Viola Davis' 'The Woman King' To Debut At This Year's TIFF

Sure, we’re only halfway through summer, but it’s time to start looking ahead to the fall and film festival season. Specifically, we have to start thinking about the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) because it appears that we’re starting to see what a couple of the big premieres are going to be at this year’s event.

According to TIFF, one of the major world premiere screenings at the event is “The Woman King,” by filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood. “The Woman King” is one of 2022’s most anticipated features and is expected to be a potential awards season contender, especially for its star, Viola Davis.

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Here’s the synopsis of the film from TIFF: 

The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for… 

The new film stars Davis, alongside Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and John Boyega. “The Woman King” is written by Dana Stevens, based on a story she worked on with Maria Bello.

But that’s not all!

TIFF also recently announced that there will be a world premiere screening for Nicholas Stoller’s romantic comedy “Bros.” The new comedy is co-written by Stoller and actor-comedian Billy Eichner. “Bros” stars Eichner as a man who hosts a podcast and ends up falling in love with Luke Macfarlane’s character Aaron. However, as you might expect, falling in love isn’t that easy and there are plenty of complications. The film also stars Amanda Bearse, Guy Branum, Guillermo Díaz, Dot-Marie Jones, Miss Lawrence, Eve Lindley, TS Madison, Jim Rash, and Monica Raymund. “Bros” is already a historic endeavor, as it’s the first time an openly gay man has written and starred in his own major studio film. 

Of course, as with every TIFF, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are assuming that there will be a ton of more major world premieres to hit Toronto in the fall. 

TIFF 2022 is set to begin on September 8. You can watch trailers for both films below: