Toronto International Film Festival: Updates and Highlights

First Few Days of the Festival

While the just-ended Venice Film Festival exploded out of the gate with two high-profile acquisition announcements in its first 24 hours for Maria and Queer, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was staying true to form as the first major on-site deals were yet to materialize heading into Sunday.

Anticipated heavyweights like Ron Howard’s Eden, Daniel Minahan’s 1950s drama On Swift Horses, and Anderson.Paak’s K-POPS received their world premieres on Saturday, while Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl first screened on Friday and has sparked admiring talk of a possible awards play for Pamela Anderson’s lead performance should the film find a US distributor.

A crop of celebrity-studded acquisition titles, combined with premieres of films already spoken for, has brought a steady influx of household names to Toronto’s red carpets over the first few days after last year’s relatively sparse offering caused by the ongoing Hollywood actors strike.

Acquisitions and Premieres

Eden, the Galapagos-set survival thriller, stars Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, Ana de Armas, and Daniel Brühl. Saturday’s screening was paused for 10 minutes while medics removed an audience member from Roy Thomson Hall on a stretcher – TIFF had not updated on the person’s condition at time of writing. Buyers will get the chance to see a P&I screening on Sunday.

Comedy drama K-POPS also screens on Sunday as a P&I, as do The Last Showgirl, David Siegel and Scott McGehee drama The Friend which premiered in Telluride and stars Naomi Watts and Bing the Great Dane, and 1950s-set drama On Swift Horses with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi.

Upcoming Premieres and Screenings

After Saturday night’s Midnight Madness world premiere of Joseph Kahn’s Ick, Sunday’s watchlist sees world premieres for David Mackenzie’s thriller Relay starring Riz Ahmed, Sam Worthington, and Lily James, and the Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson Midnight Madness selection Friendship from Andrew DeYoung.

There is also the first chance to see Max Minghella’s dark comedy and body horror Shell with Kate Hudson and Elisabeth Moss as a P&I screening, ahead of Thursday’s world premiere.

Acclaimed Sales Titles

Newly anointed Venice Silver Lion best director winner Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist screened to press and industry on Friday and plays again several times next week. Focus Features has already acquired international rights from Protagonist, and CAA Media Finance is understood to be fielding interest from US buyers.

One acclaimed sales title that will not come to TIFF and yet has provoked constant chatter among buyers in Toronto is September 5, Tim Fehlbaum’s stirring recreation of ABC Sports’ coverage of the attack by Palestinian terrorists on the Israeli team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The drama premiered on the Lido and parlayed strong word of mouth into its Telluride screening.

Conclusion

The Toronto International Film Festival has been marked by a steady influx of household names, with anticipated heavyweights like Ron Howard’s Eden and Daniel Minahan’s 1950s drama On Swift Horses receiving their world premieres. While buyers remain cautious after a tough few years, some deals are expected to get done before the festival wraps, with business likely to play out over several weeks if not longer.

FAQs

Q: What are the most anticipated films at TIFF?
A: Films like Ron Howard’s Eden, Daniel Minahan’s 1950s drama On Swift Horses, and Anderson.Paak’s K-POPS are generating significant buzz.

Q: What are the chances of deals getting done at TIFF?
A: While buyers remain cautious, some deals are expected to get done before the festival wraps, with business likely to play out over several weeks if not longer.

Q: Are there any notable premieres or screenings at TIFF?
A: Yes, world premieres include David Mackenzie’s thriller Relay starring Riz Ahmed, Sam Worthington, and Lily James, and the Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson Midnight Madness selection Friendship from Andrew DeYoung.