing the boxer Christy Martin; and Alice Winocour's Couture, starring Jolie as an American filmmaker attending Paris Fashion Week.
Those films join previously announced TIFF world premieres including Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. All three of Johnson's Knives Out films have premiered in Toronto.
Also debuting in Toronto will be Derek Cianfrance's Roofman, starring Channing Tatum as a struggling father turned thief; Nia DaCosta's Ibsen adaptation Hedda, starring Tessa Thompson; Nicholas Hytner's WWI drama The Choral, with Ralph Fiennes; Steven Soderbergh's third 2025 release, The Christophers; Hikari's Rental Family, starring Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Japan; and Paul Greengrass' The Lost Bus, with Matthew McConaughey as a bus driver navigating California's 2018 Camp Fire.
The festival will kick off Sept. 4 with the debut of the documentary John Candy: I Like Me, from director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds.
The festival runs through Sept. 14. Toronto has long been one of the prized launching pads to the fall movie season, though many of the top films often first go to the Venice or Telluride film festivals.
This year, that includes TIFF selections like Chloe Zhao's Hamnet, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine and Edward Berger's Ballad of a Smaller Player.
The designation of those premieres suggests Frankenstein and The Smashing Machine will first play Venice, while Zhao's and Berger's films will likely play both Venice and Telluride.
IN PHOTOS: On the red carpet for TIFF 2024 premieres:
Other notable films premiering in Toronto include James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg trials drama Nuremberg, with Rami Malik and Russell Crowe; Rachel Lee Goldenberg's Swiped, starring Lily James as Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd; and Agnieszka Holland's Franz Kafka drama Franz.
Several directorial debuts will be landing in Toronto including those by Brian Cox (Glenrothan) and Maude Apatow (Poetic License). Other selections include Bad Apples, with Saoirse Ronan as a teacher with a poorly behaved student; Easy's Waltz, a Las Vegas-set drama starring Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino; and Alex Winter's Adulthood.
A number of standouts from May's Cannes Film Festival will also play in Toronto, such as Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, Oliver Laxe's Sirât and Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague.
WATCH | TIFF organizers adapt strategy as competition from other festivals grows:
TIFF facing stiff competition from Venice Film Festival for world premieres
10 months ago
With TIFF now getting fewer world premieres due to stiff competition from the Venice Film Festival which happens a week earlier, TIFF organizers are adapting their strategy by embracing more homegrown films.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
24 minutes ago
- CTV News
Edmonton man aims for longest ferris wheel ride at KDays to raise money for charity
An Edmonton man plans to spend 54 hours on the ferris wheel at KDays to raise money for an organization that grants wishes to sick children. An Edmonton man is spending 54 consecutive hours on the ferris wheel at KDays to help raise money to help the dreams of sick kids come true. Chris Scheetz, fund manager for Alberta Dreams, says he'll only be allowed a five minute bathroom break each hour, even when KDays shuts down for the night. 'At 11 o'clock they're going to keep me up in the air and I'm just going to hang out there, literally hang out, and wait for it to start again the next day,' Scheetz told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. He plans to raise $54,000 for Alberta Dreams, a foundation that helps fulfill wishes for Alberta children with serious illnesses. While spending almost two days in the air might seem intimidating, he's up for the challenge. 'Their lives (sick children) are always difficult, so 54 hours will be nothing for me,' he said. 'I think I can do it, I'm going to be powered by mini donuts.' Scheetz says he hopes to break the current world record, which sits at 53 consecutive hours on a ferris wheel. The money raised will help grant 50 wishes this year. The 54-hour ferris wheel ride will end Wednesday at 5 p.m. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
The road to this couple's wedding included a brief dance party with the Halifax Pride parade
The happiest day of their lives became a little more fabulous for one couple and their wedding party, who made an impromptu appearance in the Halifax Pride Parade in a determined bid to get to their venue on time. "I'll never forget it as long as I live. And I know my partner won't either. It's a privilege," bride Patricia Lesperance Slaney told CBC News. Lesperance Slaney had been engaged to Robert Salsman just under two years and were getting ready for their big day at the Lord Nelson Hotel on Saturday afternoon. But when the time came to take a limo to the Saint Mary's Boat Club, they realized they had a problem: South Park Street was shut down for the parade and the limo couldn't pull up to the hotel. The street was scheduled to be closed until 3 p.m. — the same time as their wedding. Lesperance said she wasn't going to let a little thing like the biggest Pride celebration in Atlantic Canada get in her way. "And I said no, no, we're going. We're just going to go pick it all up, take it with us. So everybody picked up something. I had this huge dress on and I just said ... just dance, dance across the road. We all danced across the road," Lesperance Slaney told CBC News. She said amid the furor of planning the wedding, she and Salsman didn't realize it was happening the same day as the Pride Parade, a massive event that draws thousands of people to downtown Halifax every year. As the bridal party entered the road on a mission to get to the limo, Lesperance Slaney said spectators and people in the parade immediately began showing support. "It was very exciting," she said. "It was the pump up I needed. It's like having oxygen ... that's what it felt like, it was exhilarating." Soon a police officer appeared and offered to help them get to the car. "He was wonderful ... Everybody started cheering and laughing. I was just pounding, throwing my hands up in the air and it was amazing," she said. "It's the best thing that ever could have happened to us all. It put us in a different frame of mind. It doesn't matter, you know, There's so many little things and we're so lucky to be doing it. I'm 67, my partner is 68 and it's probably the best day of my life."
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Summer concert series returns to downtown Barrie with some hometown high notes
After Dean Brody took over Meridian Place last month, the Troubadour Festival Summer Concert Series is set to return to downtown Barrie with another emerging artist showcase headlined by The 99s. The emerging artist showcase will feature three bands including Goofus, Sydney Riley, and Dorene. David Bechard, guitarist for Goofus, is excited to open the showcase and pumped the crowd. 'We range from very soft, melodic songs to high energy, loud, heavier songs or heavier rock songs,' said Bechard. 'So, there's going to be a bit of diversity in our set, but I think, honestly with that said, there's something there for everyone.' As a band, this is Goofus' first outdoor festival and are excited for the challenge. 'Just to get that exposure within the community is incredible because I find so much of our fan base is coming from that smaller music community or that local community,' said Goofus drummer James Reich. 'We get to see each other play live and everything, it's just it's incredible, so the fact that we get to support it and be a part of it this weekend is incredible.' Sydney Riley will also be featured in the showcase and is looking forward to performing for the crowd. 'We don't get to perform in public a lot for our hometown like this, so it's going to be really fun to engage with the community in that sort of way and represent what local music has to offer,' said Riley, adding the downtown location is the ultimate outdoor venue. 'Meridian Place is honestly one of the best live venues that we get to play in, so it's the perfect location,' said Riley. 'It's the middle of downtown, if you're going to get dinner beforehand, you can just walk on by, and you'll be able to see us.' Riley said the band's music offers something for everyone. 'We try to be as engaging as possible, so it's going to be lots of big bangers and just lots of excitement,' said Riley. 'Not very much sad songs.' Punk rock band Dorene will also take the stage and is ready for the big moment. '[The audience] can expect some loud guitars and loud drums. A bit of pop, a bit of blues, a bit of rock,' said drummer Gray Laine. 'A fair bit of original, some classic Canadian covers as well, keep people happy and mix of that,' added guitarist Vincent Eagan, who also sings in the band. Headlining this week's festival is The 99s, with vocalist Carleigh Aikins, a Barrie native. 'That's the place where I kind of cut my teeth performing, right on that strip on Dunlop at all the venues and bars,' said Aikins. 'So, you know, it's always feels like a full circle moment to get to come home and have a good time with friends and family.' The 99s bring a throwback vibe where the audience can sing along and enjoy the nostalgia of older music. 'Saturday will feel like going to the town square and putting a coin in the jukebox and you kind of don't know what you're going to get,' said Aikins. 'But that's kind of the joy of it, like a radio dial. It's a nostalgic kind of trip down memory lane and It's always fun to watch the crowd experience these songs that maybe they forgot they loved or that they have a core memory with.' Open Air Dunlop will once again close Dunlop Street Saturday at 10 a.m. with Classics in the Park on display along downtown leading up to the emerging showcase. CTV News Barrie, Pure Country and Bounce 104.1 are proud sponsors of Troubadour Festival Summer Concert Series.
