There may not be as many big movie stars walking the red carpets at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, but there will be a bountiful selection of anticipated films to discover. TIFF revealed the 60 galas and special presentations that will have their world premieres or screen in the Great White North this September including Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin,” Chris Pine’s “Poolman” and Anna Kendrick’s “Woman of the Hour,” among others.
The festival had previously announced that Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” with Michael Fassbender and Elisabeth Moss and Atom Egoyan’s “Seven Veils” with Amanda Seyfried as well as Ladj Ly’s “Les Indésirables” would debut in Toronto. Other world premieres include Ellen Kuras’ “Lee” with Alexander Skarsgard, Kate Winslet, and Andrea Riseborough; Honey Trehan’s “Punjab ’95”; Sophi Dupuis’ “Solo,” and Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor.”
Other notable world premieres include Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” with Adam Brody, Issa Rae, and Jeffrey Wright (MGM); Tony Goldwyn’s “Ezra” with Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Vera Farmiga; Azazel Jacobs’ “His Three Daughters,” Alex Gibney’s doc “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon”; Michael Keaton’s “Knox Goes Away” with Keaton, Al Pacino, James Marsden, and Marcia Gay Harden; Niclas Larsson’s “Mother Couch” with Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, and Ellen Burstyn; Kristin Scott Thomas’ “North Star” featuring Sienna Miller, Scarlett Johansson, and Scott Thomas; James Hawes’ “One Life” with Helena Bonham Carter and Anthony Hopkins; David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers” with Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman and Jay Duplass (Netflix); Chris Pine’s directorial debut “Poolman” with Pine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito, and Annette Bening; Grant Singer’s “Reptile” with Frances Fisher, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, and Benicio del Toro (Netflix); Michael Winterbottom’s “Shoshana”; Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” with Paul Raci; Chelsea McMullan’s “Swang Song”; Chelsea McMullan’s “Swan Song”; Maggie Betts’ “The Burial” with Bill Camp, Jamie Foxx, Alan Ruck, and Tommy Lee Jones (Amazon Studios); Lee Tamahori’s “The Convert” with Guy Pearce; Anand Tucker’s “The Critic” with Gemma Arterton, Ben Barnes, and Lesley Manville; DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman’s “The Peasants“; Lukas Moodysson’s “Together 99”; Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett ‘s “Uproar” with Minnie Driver and Rhys Darby; Thea Sharrock’s “Wicked Little Letters” with Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, and Timothy Spall; as well as Anna Kendrick‘s own directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour” with Kendrick and Tony Hale (formerly known as “The Dating Game”).
Many of the films classifications indicate whether it may screen at Venice, announcing tomorrow, or the Telluride Film Festival, celebrating its 50th Anniversary, beforehand. The films that appear to be debuting at Venice first include Richard Linkletter’s “The Hit Man” with Glen Powell; Michael Franco’s “Memory” with Jessica Chastain and Peter Skarsgard; Bertrand Bonello’s “The Beast” with Lea Seydoux and George MacKay; and Daniela Goggi’s “El Rapto.”
Movies that appear to be screening at Telluride before Toronto include Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” (Focus) (a Telluride regular); Ethan Hawke’s “Wildcat” with Laura Linney and Maya Hawke (Linney has a home in Telluride); Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “NYAD” with Annette Bening (Netflix); Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails” with Jeremy Allen White, Annie Murphy, and Riz Ahmed; George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” with Colman Domingo (Netflix); and Kitty Green’s “The Royal Hotel” with Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, and Hugo Weaving (Neon).
The SAG and WGA strikes do not appear to be ending anytime soon, but if the work stoppage is ongoing by the time the festival begins TIFF is still hopeful many actors will still appear to promote films that were independently financed or are potential acquisition titles such as the aforementioned “Seven Veils.” Whether actors decide to cross that line remains to be seen, but the festival is hopeful some will. It is expected many international actors who are not SAG members will journey to Toronto to celebrate their new projects. In any case, expect filmmakers to get a larger share of the spotlight than usual.
TIFF reports that industry attendance at this year’s festival should be up 10% over 2022.
The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival will be held from Sept. 7 through Sept. 17.
The full line up so far is as follows:
GALA PRESENTATIONS 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um Tae-Hwa | South Korea
North American Premiere
Sales Title – North America Rights Available
Dumb Money Craig Gillespie | USA
World Premiere
Fair Play Chloe Domont | USA
International Premiere
Flora and Son John Carney | Ireland/USA
Canadian Premiere
Hate to Love: Nickelback Leigh Brooks | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Lee Ellen Kuras | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
*Next Goal Wins Taika Waititi | USA
World Premiere
NYAD Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA
International Premiere
Punjab ’95 Honey Trehan | India
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Solo Sophie Dupuis | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
The End We Start From Mahalia Belo | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
The Movie Emperor Ning Hao | China
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
The New Boy Warwick Thornton | Australia
North American Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
The Royal Hotel Kitty Green | Australia/United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2023
*Previously announced
A Difficult Year Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache | France
International Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
A Normal Family Hur Jin-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
American Fiction Cord Jefferson | USA
World Premiere
Anatomy of a Fall Justine Triet | France
Canadian Premiere
Close to You Dominic Savage | Canada/United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
Days of Happiness Chloé Robichaud | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
El Rapto Daniela Goggi | Argentina
North American Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
Ezra Tony Goldwyn | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – North American and some International Rights Available
Fingernails Christos Nikou | USA
International Premiere
Four Daughters Kaouther Ben Hania | France/Tunisia/Germany/Saudi Arabia
North American Premiere
Sales Title – Some Rights Available
His Three Daughters Azazel Jacobs | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Hit Man Richard Linklater | USA
North American Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon Alex Gibney | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Kidnapped Marco Bellocchio | Italy/France/Germany
North American Premiere
Knox Goes Away Michael Keaton | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
La Chimera Alice Rohrwacher | Italy/France/Switzerland
North American Premiere
Last Summer Catherine Breillat | France
North American Premiere
*Les Indésirables Ladj Ly | France
World Premiere
Sales Title – North America Rights Available
Memory Michel Franco | USA/Mexico
North American Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Monster Kore-eda Hirokazu | Japan
North American Premiere
Mother Couch Niclas Larsson | USA
World Premiere
North Star Kristin Scott Thomas | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
One Life James Hawes | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Pain Hustlers David Yates | USA
World Premiere
Poolman Chris Pine | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – Some Rights Available
Reptile Grant Singer | USA
World Premiere
Rustin George C. Wolfe | USA
International Premiere
*Seven Veils Atom Egoyan | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
Shoshana Michael Winterbottom | United Kingdom/Italy
World Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
Sing Sing Greg Kwedar | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available
Smugglers Ryoo Seung-wan | South Korea
North American Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Swan Song Chelsea McMullan | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title – Some Rights Available
The Beast Bertrand Bonello | France/Canada
North American Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
The Burial Maggie Betts | USA
World Premiere
The Convert Lee Tamahori | Australia/New Zealand
World Premiere
Sales Title – Worldwide Rights Available
The Critic Anand Tucker | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – Some Rights Available
The Dead Don’t Hurt Viggo Mortensen | Mexico/Canada/Denmark
World Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
The Holdovers Alexander Payne | USA
International Premiere
The Peasants DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman | Poland/Serbia/Lithuania
World Premiere
Sales Title – Some Rights Available
The Zone of Interest Jonathan Glazer | United Kingdom/Poland/USA
Canadian Premiere
Together 99 Lukas Moodysson | Sweden/Denmark
World Premiere
Unicorns Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd | United Kingdom/USA/Sweden
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Uproar Paul Middleditch, Hamish Bennett | New Zealand
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Wicked Little Letters Thea Sharrock | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title – International Rights Available
Wildcat Ethan Hawke | USA
International Premiere
Sales Title – North American Rights Available
Woman of the Hour Anna Kendrick | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – US Rights Available