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Richard Linklater, Sean Baker and more filmmakers lead TIFF's 2025 Centerpiece program
On Tuesday, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced the highly anticipated lineup for its 2025 Centerpiece program.
This year's festival features a total of 55 titles from filmmakers representing nearly 50 countries, including works from Bolivia, France, Iraq, and Kenya. This wide-ranging selection shines a spotlight on TIFF's enduring commitment to presenting interesting stories from every corner of the globe. The Centerpiece program serves as a platform for internationally recognized films, acclaimed selections from other prestigious festivals, and premieres from both Canadian and international talents.
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This year, cinephiles can look forward to the latest projects from a host of influential directors, including Mathieu Denis' Cost of Heaven, Hasan Hadi's The President's Cake, Jan Komasa's Good Boy, Anders Thomas Jensen's The Last Viking, Richard Linklater's Blue Moon, Pietro Marcello's Duse, Christian Petzold's Miroirs No. 3, and Álvaro Olmos Torrico's The Condor Daughter.
Another notable name at TIFF will be Sean Baker, who's coming off four Oscar wins for Anora (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing). He's the co-writer of the new movie Left-Handed Girl, from director-writer-producer Shih-Ching Tsou.
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 4 to Sept. 14.
Here is the complete lineup for TIFF's 2025 Centerpiece program, which includes 19 world premieres:
World Premieres
Blood Lines, Gail Maurice's sophomore feature, a pastoral drama of family and reconnection
Carolina Caroline, directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, an outlaw romance starring Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner
The Condor Daughter, from Álvaro Olmos Torrico, about a young woman who inherits the sacred art of midwifery but dreams of conquering the city with her voice
The Cost of Heaven, a film from Quebec's Mathieu Denis (whose TIFF '16 film Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Dig Their Own Graves was awarded that year's Best Canadian Feature), starring French actor Samir Guesmi
Erupcja, directed by Pete Ohs, features a combustible chemistry between a Polish florist (Lena Góra) and a British tourist (Charli xcx)
The Fox King, from Woo Ming Jin — Malaysia/Indonesia
Good Boy, by Jan Komasa, a twisted thriller about freedom and identity, starring Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Anson Boon
In Search of The Sky, from India's Jitank Singh Gurjar
I Swear, from Kirk Jones, the inspirational true story of John Davidson, a trailblazer whose honesty and humour helped the world better understand what it means to live with Tourette Syndrome
New Year's Rev, from the United States' Lee Kirk
Nomad Shadow, Eimi Imanishi's poignant debut feature about a refugee to Spain who's forced to return to Western Sahara
Palimpsest: The Story of a Name, from Mary Stephen (Shades of Silk), a deeply personal story about her family's complicated history and their Western surname
The President's Cake, from a multiple award winner at Cannes, Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, a heartbreaking and unforgettable look at a country crushed by poverty and international sanctions — and ruled by a sadistic, greedy and vain tyrant
Saipan, from filmmakers Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa, about a rift between star player Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy on the eve of the 2002 World Cup, starring Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan
Under The Same Sun, from Ulises Porra — Dominican Republic/Spain
Unidentified, the latest from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda), an iconoclastic crime thriller that questions our collective fascination with tales of femicide
Wasteman, Cal McMau's debut feature, which peels back the conventions of the prison drama, featuring rising star David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus)
Whitetail, from Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, a slow-burn thriller with a haunting performance from Natasha O'Keeffe (Peaky Blinders)
Youngblood, directed by Hubert Davis, starring Blair Underwood and Shawn Doyle, and co-written by the late Charles Officer, is a powerful tribute to the Toronto filmmaker, and a reimagining of the original 1986 film
North American Premieres
Arco, from French animation director Ugo Bienvenu
A Useful Ghost, from Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Barrio Triste, from music video director STILLZ
Blue Heron, from Sophy Romvari — Canada/Hungary North American Premiere
Blue Moon, from American director Richard Linklater
The Blue Trail, from Gabriel Mascaro — Brazil/Mexico/Chile/Netherlands
Dandelion's Odyssey, a France/Belgium movie from Momoko Seto
Diya, Chadian director Achille Ronaimou's surprising debut feature
Eagles of the Republic, from Tarik Saleh — Sweden/France/Denmark/Finland/Germany
Exit 8, from director Genki Kawamura
Follies, from Quebec screenwriter, actor and director Eric K. Boulianne
Girl, from Taiwanese actor and director Shu Qi
Honey Bunch, from Canada's Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli
Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream, from Iraqi filmmaker Mohamed Jabarah
The Last One for The Road, from Italian filmmaker Francesco Sossai
The Last Viking, from Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen
Left-Handed Girl, from Shih-Ching Tsou and co-written by Sean Baker
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, fro France's Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han
The Little Sister, from Hafsia Herzi
The Love That Remains, from Hlynur Pálmason — Iceland/Denmark/Sweden/France
Lucky Lu, by Korean-Canadian writer-director and 2025 TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award recipient Lloyd Lee Choi
Mama, from Or Sinai — Israel/Poland/Italy
Memory of Princess Mumbi, from Damien Hauser — Kenya/Switzerland/Saudi Arabia
Milk Teeth, from Mihai Mincan — Romania/France/Denmark/Greece/Bulgaria
Miroirs No. 3, from German auteur Christian Petzold
Motor City, from the United States' Potsy Ponciroli
My Father's Shadow, from Akinola Davies Jr. — UK/Nigeria
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, from Diego Céspedes
Olmo, from Fernando Eimbcke — USA/Mexico
Orphan, from László Nemes — Hungary/France/Germany/UK
Renoir, from Chie Hayakawa — Japan/France/Singapore/Philippines/Indonesia/Qatar
Space Cadet, from Canada's Kid Koala
The Sun Rises On Us All, from China's Cai Shangjun
Two Prosecutors, from Sergei Loznitsa — France/Germany/Netherlands/Latvia/Romania/Lithuania
More Standout Selections
Duse, an International Premiere from visionary Italian auteur Pietro Marcello (whose Martin Eden won TIFF's 2019 Platform prize)
Hamlet, a Canadian Premiere from director Aneil Karia
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