#TIFF25: SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TIFF’s Short Cuts programme returns for TIFF 50 with a compelling slate of 48 short films representing 28 countries – including 20 Canadian titles. This year’s programme showcases TIFF’s expansive curatorial vision across seven presentations, including Strange Cuts, the Midnight Madness-adjacent strand introduced in 2024. The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will take place September 4–14, 2025.

The Best International and Best Canadian Short Film Awards are joined by a third honour this year: the Best Animated Short Film Award evaluated by a panel of three Short Cuts Jurors. This year they are are rising cinematographer Ashley Iris Gill (Black Community Mixtapes), Marcel Jean, Artistic Director of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Executive Director of the Cinémathèque québécoise, and Canadian actor, writer, and director Connor Jessup (whose short film Julian and the Wind had its World Premiere at last year’s Festival).

Hear from Short Cuts Co-Lead Programmer Sonja Baksa:

Programme highlights include the World Premieres of Dust to Dreams by acclaimed actor Idris Elba; The Contestant from duo Patrick Xavier Bresnan and Ivete Lucas (The Passing, TIFF Short Cuts ‘23), featuring David Hasselhoff; and DISC by Cannes alum Blake Winston Rice, co-written by and starring Victoria Ratermanis and Jim Cummings. Joecar Hanna’s Talk Me, executive produced by Spike Lee, makes its North American premiere, as does The Non-Actor starring Maya Hawke and Victoria Pedretti. The documentary All the Empty Rooms from Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel, executive produced by Adam McKay, will have its International Premiere.

Additional Short Cut programme highlights:

Ten animations across the seven-programme lineup, including Cannes, Annecy and Venice hits like Water Girl by Sandra Desmazières, The Girl Who Cried Pearls from Oscar-nominated Canadian animators Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, and Praying Mantis from the team of Yonfan (No. 7 Cherry Lane, TIFF ‘19) and Joe Hsieh.

Returns from TIFF alumni, including Rich Williamson and Shasha Nakhai (Scarborough, TIFF ‘21) with short satire Bots; Kelly Fyffe-Marshall (When Morning Comes, TIFF ‘22) with sharply scripted drama Demons; Healer from Chelsea McMullan (Swan Song, TIFF ‘23) in collaboration with Amar Wala (Shook, TIFF ‘24); A South Facing Window by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (City of Wind, TIFF ‘23, Snow in September, TIFF ‘22); and A Soft Touch by Heather Young (Murmur, TIFF ‘19, Milk, TIFF ‘17).

Award-winning standouts from the festival circuit, such as I’m Glad You’re Dead Now (Cannes 2025 short film Palme d’Or Winner) by Tawfeek Barhom and Ali (Cannes 2025 Special Jury Mention) by Adnan Al Rajeev.

Strange Cuts’ sophomore lineup, with genre hybrids including the deliciously twisted psychedelic animation UM by Nieto, cheeky micro satire Marriaginalia by Hannah Cheesman, and the absurdist wonder Thanks to Meet You! from Richard Hunter.

Compelling documentaries like seven-minute-long, visually striking short Divers by Georgie Wood and the whimsical Asparagus Bear from Ivan Grgur, produced by the Oscar-nominated director and last year’s Cannes short film Palme d’Or winner, Nebojša Slijepčević.

TIFF debuts from emerging Canadian filmmakers:

-Jazz Infernal, an upbeat ode to the roots of jazz music from Will Niava

Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts, a delightful mockumentary by Shervin Kermani

-The Year of the Dragon, a tender drama about the sacrifices of motherhood from Giran Findlay-Liu

-ripe, a drama about family duty from Solara Thanh Bình Đặng

-Karupy, an absurd family drama from Canadian Film Centre Director Labs alum Kalainithan Kalaichelvan

-Klee, a prairie-gothic sci-fi that flips the script on colonization, from Saskatchewan-based Métis filmmaker Gavin Baird

-Poster Boy, a cutthroat look at the ’90s boyband world by India Opzoomer, who is also in TIFF’s Directors Lab this year

Short Cuts Co-Lead Mariam Zaidi’s insights:

Short Cuts Programme 1 (in alphabetical order)

A Small Fiction of My Mother in Beijing | Dorothy Sing Zhang | China
World Premiere

Agapito | Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Danelle Romero | Philippines
North American Premiere

DISC | Blake Winston Rice | United States of America
World Premiere

Healer | Chelsea McMullan | Canada
World Premiere

Jazz Infernal | Will Niava | Canada
World Premiere

Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts | Shervin Kermani | Spain/Canada/Mexico
World Premiere

The Girl Who Cried Pearls | Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski | Canada
North American Premiere

Short Cuts Programme 2 (in alphabetical order)

Ambush | Yassmina Karajah | Jordan/Canada
World Premiere

Bots | Rich Williamson | Canada
World Premiere

I Fear Blue Skies | Salar Pashtoonyar | Canada
World Premiere

Not Scared, Just Sad | Isabelle Mecattaf | Lebanon/Bulgaria
World Premiere

Talk Me | Joecar Hanna | Spain/United States of America
North American Premiere

Water Girl | Sandra Desmazières | France/Netherlands/Portugal
North American Premiere

Short Cuts Programme 3 (in alphabetical order)

A South Facing Window | Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir | France/Mongolia
North American Premiere

Asparagus Bear | Ivan Grgur | Croatia
World Premiere

Demons | Kelly Fyffe-Marshall | Canada
World Premiere

Earworm | Patrik Eklund | Sweden
International Premiere

Sea Star | Tyler Mckenzie Evans | Canada
World Premiere

The Non-Actor | Eliza Barry Callahan | United States of America
North American Premiere

What We Leave Behind | Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte | Canada
North American Premiere

Short Cuts Programme 4 (in alphabetical order)

Ali | Adnan Al Rajeev | Bangladesh/Philippines
North American Premiere

Dust to Dreams | Idris Elba | Nigeria
World Premiere

Fiction Contract | Carolyn Lazard | United States of America
International Premiere

More Than Happy | Wei Keong Tan | Singapore
World Premiere

ripe | Solara Thanh Bình Đặng | Canada/Vietnam
World Premiere

To the Woods | Agnès Patron | France
North American Premiere

Year of the Dragon | Giran Findlay-Liu | Canada
World Premiere

Short Cuts Programme 5 (in alphabetical order)

Arguments in Favor of Love | Gabriel Abrantes | Portugal
North American Premiere

Dish Pit | Anna Hopkins | Canada
Canadian Premiere

I’m Glad You’re Dead Now | Tawfeek Barhom | France/Greece/Palestine
North American Premiere

Karupy | Kalainithan Kalaichelvan | Canada
World Premiere

Once in a Body | María Cristina Pérez González | Colombia/United States of America
North American Premiere

Pink Light | Harrison Browne | Canada
World Premiere

Poster Boy | India Opzoomer | Canada
World Premiere

The Contestant | Patrick Xavier Bresnan | United States of America/Germany
World Premiere

Short Cuts Programme 6 (in alphabetical order)

A Soft Touch | Heather Young | Canada
World Premiere

All the Empty Rooms | Joshua Seftel | United States of America
International Premiere

Divers | Geordie Wood | United States of America
North American Premiere

Niimi | Dana Solomon | Canada
World Premiere

Permanent Guest | Sana Zahra Jafri | Pakistan
World Premiere

The Death of the Fish | Eva Lusbaronian | France
North American Premiere

Strange Cuts

Klee | Gavin Baird | Canada
World Premiere

Marriaginalia | Hannah Cheesman | Canada
Marriaginalia is a surreal portrait of married life told across a day in three parts. A couple navigates life’s smaller ruptures — the world distorts, the body surprises — but their bond holds, serene and slightly off-kilter.
World Premiere

Praying Mantis | Joe Hsieh | Taiwan/Hong Kong
North American Premiere

Quietness | Gonçalo Almeida | Spain
World Premiere

Thanks To Meet You! | Richard Hunter | United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Veil | Gabriel Motta | Brazil
World Premiere

UM | Nieto | France
World Premiere

2025 Short Cuts Awards Jury

Ashley Iris Gill

Ashley Iris Gill is a rising cinematographer whose intimate, emotive style shapes acclaimed works like the Canadian Screen Award winner Black Community Mixtapes, Sundance’s Thriving, and Scaring Women At Night (TIFF Short Cuts ‘22). She has collaborated with many brands including Nike, Mercedes, and BMO, while also passionately advocating for BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ communities in film.

Marcel Jean

Marcel Jean has been the Artistic Director of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival since 2012 and the Executive Director of the Cinémathèque québécoise since 2015. He is the author of several books on animation and Canadian cinema, and from 1999 to 2005 he was an executive producer at the NFB French program animation studio.

Connor Jessup

Connor Jessup is a Canadian actor, writer, and director, best known for his leading roles in Netflix’s Locke & Key, ABC’s American Crime, and the independent film Closet Monster (winner, Best Canadian Feature Film, TIFF ’15). As a filmmaker, Jessup’s short films have screened at the Festival as well as the Berlinale, Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs, FNC and many other festivals.

Tickets go on sale to TIFF Members by level beginning on Friday, August 15. For more details, visit tiff.net/join. The full Festival schedule will be released on Tuesday, August 12. The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025.

#TIFF25: PRIMETIME PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TIFF is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Primetime programme, spotlighting exceptional international series and boundary-pushing episodic storytelling. Since launching in 2015, Primetime has offered audiences a first look at prestige series and auteur-driven television from around the world, recognizing the medium’s creative power and cultural impact. Over the past decade, TIFF has further expanded its support of serialized storytelling, introducing the Series Accelerator initiative in 2021 that champions emerging showrunners; premiering series year-round at TIFF Lightbox, and most recently announcing that series will be a key component of TIFF: The Market launching in 2026.

This year’s Primetime lineup welcomes six World Premieres including The Lowdown, which opens the section, from creator, executive producer, writer and director Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs) and stars executive producer Ethan Hawke; Netflix’s latest original Canadian series Wayward, created by Mae Martin, with Martin, Sarah Gadon and Toni Collette; Zach Baylin and Kate Susman’s Black Rabbit starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman who also directs some of the episodes; Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League the only documentary series in the lineup, created by Richard Brown and Tebogo Malope; Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi; and The Savage, created by Houman Seyyedi.

Other Primetime series coming to TIFF are the North American premieres of HBO’s Portobello – The Fall of Enzo Tortora by Italian cinematic master Marco Bellocchio, who will be given TIFF’s Luminaries distinction; Balázs Lengyel Rise of the Raven; Norway’s Pål Jackman and Åse Kathrin Vuolab’s A Sámi Wedding, and William Mager’s Reunion. All Primetime screenings include an extended Q+A with creators and cast.

Hear from Primetime’s lead programmer Geoff Macnaughton:

Primetime (in alphabetical order):

A Sámi Wedding | Åse Kathrin Vuolab, Pål Jackman | Norway
World Premiere

Black Rabbit | Zach Baylin, Kate Susman | USA
World Premiere

Gandhi | Sameer Nair, Hansal Mehta | India
World Premiere

Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League | Richard Brown, Tebogo Malope | Rwanda/UK/USA
World Premiere

Portobello – The Fall of Enzo Tortora | Marco Bellocchio | Italy/France
International Premiere

Reunion | William Mager, Luke Snellin | UK
North American Premiere

Rise of the Raven | Balázs Lengyel, Robert Dornhelm |
The lifelong attempt of fearless army commander János Hunyadi to defend Europe against an Ottoman invasion. Torn between family and duty, he re-shapes the history of the continent against geopolitical intrigues within his own ranks.
Hungary / Austria / Germany
North American Premiere

The Lowdown | Sterlin Harjo | USA
World Premiere

The Savage | Houman Seyyedi | Iran
International Premiere

Wayward | Mae Martin, Ryan Scott | Canada (Trailer here, still in banner)
World Premiere

The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025.

#TIFF25: DOCS PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TIFF is thrilled to announce the 2025 Docs programme presented by A&E IndieFilms, featuring 23 titles from 18 countries and 16 World Premieres. Audiences will encounter a wide range of real-life characters, including explorers, journalists, sex workers, activists, soldiers, and champion whistlers. This year’s lineup includes new work by celebrated directors such as Jimmy Chin, Billy Corben, Tamara Kotevska, Lucrecia Martel, Raoul Peck, Laura Poitras, Ben Proudfoot, Gianfranco Rosi, Michèle Stephenson, Peter Mettler, and Chai Vasarhelyi. The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will take place September 4–14, 2025.

The TIFF Docs programme features attention-grabbing non-fiction cinema from around the world. The programme will open with Academy Award–winning Canadian director Ben Proudfoot’s The Eyes of Ghana, which profiles the filmmaker Chris Hesse and is backed by executive producers Barack and Michelle Obama. High-profile World Premieres coming to TIFF as sales titles include: The Balloonists, directed by John Dower, capturing adventurers who set out to circle the globe in a balloon; A Life Illuminated, directed by Tasha Van Zandt, following marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder on a stunning journey to the ocean depths; Whistle, directed by Christopher Nelius, portraying a competition of champion whistlers; Nuns vs. the Vatican, directed by Lorena Luciano and executive produced by Mariska Hargitay, exposing new allegations of abuse inside the Catholic Church; Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, directed by Billy Corben, which re-investigates the scandal of a celebrity chef; and Modern Whore, directed by Canadian Nicole Bazuin, which explores the sex industry and is based on the book of the same name by Andrea Werhun and Bazuin.

Other World Premieres include Vasarhelyi and Chin’s LOVE+WAR, Stephenson’s True North, Sky Hopinka’s Powwow People, Zahraa Ghandour’s Flana, and a notable cluster of Canadian titles including Jamal Burger and Jukan Tateisi’s Still Single, Darlene Naponse’s Aki, Shane Belcourt’s Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising, Min Sook Lee’s There Are No Words, and Mettler’s While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts.

These TIFF Docs titles join a number of documentaries already announced for TIFF 50, including the World Premieres of John Candy: I Like Me and Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery in the Gala programme; Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution… in Special Presentations; and Palimpsest: the Story of a Name, announced yesterday in the Centrepiece programme.

Hear more from Docs Lead Programmer Thom Powers:

2025 TIFF Docs programme (in alphabetical order):

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 | Opening Film
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 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “RENTAL FAMILY”

It’s giving a bit of LOST IN TRANSLATION energy! Brendan Fraser stars in TIFF ’25 selection RENTAL FAMILY. Today, we get a new Trailer for this Hikari film!

Set against modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexitiesof his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Directed by: HIKARI

Screenplay by: HIKARI, Stephen Blahut

Produced by: Eddie Vaisman, p.g.a, Julia Lebedev, p.g.a, HIKARI, p.g.a, Shin Yamaguchi, p.g.a

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, and Akira Emoto

#TIFF25: CENTREPIECE PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED AT 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TIFF is proud to announce this year’s Centrepiece programme, the Festival’s global showcase of compelling cinema from around the world. This year, there are 55 titles from filmmakers representing nearly fifty countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, reflecting TIFF’s commitment to global cinema. Centrepiece provides a platform for internationally recognized films, acclaimed titles from other festivals around the globe, and highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents. This year’s slate includes the latest work from influential filmmakers Hubert Davis, Mathieu Denis, Hasan Hadi, Chie Hayakawa, Anders Thomas Jensen, Jan Komasa, Richard Linklater, Sergei Loznitsa, Pietro Marcello, Christian Petzold, Potsy Poncirol and Álvaro Olmos Torrico.

The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will take place September 4–14, 2025.

Hear from Jason Anderson: TIFF’s new Lead Programmer, Canada:

Centrepiece has 19 world premieres including:

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 (still seen above)

Erupcja, directed by Pete Ohs, features a combustible chemistry between a Polish florist (Lena Góra) and a British tourist (Charli xcx)

Good Boy, by Jan Komasa, a twisted thriller about freedom and identity, starring Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Anson Boon

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hear from Diana Cadavid, International Programmer Latin America, Spain, Portugal:

Notable North American premieres include: French animation director Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco,Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s A Useful Ghost, Barrio Triste, from music video director STILLZ, Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, Chadian director Achille Ronaimou’s surprising debut feature Diya, Genki Kawamura’s Exit 8, Quebec screenwriter, actor and director Eric K. Boulianne’s Follies, Taiwanese actor and director Shu Qi’s Girl, Iraqi filmmaker’s Mohamed Jabarah’s Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream, Shih-Ching Tsou’s Left-Handed Girl, co-written by Sean Baker, Lucky Lu by Korean-Canadian writer-director and 2025 TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award recipient Lloyd Lee Choi, German auteur Christian Petzold’s Miroirs No. 3, Italian filmmaker Francesco Sossai’s The Last One for The Road, Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen’s The Last Viking, Diego Céspedes’ The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo. Hafsia Herzi’s The Little Sister, and other Centrepiece standout selections are: Duse, an International Premiere from visionary Italian auteur Pietro Marcello (whose Martin Eden won TIFF’s 2019 Platform prize) and Hamlet, a Canadian Premiere from director Aneil Karia.

Centrepiece is programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Claire Diao, Giovanna Fulvi, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Anita Lee, Peter Kuplowsky, Andréa Picard, and Jason Ryle.

2025 CENTREPIECE PROGRAMME (in alphabetical order)

A Useful Ghost | Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke | Thailand/France/Singapore/Germany
North American Premiere

Arco | Ugo Bienvenu | France
Produced by: Natalie Portman, Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas
In 2075, a ten year old girl, Iris, witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. It’s Arco. He comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible. Iris shelters him and will do whatever it takes to help him return to his timeNorth American Premiere

Barrio Triste | STILLZ | Colombia/USA
North American Premiere

Blood Lines | Gail Maurice | Canada
Directed by: Gail Maurice
Starring: Dana Solomon, Derica LeFrance, Mélanie Bray, Bertha Durocher, Maggie Maurice, Mary Burnouf, Tamara Podemski, Gail Maurice
An estranged Métis mother and daughter struggle to overcome their differences, but their world comes crashing down when an alluring woman enters their lives.World Premiere

Blue Heron | Sophy Romvari | Canada/Hungary
North American Premiere

Blue Moon | Richard Linklater | USA/Ireland
North American Premiere

Carolina Caroline | Adam Carter Rehmeier | USA
World Premiere

Dandelion’s Odyssey | Momoko Seto | France/Belgium
North American Premiere

Diya | Achille Ronaimou | Chad/France/Germany/Côte d’Ivoire
North American Premiere

Duse | Pietro Marcello | France/Italy
International Premiere

Eagles of the Republic | Tarik Saleh | Sweden/France/Denmark/Finland/Germany
North American Premiere

Erupcja | Pete Ohs | USA/Poland
World Premiere

Exit 8 | Genki Kawamura | Japan
North American Premiere

Follies | Eric K. Boulianne | Canada
North American Premiere

Girl | Shu Qi | Taiwan
North American Premiere

Good Boy | Jan Komasa | Poland/UK
World Premiere

Hamlet | Aneil Karia | UK
Canadian Premiere

Honey Bunch | Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli | Canada
Starring: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Kate Dickie, Jason Isaacs, India Brown
Diana’s attentive and devoted husband, Homer, has taken her from her hospital bed to a remote experimental trauma retreat. After an accident left her with crippling pain and memory loss, this might be their last hope that she’ll get better. Farah, Diana’s personal physician, promises that with the use of Dr. Tréphine’s cutting-edge therapies and with Homer’s helping hand, she will make a full recovery — she’ll feel like her old self again. Homer is enthusiastic about her progress, but the more treatment she undergoes the less Diana feels like herself. When the ritualistic exercises intensify, Diana experiences haunting visions and begins to notice strange changes in her husband’s behaviour. Whispered conversations behind closed doors, going missing for long periods, and his insistence she is recovering even though she feels worse. As troubling memories from her relationship begin to come vividly back to her, Diana must confront the possibility that her recovery may come at a cost far greater than she imagined—one that threatens to unravel a sinister truth about her marriage.
North American Premiere

I Swear | Kirk Jones | UK
World Premiere

In Search of The Sky | Jitank Singh Gurjar | India
World Premiere

Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream | Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji | Iraq/United Arab Emirates/France/UK/Qatar/Saudi Arabia
North American Premiere

Left-Handed Girl | Shih-Ching Tsou | Taiwan/France/USA/UK
North American Premiere

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain | Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han | France
North American Premiere

Lucky Lu | Lloyd Lee Choi | USA
North American Premiere

Mama | Or Sinai | Israel/Poland/Italy
North American Premiere

Memory of Princess Mumbi | Damien Hauser | Kenya/Switzerland/Saudi Arabia
North American Premiere

Milk Teeth | Mihai Mincan | Romania/France/Denmark/Greece/Bulgaria
North American Premiere

Miroirs No. 3 | Christian Petzold | Germany
North American Premiere

Motor City | Potsy Ponciroli | USA
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Alan Ritchson, Ben Foster, Amar Chadha-Patel, Ben McKenzie, Lionel Boyce
In 1970s Detroit, John Miller falls in love with a local gangster’s girl. In retaliation, the gangster uses his corrupt police connections to send the innocent man to prison. Ruined, Miller plots a revenge campaign against the man who took his life and love away.
North American Premiere

My Father’s Shadow | Akinola Davies Jr. | UK/Nigeria
North American Premiere

New Years Rev | Lee Kirk | USA
World Premiere

Nomad Shadow | Eimi Imanishi | USA/Spain/France
World Premiere

Olmo | Fernando Eimbcke | USA/Mexico
North American Premiere

Orphan | László Nemes | Hungary/France/Germany/UK
North American Premiere

Palimpsest: the Story of a Name | Mary Stephen | France/Hong Kong/Taiwan
World Premiere

Renoir | Chie Hayakawa | Japan/France/Singapore/Philippines/Indonesia/Qatar
North American Premiere

Saipan | Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn | Ireland/UK
World Premiere

Space Cadet | Kid Koala | Canada
North American Premiere

The Blue Trail | Gabriel Mascaro | Brazil/Mexico/Chile/Netherlands
North American Premiere

The Condor Daughter | Álvaro Olmos Torrico | Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay
World Premiere

The Cost of Heaven | Mathieu Denis | Canada
Over the years, Nacer Belkacem has built what appears to be an enviable life: a loving father, happy husband, model employee, and respected member of his community. But beneath the surface, the cracks are starting to show. Buried in debt from overspending and risky investments, Nacer finds himself at a breaking point. With few options left, he devises a desperate plan to claw his way back. After all—you only get one shot at earning your place in heaven.
World Premiere

The Fox King | Woo Ming Jin | Malaysia/Indonesia
World Premiere

The Last One for The Road | Francesco Sossai | Italy/Germany
North American Premiere

The Last Viking | Anders Thomas Jensen | Denmark/Sweden
North American Premiere

The Little Sister | Hafsia Herzi | France/Germany
North American Premiere

The Love That Remains | Hlynur Pálmason | Iceland/Denmark/Sweden/France
North American Premiere

The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Diego Céspedes | Chile/France
North American Premiere

The President’s Cake | Hasan Hadi | Iraq/USA/Qatar
North American Premiere

The Sun Rises On Us All | Cai Shangjun | China
North American Premiere

Two Prosecutors | Sergei Loznitsa | France/Germany/Netherlands/Latvia/Romania/Lithuania
North American Premiere

Under The Same Sun | Ulises Porra | Dominican Republic/Spain
World Premiere

Unidentified | Haifaa Al Mansour | Saudi Arabia
World Premiere

Wasteman | Cal McMau | UK
World Premiere

Whitetail | Nanouk Leopold | Netherlands/Belgium/Ireland
World Premiere

Youngblood | Hubert Davis | Canada
World Premiere

The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025.

#TIFF25: TIFF TRIBUTE AWARDS 2025 GALA FIRST HONOUREES NAMED

Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF, is delighted to announce the first group of honourees of the seventh annual TIFF Tribute Awards, celebrating outstanding contributions to cinema and serving as the kick-off to awards season. Academy Award–winning Mexican-born filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award, two-time Academy Award winner and boundary-defying artist Jodie Foster will receive the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, award-winning Japanese writer, director, and producer HIKARI will receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award; and award-winning South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun is the recipient of a TIFF Special Tribute Award, attending TIFF this year with the North American Gala premiere of Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice. Academy Award–winning actor and 2022 Tribute Performer Award recipient Brendan Fraser will return to the Tribute Awards as the 2025 Honorary Chair. The seventh annual TIFF Tribute Awards will take place on Sunday, September 7, at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

“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 Bailey. “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.”

“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,” said Fraser. “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.”

The TIFF Tribute Awards gala is TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser and a world-class celebration of cinematic excellence. Proceeds support TIFF’s 50th anniversary campaign, Transform Together, advancing TIFF’s talent development, honouring visionary artists, and deepening community impact. Presented in partnership with Rolex, with support from RBC, Don Julio, and Fairmont Royal York.

2025 TIFF Tribute Awards Honourees

Guillermo del Toro — TIFF Ebert Director Award, presented by The Tory Family

Guillermo del Toro is attending the Festival with a Gala Presentation of his anticipated live-action feature, Frankenstein. His relationship with TIFF started with his debut feature Cronos (TIFF ’93) and continued throughout the years with Mimic (TIFF ’97), The Devil’s Backbone (TIFF ’01), Pan’s Labyrinth (TIFF ’06), and his People’s Choice Award–winning The Shape of Water (TIFF ’17), which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture and Best Director. Demonstrating his ongoing commitment to Canadian cinema, del Toro curated a TIFF Cinematheque series celebrating Canadian horror earlier this month and was recently honoured with a ceremonial key to the City of Toronto. Named after legendary film critic Roger Ebert, the honour previously known as the Golden Thumb Award has gone to celebrated visionaries such as Martin Scorsese, Claire Denis, Ava DuVernay, Wim Wenders, and the late Agnès Varda. Becoming part of the Tribute event in 2019, past recipients include Mike Leigh (2024), Spike Lee (2023), Sam Mendes (2022), Denis Villeneuve (2021), Chloé Zhao (2020), and Taika Waititi (2019).

Jodie Foster – TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, presented by Joanna Griffiths and the Women of Knix

In a career spanning over 50 years, Jodie Foster is one of the most critically acclaimed actresses of her generation. Her powerful performance in Nyad, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Academy Awards, had its World Premiere at TIFF ’23. She now makes her return to the Festival (following The Brave One at TIFF ’07) with Rebecca Zlotowski’s Private Life, a French psychological mystery in which she plays a therapist. A groundbreaker both on and off the screen, Foster has not only built a legacy of complex, powerful performances, including her Oscar-winning roles in The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs, but has also championed women filmmakers throughout her directing career, with films like Little Man Tate and Home for the Holidays, among others. The TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award is presented by Joanna Griffiths and the Women of Knix; and is inspired by TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative, created to address gender parity in the film industry, to champion women at every stage of their creative journey, and to shine a spotlight on women creators making a significant difference in the industry. Past recipients are Cate Blanchett (2024), Patricia Arquette (2023), and Michelle Yeoh (2022).

HIKARI — TIFF Emerging Talent Award, presented by Amazon MGM Studios

Writer, director, and producer HIKARI makes her second appearance at TIFF with the World Premiere of her sophomore feature Rental Family, starring Tribute chair Brendan Fraser. Her debut feature 37 Seconds (TIFF ’19) received the Panorama Audience Award and the CICAE Award at the 69th Berlinale, among other international accolades. Having directed for both film and television, her recent credits include Beef and Tokyo Vice. Presented by Amazon MGM Studios, this award is in the spirit of Torontonian Mary Pickford, the groundbreaking actor, producer, and co-founder of United Artists, whose impact continues today. Past recipients include Durga Chew-Bose (2024), Carolina Markowicz (2023), Sally El Hosaini (2022), Danis Goulet (2021), Tracey Deer (2020), and Mati Diop (2019).

Lee Byung Hun — TIFF Special Tribute Award

A global sensation, Lee Byung Hun has achieved massive success across film and television in both South Korea and Hollywood. Before breaking out internationally, he starred in Joint Security Area and A Bittersweet Life, and went on to Korean blockbusters and global hits like Squid Game, G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, Red 2, Terminator Genisys, and The Magnificent Seven. This is Byung Hun’s second appearance at TIFF and his second collaboration with Park Chan-wook. He was last in Toronto for the premiere of Concrete Utopia (TIFF ’23) and participated in an In Conversation with… series. This award is presented to an individual who has made an extraordinary and unique contribution to the world of film, leaving a lasting legacy through their dedication and artistry. Previous recipients include Zhao Tao (2024), Andy Lau (2023), Dionne Warwick (2021), and David Foster (2019).

Brendan Fraser — TIFF Honorary Chair

Brendan Fraser’s nuanced performances and compelling role choices have earned him widespread acclaim. He starred in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (TIFF ’22) and garnered multiple honours, including an Academy Award for Best Actor, a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and a SAG Award. In HIKARI’s Rental Family, Fraser plays a man hired by a company that provides rental family services, where people are employed to act as stand-ins for friends or relatives. Fraser will next appear in Anthony Maras’ Pressure, portraying Dwight D. Eisenhower, and in 2026, he’ll lend his voice to Tubi’s adult animated comedy Breaking Bear. His other recent work includes Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, Doom Patrol, Line of Descent, The Secret of Karma, The Poison Rose, Trust, and Condor. Additional credits include Brothers, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, The Affair, and The Field, among many others.

Film Announcement

TIFF will present the North American Premiere of Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, in which Byung Hun stars, as part of the Gala Presentations programme:

No Other Choice | Park Chan-wook | South Korea | Elevation Pictures

North American Premiere | Gala

New this year, Rolex has signed on as the exclusive Presenting Partner of the 2025 TIFF Tribute Awards. RBC, one of TIFF’s long-time Major Sponsors, is a new Supporting Partner. Don Julio and Fairmont Royal York are returning once again as Supporting Partners.

Rolex in Cinema

Rolex celebrates human achievement, recognizing the journey marked by milestones and emotions that culminate in defining moments, determined by a path followed, not just an award. For more than half a century, Rolex has partnered with some of the world’s most talented artists and leading cultural institutions to celebrate excellence and promote the transfer of artistic heritage, creating a link between the past, present, and future. Through the Rolex Perpetual Arts Initiative, a broad portfolio of arts that extends through architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theatre, and visual arts, the company confirms its long-term commitment to global culture. In all these endeavours, Rolex supports distinction in the arts and the transmission of knowledge to future generations, who in turn pass on the world’s cultural legacy.

The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025. Stay tuned for more TIFF announcements.

#FIRSTLOOK: “PEAK EVERYTHING” TRAILER

Peak Everything will close the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on September 13. The film will open theatrically in English Canada on September 26, 2025. Peak Everything had its world premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes this past May and was shown at the 39th Cabourg Film Festival last month, where it received the Grand Jury Prize.

The sixth feature film by Anne Émond, Peak Everything stars Patrick Hivon and Piper Perabo.

Synopsis: Adam (45) is a kind-hearted kennel-owner. Hypersensitive and borderline depressed, he hides his existential fears from his affection-avoidant father, and lets his young assistant take advantage of his good nature. To help combat his eco-anxiety, Adam orders a therapeutic solar lamp. Through the lamp’s supplier’s technical support line, he meets Tina, a radiant woman with a voice that soothes all of his worries. This unexpected encounter changes everything: Earth trembles, and hearts explode… It’s love!

Starring: Patrick Hivon, Piper Perabo, Gilles Renaud, Élizabeth Mageren, Éric Kamala Boulianne, Connor Jessup, Gord Rand, Jean-Carl Boucher, Leona Son, Sienna Feghouli, Denis Houle, Benoît Mauffette, Arlen Aguayo Stewart and Martin Dubreuil.

Director & Scriptwriter: Anne Émond
Producer: Sylvain Corbeil
Director of Photography: Olivier Gossot
Production Designer: Sylvain Lemaitre
Costume Designer: Patricia McNeil
Editor: Anita Roth
Composer: Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux
Line Producer: Marie-Claire Lalonde

About Immina Films:

Founded in 2022, distribution company Immina Films is a team with a passion for cinema whose main goal is to promote Quebec films. Concretely, this means both distributing recent works and sub-distributing an extensive catalogue which includes hundreds of iconic Quebec productions. Since its creation, Immina Films has distributed such hits as 23 DÉCEMBRE (Golden Screen Award winner at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards), LE TEMPS D’UN ÉTÉ, SIMPLE COMME SYLVAIN (César for Best Foreign Film), 1995 and MLLE BOTTINE. Immina Films is also growing its foreign film catalogue which includes European works IO CAPITANO and SARAH BERHNARDT: LA DIVINE. This year’s upcoming films include MENTEUSE (Compulsive Liar 2), AMOUR APOCALYPSE (Peak Everything) and LES FURIES.

#TIFF25: MIDNIGHT MADNESS PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Midnight Madness, presented by Intrepid Travel, returns to TIFF with its signature slate of wicked wonders that are sure to delight and disturb the Festival’s devoted and raucous late-night crowd. The section closes out each night of the Festival with 11:59pm screenings at the (possibly) haunted Royal Alexandra Theatre, where the nocturnal faithful gather to bear witness to the very best and most bizarre in contemporary genre and shock cinema. The 2025 edition features seven World Premieres and is bookended by two of the year’s most acclaimed midnight comedies courtesy of some seriously funny Canadians.

Midnight Madness opens with the Canadian Premiere of Matt Johnson’s Toronto-set Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. Based on Johnson’s cult Viceland series, this hysterical, death-defying time-travel caper earned a standing ovation and a coveted Midnighter Audience Award at this past spring’s SXSW. Deeply steeped in late-aughts Toronto lore, its hometown screening is anticipated to levitate audiences into high orbit from the infectious laughter alone.

The closing film is Dead Lover, a zany, macabre horror-comedy from Canadian director Grace Glowicki. This madcap phantasmagoria has been celebrated in festival midnight sections around the world, and fittingly concludes its tour in Toronto as a welcome addition to the Midnight Madness canon.

The Festival’s wild side also features World Premieres of Normal, the latest shoot-’em-up from 2016 Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award recipient Ben Wheatley; Dust Bunny, the darkly whimsical directorial debut of prolific television showrunner Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies); and Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious, a frenetic martial arts thriller that assembles some of the genre’s fiercest fighters (whose combined credits include The Raid, Chocolate, and Everything Everywhere All at Once). Midnight Madness devotees can expect these star-studded genre thrills to complement the lineup’s bold independent visions, including Curry Barker’s terrifying Obsession, Aleksandar Radivojević’s profane thriller Karmadonna, Takahide Hori’s imaginative stop-motion fantasia JUNK WORLD, and perhaps the two most berserk alt-comedies to ever play the section: Nick Corirossi and Armen Weitzman’s The Napa Boys and Todd Rohal’s Fuck My Son!

Here’s programme hype man Peter Kuplowsky with a breakdown of the Midnight Madness experience:

2025 Midnight Madness (in alphabetical order):

Dead Lover | Grace Glowicki | Canada | Closing Film
Canadian Premiere

Dust Bunny | Bryan Fuller | USA
World Premiere

Fuck My Son! | Todd Rohal | USA
World Premiere

JUNK WORLD | Takahide Hori | Japan
International Premiere

Karmadonna | Aleksandar Radivojević | Serbia
World Premiere

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie | Matt Johnson | Canada | Opening Film (still seen above)
Canadian Premiere

Normal | Ben Wheatley | USA/Canada
World Premiere

Obsession | Curry Barker | USA
World Premiere

The Furious | Kenji Tanigaki | Hong Kong/China
World Premiere

The Napa Boys | Nick Corirossi | USA
World Premiere

Tickets go on sale to TIFF Members by level beginning on Friday, August 15. For more details, visit tiff.net/join. The full Festival schedule will be released on Tuesday, August 12. The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025.

About TIFF:

TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. A global leader in film and entertainment, TIFF initiatives include the annual Toronto International Film Festival® in September; TIFF Lightbox, which features five cinemas, learning and entertainment facilities; the Donald Shebib TIFF Film Circuit, an innovative national distribution program; and TIFF: The Market launching in 2026. The organization generates an estimated annual economic impact of $240 million CAD. TIFF Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel, and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation, and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “OUT STANDING”

Out Standing, by director Mélanie Charbonneau (Fabulous), will have its World Premiere this September at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film boasts a stellar cast that includes Nina Kiri (Handmaid’s Tale) as Sandra Perron, Vincent Leclerc (Allen Sunshine), and Enrico Colantoni (Humane, English Teacher).

In 1995, after returning home from a peacekeeping mission in Croatia, Captain Sandra Perron—Canada’s first female infantry officer—stuns the military by resigning abruptly. When a disturbing photo surfaces of her tied to a tree in uniform, apparently unconscious, questions spiral. Pursued by journalists and a relentless military investigation, Sandra is thrust into a reluctant journey to confront buried traumas and the true cost of loyalty and sacrifice. Refusing to label herself a victim, she reveals a story of fierce courage and resilience, uncovering the battles fought within her own ranks. Based on a powerful true story of endurance against the odds.

Director: Mélanie Charbonneau
Screenplay: Mélanie Charbonneau, Martine Pagé
Principal Cast: Nina Kiri, Vincent Leclerc, Enrico Colantoni, Adrian Walters, Antoine Pilon, Stephen Thomas Kalyn, Conrad Pla
Producer: Marcel Giroux, Julia Rosenberg
Production Company: GPA Films, January Media
Canadian distributor: Sphere Films

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “GOOD FORTUNE”

Premiering at TIFF ’25, Aziz Ansari‘s directorial debut GOOD FORTUNE gets a new Trailer today! Cineplex Pictures release October 17, 2025.

Details:

Written and Directed by: Aziz Ansari
Cast: Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh
Synopsis: In GOOD FORTUNE, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen).

Lionsgate presents, in association with Media Capital Technologies, a Garam Fiilms / Keep Your Head / Yang Pictures production.

About Cineplex Pictures
Cineplex Pictures, a division of Cineplex, is a distributor of a wide range of films. Recent titles include Ballerina, Flight Risk, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Strangers: Chapter 1, The Queen of My Dreams, The Boy and the Heron, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, SAW X, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and John Wick: Chapter 4.