“Over the past 24 hours, there has been much discussion about TIFF’s decision to
withdraw its invitation to ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue’ for this year’s festival. Both TIFF and the filmmakers have heard the pain and frustration
expressed by the public and we want to address this together,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and “The Road Between us” filmmaker Barry Avrich said in a joint statement. “We have worked together to find a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal, and programming concerns.

“We are pleased to share that ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue’ will be an official TIFF selection at the festival this year, where we believe it will contribute to the vital conversations that film is meant to inspire. In this case, TIFF’s communication around its requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry.”

This news comes after the film, directed by Avrich, was pulled from the festival on Tuesday due to a lack of proper clearance for Hamas footage.

“The invitation for the Canadian documentary film ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue’ was withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the Festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage,” TIFF said in a Wednesday statement to Screen Daily after the film was pulled.

In the wake of this decision, Bailey denied claims of censorship over the matter, stating that the film was removed from the festival lineup for a lack of adherence to TIFF standards rather than political reasons.

“I want to be clear: claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,” Bailey wrote in a note. “I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.”

“The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” will be one of nearly 300 films at the TIFF50. The festival will run from Sept. 4 to Sept. 14.

“Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse
perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage
dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their
passion, honesty, and belief in the importance of film. We look forward to
announcing more details including the World Premiere date on August 20th.”

Deadline first reported this story.

The post TIFF Re-Invites ‘The Road Between Us’ to Festival After Pulling Oct. 7 Documentary From Lineup appeared first on TheWrap.

Reynolds will discuss “John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary about the actor and comedian who grew up in Toronto. “I Like Me” will have its world premiere as TIFF 50’s Opening Night Gala. Reynolds, a Vancouver native, produced the film alongside director Colin Hanks.

Johnson will host an installation of the In Conversation With… series to discuss “The Smashing Machine,” his latest dramatic effort, which is written and directed by Benny Safdie. In the biopic, Johnson portrays former wrestler and MMA fighter Matt Kerr who was the basis of a 2002 HBO documentary, “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.” Emily Blunt stars alongside Johnson in the film as Kerr’s then-wife Dawn Staples.

Thompson and writer/director Nia DaCosta will discuss their new film “Hedda” as part of the In Conversation With… line-up. The two previously collaborated on 2018’s “Little Woods,” DaCosta’s feature directorial debut. “Hedda,” written and directed by DaCosta, is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s famed play “Hedda Gabler” with Thompson in the titular role. The pair produced the film, which will have its world premiere at TIFF, together.

Presented by The Korean Film Council, Park will be the subject of another In Conversation With… panel as he brings “No Other Choice” to TIFF for its North American premiere. Park will be in conversation with Don McKellar for the panel less than a month after it was announced that the pair was expelled from the WGA for working on their series “The Sympathizer” during the 2023 writers’ strike.

In addition to the In Conversation With… selections, TIFF announced the debut of its TIFF: Close-Up series. This year, the series will see co-stars Han So-hee and Jun Jong-seo discuss the world premiere of “Project Y” in an event that a press release said is “Programmed specifically for TIFF’s Under-25 audience.”

“As we mark TIFF’s 50th edition, our programming continues to reflect our belief that film and creative expression can spark dialogue, challenge perspectives, and build connection,” said Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer, in a statement. “From intimate ICWs and a Close-Up event with today’s biggest stars, to events designed to elevate and celebrate creative communities, we’re proud to offer Festival goers opportunities to further engage.”

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival launches Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 14.

TIFF In Conversation With… and Close-Up

In Conversation With… Park Chan-wook, presented by The Korean Film Council
In Conversation With… Dwayne Johnson
In Conversation With… Ryan Reynolds, presented by Prime Video
In Conversation With… Tessa Thompson and Nia DaCosta
Close-Up (클로즈업): Han So-hee and Jun Jong-seo

The post Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Tessa Thompson and More Set Panels at Toronto Film Festival appeared first on TheWrap.

TIFF released their full schedule for the 50th annual festival Tuesday morning, with nearly 300 films represented. A small slate of additional features were also announced as part of the festival, which runs from Sept. 4 through Sept. 14.

Those interested in attending TIFF can access the full schedule at tiff.net/schedule. On this page, they will find screenings for 291 selections in total — including 209 new features, six Classics, 10 Primetime series and 66 short films.

TIFF announced a small slate of new features added to their robust schedule. They additionally underscored that Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” would have its North American premiere in the Gala section of TIFF 50. The inclusion of “No Other Choice” at the festival was previously noted in late July when TIFF shared that Lee Byung-hun, who stars in the film, would receive the TIFF Special Tribute Award at a Sept. 7 awards ceremony.

The other five films noted in the release will all appear in the Special Presentations section of TIFF 50. TIFF will be the stage for the North American premiere of “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” Olivier Assayas’ political thriller starring Paul Dano as Vadim Baranov and Jude Law as Vladimir Putin. Assayas wrote the film with Emmanuel Carrère, adapting from Giuliano da Empoli’s book of the same name. Alicia Vikander, Zach Galifianakis, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright are also in the cast. “Dog 51” by Cédric Jimenez will likewise have its North American premiere at TIFF following its appearance as the closing night film at Venice.

Pablo Trapero’s “& Sons” would have its world premiere at the festival, the director’s first feature of the decade. Sarah Polley, who won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “Women Talking,” wrote the screenplay for “& Sons,” which follows a novelist father who gathers his estranged sons when he believes he’s on the verge of death. The film stars Bill Nighy, George MacKay, Noah Jupe, Imelda Staunton, Johnny Flynn and Dominic West.

Claire Denis’ “The Fence” will likewise have its world premiere at TIFF 50. Denis directed “The Fence” and wrote the screenplay alongside Suzanne Lindon and Andrew Litvack, adapting from Bernard-Marie Koltès’s play “Black Battles with Dogs.” Tom Blyth, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Matt Dillon and Isaach De Bankolé star in the film. Denis’ two most recent films, “Both Sides of the Blade” and “Stars at Noon,” both released in 2022, winning Berlin’s Silver Bear for Best Director and Cannes’ Grand Prix, respectively.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” will have its North American premiere at TIFF following an early September premiere in Venice, where it is in competition for the Golden Lion alongside “No Other Choice” and “The Wizard of the Kremlin.” The film tells the true story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces during the invasion of the Gaza Strip. Kaouther Ben Hania wrote and directed the “film”The Voice of Hind Rajab.” Her previous two films — “Four Daughters” and “The Man Who Sold His Skin” — were both Academy Award nominees: “Four Daughters” was nominated for Best Documentary Feature, while “The Man Who Sold His Skin” became the first Tunisian nominee for Best International Feature.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival launches Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 14.

TIFF additional features

“& Sons,” Pablo Trapero (World Premiere)
“Dog 51,” Cédric Jimenez (North American Premiere)
“No Other Choice,” Park Chan-wook (North American Premiere)
“The Fence,” Claire Denis (World Premiere)
“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Kaouther Ben Hania (North American Premiere)
“The Wizard of the Kremlin,” Olivier Assayas (North American Premiere)

The post Toronto Film Festival Unveils Full Schedule, Additional Features appeared first on TheWrap.

The festival announced its TIFF Classics and TIFF Wavelengths programs Friday morning, part of a string of slate announcements they made throughout the week. TIFF Classics, in its 50th edition at the festival, brings iconic older entries from world cinema to audiences. TIFF Wavelengths — now in its 25th edition — is “the festival’s steadfast visionary selection highlighting the best of international cinema, the experimental and avant-garde, and contemporary art,” according to a press release.

One of the films to be screened in the TIFF Classics section is “Jaws,” celebrating its 50th anniversary with a 35mm Canadian exclusive release. Ramesh Sippy’s “Sholay” will also be included in the section for its 50th anniversary, with TIFF hosting the North American premiere of its 4K restoration. “Sholay” was previously announced to be included in TIFF’s Gala section, though the film will be co-presented between Gala and Classics.

TIFF Wavelengths has a varied selection including eight features, three shorts programs and one pairing. One of the eight features is Lav Diaz’s “Magellan,” which will have its North American premiere at the festival. The biopic, starring Gael García Bernal as famed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, previously debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Janus Films acquired the historical epic in June.

The only pairing presented in the Wavelengths section, TIFF will screen Kamal Aljafari’s “With Hasan in Gaza” preceded by Basma al-Sharif’s short “It’s So Beautiful Here,” marking the North American premiere of the former and the world premiere of the latter. “It’s So Beautiful Here” is one of two films by al-Sharif at the festival, with the filmmaker’s “Morgenkreis” having its international premiere in one of Wavelengths’ shorts sections. “It’s So Beautiful Here” is a Palestinian production, while “With Hasan in Gaza” lists Palestine, Germany, France and Qatar as countries of origin.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival launches Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 14.

TIFF Classics

“Aniki-Bóbó,” Manoel de Oliveira (North American premiere of 4K restoration)
“Bashu, the Little Stranger,” Bahram Beyzaie (North American premiere of 4K restoration)
“Days and Nights in the Forest,” Satyajit Ray (North American premiere of 4K restoration)
“Jaws,” Steven Spielberg (50th anniversary — 35mm Canadian exclusive)
“Nadja,” Michael Almereyda (world premiere of 4K restoration)
“Sholay,” Ramesh Sippy (50th anniversary and North American premiere of 4K restoration)
“The Arch,” T’ang Shushuen (North American premiere of 4K restoration)

TIFF Wavelengths Features

“BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions,” Kahlil Joseph (Canadian premiere)
“Copper,” Nicolás Pereda (North American premiere)
“Dry Leaf,” Alexandre Koberidze (North American premiere)
“Levers,” Rhayne Vermette (world premiere)
“Magellan,” Lav Diaz (North American premiere)
“Mare’s Nest,” Ben Rivers (North American premiere)
“The Seasons,” Maureen Fazendeiro (North American premiere)

TIFF Wavelengths Pairings

“With Hasan in Gaza,” Kamal Aljafari (North American premiere)
“It’s So Beautiful Here,” Basma al-Sharif (international premiere)

TIFF Wavelengths Shorts

Wavelengths 1: Map of Traces
“Ten Mornings Ten Evenings and One Horizon,” Tomonari Nishikawa
“Rojo Žalia Blau,” Viktoria Schmid (world premiere)
“Disappeared,” Sohrab Hura (Canadian premiere)
“09/05/1982,” Jorge Caballero, Camilo Restrepo (North American premiere)
“Map of Traces,” Chan Hau Chun (world premiere)
“En Traversée,” Vadim Kostrov (Canadian premiere)

Wavelengths 2: Into the Blue
“I Saw the Face of God in the Jet Wash,” Mark Jenkin (North American premiere)
“From My Cloud,” Minjung Kim (world premiere)
“Cairo Streets,” Abdellah Taïa (North American premiere)
“Daria’s Night Flowers,” Maryam Tafakory (North American premiere)
“Aftertide,” Kaiwen Ren (world premiere)

Wavelengths 3: Slightest Pretense
“Land of Barbar,” Fredj Moussa (world premiere)
“Conditio Humana,” Friedl vom Gröller (world premiere)
“Slightest Pretense,” Eri Saito (world premiere)
“Conference,” Björn Kämmerer (world premiere)
“Morgenkreis,” Basma al-Sharif (international premiere)
“Felt,” Blake Williams (world premiere)

The post TIFF 2025 Adds ‘Jaws’ 50th Anniversary Screening, Ferdinand Magellan Biopic and More appeared first on TheWrap.

On Thursday, TIFF announced the lineup for its television section, the Primetime program, meant to recognize episodic and serialized storytelling. This included 10 different series, six of which will host their world premieres at TIFF. This year’s 50-year celebration of TIFF also marks the 10th anniversary of its Primetime program, which departs from the festival’s film-heavy lineup.

One of the six series to have its world premiere in TIFF Primetime will be “The Lowdown.” The Tulsa-set series for FX stars Ethan Hunt, who also serves as an executive producer. “The Lowdown” was created by Sterlin Harjo (a fellow EP alongside Hawke), who was a co-creator for “Reservation Dogs,” also for FX.

“Black Rabbit,” starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman, will also have its world premiere in TIFF’s Primetime section. The miniseries was created for Netflix by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, who previously collaborated on the 2024 Jude Law/Nicholas Hoult crime film “The Order” (Susman served as EP on the film, which Baylin wrote). Bateman directed the first two episodes of the series, and his “Ozark” co-star Laura Linney directed the third and fourth. All eight episodes of “Black Rabbit” will release on Netflix Sept. 18, just days after TIFF concludes.

Last year, Alfonso Cuarón’s thriller miniseries “Disclaimer” had its Canadian premiere in TIFF’s Primetime lineup. The Apple TV+ project went on to pick up nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie (Cate Blanchett) and Outstanding Cinematography For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie at the 2025 Emmys. In 2022, the fifth season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” had its world premiere at the festival.

TIFF also unveiled its Short Cuts program Thursday morning. This section of the Toronto festival includes 48 short films in total this year, representing 28 different countries. These include narrative, documentary and animated short films. The Short Cuts section itself is split into seven different programs. Among these shorts will be the world premiere of “Dust to Dreams,” directed by Idris Elba.

There will be 10 animated shorts among the Short Cuts lineup. One of these films, “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” comes from Canadian animators Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. In 2008, Lavis and Szczerbowski’s animated short film “Madame Tutli-Putli” received a nomination at the Academy Awards. The festival will also feature “Strange Cuts” for the second year, a short film equivalent of TIFF’s “Midnight Madness” genre division.

Some of the short films represented at TIFF have already made waves on the festival circuit. “I’m Glad You’re Dead Now” by Tawfeek Barhom won the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes 2025. Barhom, an actor born to a Palestinian family in Israel, wrote, directed and starred in the short. Adnan Al Rajeev’s “Ali” received a Special Jury Mention in the short film section at Cannes 2025.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival will begin on Sept. 4 and run through Sept. 14.

TIFF Primetime series

“A Sámi Wedding,” Åse Kathrin Vuolab, Pål Jackman (World Premiere)
“Black Rabbit,” Zach Baylin, Kate Susman (World Premiere)
“Gandhi,” Sameer Nair, Hansal Mehta (World Premiere)
“Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League,” Richard Brown, Tebogo Malope (World Premiere)
“Portobello – The Fall of Enzo Tortora,” Marco Bellocchio (International Premiere)
“Reunion,” William Mager, Luke Snellin (North American Premiere)
“Rise of the Raven,” Balázs Lengyel, Robert Dornhelm (North American Premiere)
“The Lowdown,” Sterlin Harjo (World Premiere)
“The Savage,” Houman Seyyedi (International Premiere)
“Wayward,” Mae Martin, Ryan Scott (World Premiere)

Short Cuts Program 1

“A Small Fiction of My Mother in Beijing,” Dorothy Sing Zhang (World Premiere)
“Agapito,” Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Danelle Romero (North American Premiere)
“DISC,” Blake Winston Rice (World Premiere)
“Healer,” Chelsea McMullan (World Premiere)
“Jazz Infernal,” Will Niava (World Premiere)
“Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts,” Shervin Kermani (World Premiere)
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski (North American Premiere)

Short Cuts Program 2

“Ambush,” Yassmina Karajah (World Premiere)
“Bots,” Rich Williamson (World Premiere)
“I Fear Blue Skies,” Salar Pashtoonyar (World Premiere)
“Not Scared, Just Sad,” Isabelle Mecattaf (World Premiere)
“Talk Me,” Joecar Hanna (North American Premiere)
“Water Girl,” Sandra Desmazières (North American Premiere)

Short Cuts Program 3

“A South Facing Window,” Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (North American Premiere)
“Asparagus Bear,” Ivan Grgur (World Premiere)
“Demons,” Kelly Fyffe-Marshall (World Premiere)
“Earworm,” Patrik Eklund (International Premiere)
“Sea Star,” Tyler Mckenzie Evans (World Premiere)
“The Non-Actor,” Eliza Barry Callahan (North American Premiere)
“What We Leave Behind,” Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte (North American Premiere)

Short Cuts Program 4

“Ali,” Adnan Al Rajeev (North American Premiere)
“Dust to Dreams,” Idris Elba (World Premiere)
“Fiction Contract,” Carolyn Lazard (International Premiere)
“More Than Happy,” Wei Keong Tan (World Premiere)
“ripe,” Solara Thanh Bình Đặng (World Premiere)
“To the Woods,” Agnès Patron (North American Premiere)
“Year of the Dragon,” Giran Findlay-Liu (World Premiere)

Short Cuts Program 5

“Arguments in Favor of Love,” Gabriel Abrantes (North American Premiere)
“Dish Pit,” Anna Hopkins (Canadian Premiere)
“I’m Glad You’re Dead Now,” Tawfeek Barhom (North American Premiere)
“Karupy,” Kalainithan Kalaichelvan (World Premiere)
“Once in a Body,” María Cristina Pérez González (North American Premiere)
“Pink Light,” Harrison Browne (World Premiere)
“Poster Boy,” India Opzoomer (World Premiere)
“The Contestant,” Patrick Xavier Bresnan (World Premiere)

Short Cuts Program 6

“A Soft Touch,” Heather Young (World Premiere)
“All the Empty Rooms,” Joshua Seftel (International Premiere)
“Divers,” Geordie Wood (North American Premiere)
“Niimi,” Dana Solomon (World Premiere)
“Permanent Guest,” Sana Zahra Jafri (World Premiere)
“The Death of the Fish,” Eva Lusbaronian (North American Premiere)

Strange Cuts Program

“Klee,” Gavin Baird (World Premiere)
“Marriaginalia,” Hannah Cheesman (World Premiere)
“Praying Mantis,” Joe Hsieh (North American Premiere)
“Quietness,” Gonçalo Almeida (World Premiere)
“Thanks To Meet You!,” Richard Hunter (World Premiere)
“The Veil,” Gabriel Motta (World Premiere)
“UM,” Nieto (World Premiere)

The post Jude Law/Jason Bateman Series ‘Black Rabbit,’ Ethan Hawke/Sterlin Harjo’s ‘The Lowdown’ Set Toronto Premieres appeared first on TheWrap.

The TIFF Docs program will include 16 world premieres, beginning with “The Eyes of Ghana,” directed by Proudfoot, who has won Oscars for his short docs “The Queen of Basketball” and “The Last Repair Shop.” The film is executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. Other world premieres include “Love+War” from Vasarhelyi and Chin, who won the doc-feature Oscar for 2019’s “Free Solo”; “Nuns vs. the Vatican,” an examination of new abuse allegations inside the Catholic Church that was directed by Lorena Luciano and executive produced by Mariska Hargitay; “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story,” directed by Billy Corben; and “Whistle,” a Christopher Nelius film about a whistling competition.

“Cover-Up,” a film about investigative reporter Seymour Hersh from Oscar-winning director Poitras and from Mark Obenhaus, will have its Canadian premiere at TIFF after premiering at the Venice International Film Festival and likely screening at the Telluride Film Festival.

According to TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers, the films were chosen from more than 1,000 submissions, a record for the festival. Powers told TheWrap that this year’s lineup was particularly strong on sales titles that are represented by top agencies, with the films looking for distribution including “Cover-Up,” “Whistle,” “Canceled,” John Dower’s “The Balloonists,” Nicole Bazuin’s “Modern Whore” and Tasha Van Zandt’s “A Life Illuminated.”

Films that will be coming to TIFF after playing other festivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s “Below the Clouds,” Lucrecia Martel’s “Nuestra Tierra” and Tamara Kotevska’s “The Tale of Silyan,” all of which will play Venice. Docs that premiered in Cannes and are coming to Toronto include Raoul Peck’s “Orwell: 2+2=5” and Sepideh Farsi’s “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” whose protagonist, Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, was killed in Gaza shortly after the film premiered in May.

Previously, the festival announced that a number of other nonfiction films would play in different sections of TIFF, among them Colin Hanks’ opening-night film “John Candy: I Like Me” and Baz Luhrmann’s “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.”

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival will begin on Sept. 4 and run through Sept. 14.

TIFF Docs

“A Life Illuminated,” Tasha Van Zandt | USA (World Premiere)
“A Simple Soldier,” Juan Camilo Cruz, Artem Ryzhykov | Ukraine (North American Premiere)
“Aki,” Darlene Naponse | Canada (World Premiere)
“Below the Clouds,” Gianfranco Rosi | Italy (International Premiere)
“Canceled: The Paula Deen Story,”Billy Corben | USA (World Premiere)
“Cover-Up,”Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | USA (Canadian Premiere)
“Flana,” Zahraa Ghandour | Iraq/France/Qatar (World Premiere)
“Love+War,” Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA (World Premiere)
“Modern Whore,”Nicole Bazuin | Canada (World Premiere)
“Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising,”Shane Belcourt | Canada (World Premiere)
“Nuestra Tierra,”Lucrecia Martel | Argentina/USA/Mexico/France/Denmark/Netherlands (North American Premiere)
“Nuns vs. The Vatican,”Lorena Luciano | USA (World Premiere)
“Orwell: 2+2=5,” Raoul Peck | USA/France (North American Premiere)
“Powwow People,” Sky Hopinka | USA (World Premiere)
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” Sepideh Farsi | France/Palestine/Iran (North American Premiere)
“Still Single,” Jamal Burger, Jukan Tateisi | Canada (World Premiere)
“The Balloonists,” John Dower | USA/UK/Austria (World Premiere)
“The Eyes of Ghana,” Ben Proudfoot | USA (World Premiere)
“The Tale of Silyan,” Tamara Kotevska | North Macedonia (North American Premiere)
“There Are No Words,” Min Sook Lee | Canada (World Premiere)
“True North,” Michèle Stephenson | USA/Canada (World Premiere)
“While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts,” Peter Mettler | Canada/Switzerland (World Premiere)
“Whistle,” Christopher Nelius | Australia (World Premiere)

The post Documentaries About Paula Deen, Clergy Abuse and Whistling Contests Headed to Toronto Film Festival appeared first on TheWrap.

Of the 55 films screening in the Centerpiece program, 51 represent countries outside of the U.S. Some are collaborations with the U.S., while most are entirely international productions. Likewise, only six films are sole productions of Canada, with one co-production between Canada and Hungary.

18 of the films present in the section will have their world premieres at TIFF. These include “Good Boy,” starring Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough; Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner “Carolina Caroline,” from director Adam Carter Rehmeier, who previously made “Dinner in America” and “Snack Shack”; and “Wasteman,” the debut feature from Cal McMau starring David Jonsson from “Alien: Romulus” and “Industry.”

After premiering at Berlin International Film Festival, Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” will screen for the first time in North America at TIFF. The film follows Ethan Hawke (who starred in Linklater’s “Before” trilogy and “Boyhood”) as Lorenz Hart, a former collaborator of Richard Rodgers’, on the opening night of the musical “Oklahoma!” (created by Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II) in 1943. The movie is written by Robert Kaplow, whose book “Me and Orson Welles” was the basis for Linklater’s 2008 film of the same name.

Also at the festival will be director László Nemes’ new film “Orphan,” which he co-wrote with Clara Royer. The film will have its world premiere at Venice Film Festival before having its North American premiere at TIFF. Nemes’ first feature, “Son of Saul,” went on to win Best Foreign Language Film for Hungary at the Academy Awards in 2016. Hasan Hadi’s “The President’s Cake,” winner of the Director’s Fortnight Audience Award and the Golden Camera award at Cannes, will also have its North American premiere at TIFF.

Last year’s Centrepiece lineup included “Flow,” the Latvian film that won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and was also nominated for Best International Feature Film, and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” another Oscar international nominee. Centrepiece selections “Cloud,” “Julie Keeps Quiet,” “Kill the Jockey,” “Santosh” and “Universal Language” were the Oscar entries from Japan, Belgium, Argentina, the United Kingdom and Canada, respectively.

Additional films will be announced for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in a string of different releases between Aug. 6 and Aug. 8. The festival will take place from Sept. 4-14, 2025.

2025 Centerpiece films

“A Useful Ghost,” Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (North American Premiere)
“Arco,” Ugo Bienvenu (North American Premiere)
“Barrio Triste,” STILLZ (North American Premiere)
“Blood Lines,” Gail Maurice (World Premiere)
“Blue Heron,” Sophy Romvari (North American Premiere)
“Blue Moon,” Richard Linklater (North American Premiere)
“The Blue Trail,” Gabriel Mascaro (North American Premiere)
“Carolina Caroline,” Adam Carter Rehmeier (World Premiere)
“The Condor Daughter,” Álvaro Olmos Torrico (World Premiere)
“The Cost of Heaven,” Mathieu Denis (World Premiere)
“Dandelion’s Odyssey,” Momoko Seto (North American Premiere)
“Diya,” Achille Ronaimou (North American Premiere)
“Duse,” Pietro Marcello (International Premiere)
“Eagles of the Republic,” Tarik Saleh (North American Premiere)
“Erupcja,” Pete Ohs (World Premiere)
“Exit 8,” Genki Kawamura (North American Premiere)
“Follies,” Eric K. Boulianne (North American Premiere)
“The Fox King,” Woo Ming Jin (World Premiere)
“Girl,” Shu Qi (North American Premiere)
“Good Boy,” Jan Komasa (World Premiere)
“Hamlet,” Aneil Karia (Canadian Premiere)
“Honey Bunch,” Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (North American Premiere)
“I Swear,” Kirk Jones (World Premiere)
“In Search of The Sky,” Jitank Singh Gurjar (World Premiere)
“Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream,” Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji (North American Premiere)
“The Last One for The Road,” Francesco Sossai (North American Premiere)
“The Last Viking,” Anders Thomas Jensen (North American Premiere)
“Left-Handed Girl,” Shih-Ching Tsou (North American Premiere)
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han (North American Premiere)
“The Little Sister,” Hafsia Herzi (North American Premiere)
“The Love That Remains,” Hlynur Pálmason (North American Premiere)
“Lucky Lu,” Lloyd Lee Choi (North American Premiere)
“Mama,” Or Sinai (North American Premiere)
“Memory of Princess Mumbi,” Damien Hauser (North American Premiere)
“Milk Teeth,” Mihai Mincan (North American Premiere)
“Miroirs No. 3,” Christian Petzold (North American Premiere)
“Motor City,” Potsy Ponciroli (North American Premiere)
“My Father’s Shadow,” Akinola Davies Jr. (North American Premiere)
“The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” Diego Céspedes (North American Premiere)
“New Year’s Rev,” Lee Kirk (World Premiere)
“Nomad Shadow,” Eimi Imanishi (World Premiere)
“Olmo,” Fernando Eimbcke (North American Premiere)
“Orphan,” László Nemes (North American Premiere)
“Palimpsest: the Story of a Name,” Mary Stephen (World Premiere)
“The President’s Cake,” Hasan Hadi (North American Premiere)
“Renoir,” Chie Hayakawa (North American Premiere)
“Saipan,” Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn (World Premiere)
“Space Cadet,” Kid Koala (North American Premiere)
“The Sun Rises On Us All,” Cai Shangjun (North American Premiere)
“Two Prosecutors,” Sergei Loznitsa (North American Premiere)
“Under The Same Sun,” Ulises Porra (World Premiere)
“Unidentified,” Haifaa Al Mansour (World Premiere)
“Wasteman,” Cal McMau (World Premiere)
“Whitetail,” Nanouk Leopold (World Premiere)
“Youngblood,” Hubert Davis (World Premiere)

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Alongside these honorees, TIFF also announced that it would host the North American premiere of “No Other Choice,” the latest film from Park Chan-wook. Lee stars in the film, which will have its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival.

Brendan Fraser will serve as the 2025 Honorary Chair at the Tribute Awards. The Oscar-winning actor received a Tribute Performer Award in 2022 when he brought “The Whale” to TIFF. Fraser follows Sandra Oh, who became the ceremony’s first Honorary Chair in 2024.

“I’m honoured to return to Toronto once again and to the TIFF Tribute Awards, this time not as a recipient, but as this year’s Honorary Chair,” Fraser said in a statement. “TIFF has been meaningful to me and to be in this role during the Festival’s landmark 50th edition is a privilege. TIFF continues to champion the kind of bold storytelling that brings people together, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this year’s Tribute recipients.”

2025 marks the seventh annual Tribute Awards at TIFF, with the ceremony launching in 2019. Each year, the TIFF board selects a list of honorees — all of them cast and crew members of that year’s TIFF-screened films — for various categories of recognition. As of 2023, there are eight awards at the festival each year, including two Performer Awards. In the past, a male and a female have each taken one of the two Performer Award slots, though the ceremony recognized an ensemble of six performers from “My Policeman” in 2022 alongside Fraser.

This year, del Toro will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award. The director’s new feature, “Frankenstein,” will screen at TIFF after having its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival. “Frankenstein,” which will have a Gala Presentation at TIFF, releases worldwide on Netflix in November. Previous winners of the Ebert Director Award, named after famed film critic Roger Ebert, include Spike Lee, Mike Leigh, Denis Villeneuve and Chloé Zhao.

Foster will be recognized with the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award at the ceremony. This award, established in 2022, recognizes women who have made significant efforts toward championing and supporting other women in the film industry. Foster travels to TIFF with “A Private Life,” directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, following its 2025 Cannes Film Festival debut. Past recipients of the Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award are Michelle Yeoh, Patricia Arquette and Cate Blanchett.

The festival board will recognize writer/director Hikari with the TIFF Emerging Talent Award. Hikari’s second feature, “Rental Family,” will have its world premiere at the festival. Her debut, “37 Seconds,” previously screened at TIFF in 2019. Hikari directed “Rental Family” and wrote it alongside Stephen Blahut. Along with his Honorary Chair position, Fraser will attend TIFF as the star of “Rental Family,” which will release Nov. 21 from Searchlight Pictures.

Lee Byung-hun will receive the TIFF Special Tribute Award at the Sept. 7 ceremony, recognizing his career in both South Korea and Hollywood. The actor, who recently appeared in both “KPop Demon Hunters” and the final season of “Squid Game” on Netflix, will attend the festival with the North American premiere of Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice.”

“We’re thrilled to announce this year’s recipients, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape: from the commanding talent of Lee Byung Hun; the visionary imagination of maestro Guillermo del Toro; the evocative storytelling of HIKARI; to the incomparable career of actor, filmmaker, and icon Jodie Foster. We’re honoured to welcome these exceptional artists to Toronto for the seventh annual Tribute Awards,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a statement. “We’re also delighted to welcome back Brendan Fraser, our 2022 Tribute Performer Award recipient, as this year’s Honorary Chair, a beloved artist and past honouree whose warmth, generosity, and passion for storytelling truly embody the spirit of our Festival.”

More honorees will be announced by TIFF ahead of the Sept. 7 awards gala. The festival will take place from Sept. 4-14, 2025.

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The section will consist of 10 films, seven of them world premieres, two Canadian premieres and one international premiere.

The seven world premiere films include Ben Wheatley’s “Normal,” starring Odenkick as a small-town sheriff; and Bryan Fuller’s “Dust Bunny,” with Mikkelsen and Weaver in the story of an 8-year-old girl hunting the monster she says is under her bed. The international premiere will be “Junk World,” an animated film from Japanese filmmaker Takahide Hori.

The section will open and close with the Canadian premieres of films from Canadian directors. Matt Johnson’s “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” which won the midnight madness award at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, will open the program, while Grace Glowicki’s “Dead Lover,” about a gravedigger trying to revive her dead boyfriend, will close it.

The films will all screen at 11:59pm at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, the home for TIFF’s Midnight Madness section for the past few years.

Past films in the Midnight Madness section include “The Substance,” “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” “Titane,” “Assassination Nation” and the 2018 “Halloween” reboot/sequel.

The midnight films closed the first week of programming announcements from TIFF. A second batch of releases will reveal the rest of the lineup on Aug. 5-8.

The Midnight Madness selection:

“Dead Lover,” Grace Glowicki (Canadian Premiere) – closing film
“Dust Bunny,”Bryan Fuller (World Premiere)
“Fuck My Son!,” Todd Rohal (World Premiere)
“JUNK WORLD,”Takahide Hori (International Premiere)
“Karmadonna,”Aleksandar Radivojević (World Premiere)
“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” Matt Johnson (Canadian Premiere)
“Normal,” Ben Wheatley (World Premiere)
“Obsession,” Curry Barker (World Premiere)
“The Furious,” Kenji Tanigaki (World Premiere)
“The Napa Boys,”Nick Corirossi (World Premiere)

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On the opening night, Early’s film “Maddie’s Secret” will screen, a satire of the current “content culture” that dominates the internet. The comedian has appeared in a number of films and television shows, though “Maddie’s Secret” marks his first movie in the director’s chair. Fellow comics Vanessa Bayer, Kate Berlant and Connor O’Malley also appear in the film.

Another entry in the section, “The Man in My Basement” stars Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe. Directed by Nadia Latif, the thriller adapts Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name. Latif and Mosley wrote the screenplay together. The story follows an African-American man who rents his basement out to a European-accented businessman in a bid to keep his family home.

Other films in the section include Cato Kusters’ “Julian,” Zamo Mkhwanazi’s “Laundry,” Taratoa Stappard’s “Mārama” and Eva Thomas’ “Nika & Madison.” Thomas previously appeared at TIFF in 2024 with her directorial debut, “Aberdeen.”

In the past, the Discovery program hosted now-known filmmakers such as Alfonso Cuarón, Barry Jenkins, Yorgos Lanthimos, Christopher Nolan and Emma Seligman. Films from more than 30 countries will premiere in the program this year. You can find a full list of this year’s Discovery entries below.

Additional films will be announced for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in a string of different releases between July 24 and Aug. 8. The festival will take place from Sept. 4-14, 2025.

2025 Discovery films

“100 Sunset,” Kunsang Kyirong (World Premiere)
“Amoeba,” Siyou Tan (World Premiere)
“As We Breathe,” Şeyhmus Altun (World Premiere)
“Babystar,” Joscha Bongard (World Premiere)
“Bayaan,” Bikas Ranjan Mishra (World Premiere)
“Dinner With Friends,” Sasha Leigh Henry (World Premiere)
“Egghead Republic,” Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja (World Premiere)
“Forastera,” Lucía Aleñar Iglesias (World Premiere)
“Ghost School,” Seemab Gul (World Premiere)
“Julian,” Cato Kusters (World Premiere)
“Laundry,” Zamo Mkhwanazi (World Premiere)
“Little Lorraine,” Andy Hines (World Premiere)
“Maddie’s Secret,” John Early (World Premiere)
“The Man in My Basement,” Nadia Latif (World Premiere)
“Mārama,” Taratoa Stappard (World Premiere)
“Nika & Madison,” Eva Thomas (World Premiere)
“Noviembre,” Tomás Corredor (World Premiere)
“Oca,” Karla Badillo (World Premiere)
“Our Father,” Goran Stankovic (World Premiere)
“Out Standing,” Mélanie Charbonneau (World Premiere)
“Retreat,” Ted Evans (World Premiere)
“Sink,” Zain Duraie (World Premiere)
“The Son and the Sea,” Stroma Cairns (World Premiere)

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