Movie lovers, are you ready? The Toronto International Film Festival is coming up from September 7 to the 17 and the official film schedule is out! Here’s a list that we compiled of 8 screenings we think are worth checking out:
1. The Boy and the Heron
First up, is TIFF’s opening film The Boy and the Heron. The film is the first Japanese animated film to open the festival in TIFF’s nearly 50-year history.
READ MORE: TIFF to open this year’s festival with a Japanese animated film for the first time ever
The fantasy film was written and directed by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and tells the story of loss and love through wild imagination.
During the Second World War, young Mahito Maki suffers a family tragedy and must move to the countryside. Feeling isolated, Mahito begins exploring the mysterious landscapes and encounters a grey, talking heron. The pair then enter an abandoned tower and go on a magical journey.
2. Bria Mack Gets A Life
Next, is a Canadian comedy series from Sasha Leigh Henry called Bria Mack Gets A Life. The film depicts what adulthood is like for a young, Black woman in Brampton reluctantly entering the workforce. The show stars Bria, played by Malaika Hennie-Hamadi, as she navigates the very mundane and awkward world of employment after graduating from university.
Episodes of the series are directed by Henry, the showrunner and creator, and Canadian filmmaker Kelly Fyffe-Marshall.
3. Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe
Another Canadian screening to check out is Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe. The heartfelt documentary, by Robert McCallum, celebrates the life and work of Ernie Coombs, who played the legendary children’s TV personality.
Mr. Dressup was considered a grown-up pal to Canadian kids for nearly 30 years, both on his TV show and in public appearances. The film also explores the love story of Coombs, his wife Lynn, and their kids.
4. Woman of the Hour
Pitch Perfect star Anna Kendrick is making her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, a fiction about American serial killer Rodney Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game, in the middle of his 1970s murder spree.
Alcala was a registered sex offender and recently released from prison when he infamously appeared on The Dating Game, a show that introduced three new bachelors each week, while hidden from view as a single woman asked them questions before choosing a winner to go on an all-expenses-paid trip with her.
In addition to directing, Kendrick also plays Cheryl Bradshaw, a struggling actor who appeared on the show and had a chilling run-in with Alcala.
5. Black Life: Untold Stories
Black Life: Untold Stories is a new CBC documentary that uses contemporary interviews and archival footage to showcase Canada’s history of anti-Black racism. Created by Leslie Norville, episodes include topics on police brutality and the rise of hip hop music, among others.
The show’s first episodes address the history of enslaved people in Canada and the attempts of Black Canadians to create their own communities while combating intimidation and violence from their racist neighbours.
6. Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins is a comedy about the American Samoa soccer team’s attempt to make a World Cup 12 years after their infamous 31-0 loss in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match.
Dutch-American manager Thomas Rongen, played by Michael Fassbender, lands on the small island determined to inject footballing discipline into the team as they make a qualifying run for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
7. Pain Hustlers
Chris Evans and Emily Blunt star in Pain Hustlers, based on the book by Evan Huges. The film follows the pharmaceutical drug reps who unwittingly help launch the opioid epidemic in the pursuit of financial success.
Liza Drake, played by Blunt, is a single mom working as a dancer when she meets Pete Brenner (Evans), a drug rep for a struggling pharmaceutical startup. Brenner then recruits Drake to sell a new kind of opioid created to give pain relief to cancer patients.
8. Close To You
Lastly, Close To You stars Canadian actor Elliot Page as Sam, who has a chance encounter with an old friend on his way home to a family reunion that forces him to confront repressed memories.
Sam hasn’t been home since his transition, and after four years in Toronto, he takes a trip back to Cobourg for his father’s birthday. He then runs into Katherine, played by Hillary Baack, a friend from high school and feelings from their unresolved past begin to arise.
For TIFF’s full schedule, visit its website.
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