TIFF2024: Showcasing the Best of World Cinema

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) begins this week and features a lineup that is among the most remarkable in recent years. TIFF often offers a preview of the potential Academy Awards while presenting a remarkable chance for audiences to view films before their official release. Several of these films are still seeking distribution, while others are already generating excitement.

Here are some of the films I am very excited to see at this year′s festival.

40 Acres

Danielle Deadwyler portrays Hailey Freeman, who, along with her family, are African American farmers settling in Canada after the First Civil War. It tells the story of them protecting their land from a group hell-bent on taking it from them.

Anora

Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this film. Mikey Madison stars as an exotic dancer who becomes romantically involved with the son of a Russian oligarch. The anticipation of this film comes from the fact that it was written and directed by Baker, who has a knack for spotlighting people who aren’t usually at the centre of a film. He did this with The Florida Project and his last film, Red Rocket. We can’t wait to see the movie that already has Best Picture buzz around it.

Eden

Ron Howard directs an all-star cast that includes Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, Ana de Armas and Jude Law, who portray a group of people looking for bliss on an uninhabited island only to find that the peacefulness they seek isn’t there. Howard has been relatively quiet on the directors’ front, and this is a highly anticipated film.

Heretic

A24 brings us this film about two young religious girls going door to door when they knock on the wrong door. Hugh Grant—who was creepy in Wonka—stars as the man whose house they show up at.

SATURDAY NIGHT

This film is a behind-the-scenes look at the first episode of Saturday Night Live. This late addition to the festival has generated a lot of buzz.

The Assessment

This is a futuristic film where parenthood is strictly controlled. In order to have a child, a couple needs to be approved. Elizabeth Olsen and Alicia Wikander star in this film.

The Friend

Many have referred to this as the best work of Naomi Watt’s career. Her character adopts a Great Dane that belonged to a late friend and mentor. Bill Murray and Constance Wu also star.

The Last Showgirl

Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter, Gia, directs this film that stars Pamela Anderson as a seasoned Las Vegas performer who must plan for her future as her show closes after 30 years.

The Piano Lesson

Denzel Washington has produced several of August Wilson’s plays—Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom—and now The Piano Lesson. This film, which centres on a family heirloom, is directed by Denzel’s son Malcolm and stars his son John David. It has gotten some early Academy Award buzz for Samuel L. Jackson.

The Substance

This film has a lot of buzz around it, and it opens the Midnight Madness section of the festival. It stars Demi Moore as a fading Hollywood star in a body horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat (Revenge).

Unstoppable

Jharrel Jerome, who won an Emmy for his performance in When They See Us and starred in the Academy Award Best Picture film, Moonlight, stars as Anthony Robles, a disabled athlete with huge aspirations. Jennifer Lopez and Don Cheadle also star in this film. Jerome was also announced as a TIFF Tribute Award winner.