New work from Francis Lee, Werner Herzog, François Ozon, Gianfranco Rosi, Regina King and Mira Nair are among the line-up for the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
As previously announced, Spike Lee’s David Byrne’s American Utopia will open this year’s edition, which runs from September 10-19.
The festival will close with the first two episodes of Nair’s A Suitable Boy (pictured), a six-part TV drama that debuted on the BBC in the UK last Sunday (July 26). Netflix has online global rights, excluding North America and China.
Scroll down for full line-up
Selections include Francis Lee’s Ammonite; François Ozon’s Summer Of 85; directorial debuts from Oscar-winning actresses – Bruised from Halle Berry and One Night In Miami from Regina King; Michel Franco’s New Order; Notturno from Gianfranco Rosi (Fire At Sea); Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds from Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer; and Penguin Bloom from Glendyn Ivin.
As previously announced, Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand will get a simultaneous world premiere on September 11 at TIFF and Venice. TIFF has dispensed with sections and premiere status this year in a collegial nod to what continues to be an immensely challenging year.
The selection includes nine titles that received the Cannes 2020 label including the aforementioned Ammonite and Summer of 85 alongside Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s Beginning, Viggo Mortensen’s Falling, Ben Sharrock’s Limbo, João Paulo Miranda Maria’s Memory House, Suzanne Lindon’s Spring Blossom and Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers.
Films that were previously seen at Sundance include Mortensen’s Falling and Florian Zeller’s The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman.
The 50 films – a vast reduction on the usual count of more than 250 that reflects logistical challenges in a pandemic year – will screen under the auspices of a hybrid event that combines physical and online screenings.
At time of writing, the plan is for socially-distanced presentations over the first five days in three regular TIFF venues as well as outdoor venues including drive-ins – all based on public health guidance.
Special events, special presentations and industry programming will be announced in due course.
A TIFF press release noted that a “strong representation of women, Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour” among the selection reflected the organisation’s ”continuing commitment to normalising gender parity and racial equality for future generations”.
“We began this year planning for a 45th festival much like our previous editions,” said TIFF co-head and artistic director Cameron Bailey. “But along the way we had to rethink just about everything. This year’s line-up reflects that tumult. The names you already know are doing brand new things this year, and there’s a whole crop of exciting new names to discover. We’re thankful to every filmmaker and company that joined us on this adventure, and we can’t wait to share these brilliant films with our audiences.”
“TIFF 2020 is a special edition and symbolizes what is possible when collaboration, ingenuity and passion take centre stage,” said Joana Vicente, TIFF co-head and executive director. “It’s also a time for us to celebrate and affirm some of the founding values of TIFF, including the power film has to propel us forward as a society and present a diversity of voices. I’m proud and excited to share these films with audiences.”
Line-up information is not final and is subject to change. Information on TIFF’s public screening venues and dates when tickets go on sale will be announced in early August.
Toronto International Film Festival 2020 lineup
180 Degree Rule (Iran)
Dir. Farnoosh Samadi
76 Days (US)
Dirs. Hao Wu, Anonymous, Weixi Chen
Ammonite (UK)
Dir. Francis Lee
Another Round (Den)
Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
Bandar Band (Iran-Ger)
Dir. Manijeh Hekmat
Beans (Can)
Dir. Tracey Deer
Beginning (Georgia-Fr)
Dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili
The Best Is Yet To Come (China)
Dir. Wang Jing
Bruised (US)
Dir. Halle Berry
City Hall (US)
Dir. Frederick Wiseman
Concrete Cowboy (US)
Dir. Ricky Staub
David Byrne’s American Utopia (US) Opening Night Film
Dir. Spike Lee
The Disciple (India)
Dir. Chaitanya Tamhane
Enemies Of The State (US)
Dir. Sonia Kennebeck
Falling (Can-UK)
Dir. Viggo Mortensen
The Father (UK-Fr)
Dir. Florian Zeller
Fauna (Mex-Can)
Dir. Nicolás Pereda
Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds (UK-US)
Dirs. Werner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer
Gaza Mon Amour (Fr-Ger-Port-Pal-Qat)
Dirs. Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser
Get The Hell Out (Taiwan)
Dir. I-Fan Wang
Good Joe Bell (US)
Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green
I Care A Lot (UK)
Dir. J Blakeson
Inconvenient Indian (Can)
Dir. Michelle Latimer
The Inheritance (US)
Dir. Ephraim Asili
Lift Like A Girl (Egypt-Ger-Den)
Dir. Mayye Zayed
Limbo (UK)
Dir. Ben Sharrock
Memory House (Braz-Fr)
Dir. João Paulo Miranda Maria
MLK-FBI (US)
Dir. Sam Pollard
The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel (Can)
Dirs. Joel Bakan, Jennifer Abbott
New Order (Mex)
Dir. Michel Franco
Night Of The Kings (Ivory Coast-Fr-Can-Sen)
Dir. Philippe Lacôte
Nomadland (US)
Dir. Chloé Zhao
No Ordinary Man (Can)
Dirs. Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt
Notturno (It-Fr-Ger)
Dir. Gianfranco Rosi
One Night In Miami (US)
Dir. Regina King
Penguin Bloom (Aus-US)
Dir. Glendyn Ivin
Pieces Of A Woman (US-Can-Hun)
Dir. Kornél Mundruczó
Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time (Hun)
Dir. Lili Horvát
Quo Vadis, Aïda? (Bos-Nor-Neth-Aust-Rom-Fr-Ger-Pol-Turk)
Dir. Jasmila Žbanić
Shadow In The Cloud (US-NZ)
Dir. Roseanne Liang
Shiva Baby (US-Can)
Dir. Emma Seligman
Spring Blossom (Fr)
Dir. Suzanne Lindon
A Suitable Boy (UK-India) Closing Night Presentation
Dir. Mira Nair
Summer Of 85 (Fr)
Dir. François Ozon
The Third Day (UK)
Dirs. Marc Munden, Philippa Lowthorpe
Trickster (Can)
Dir. Michelle Latimer
True Mothers (Jap)
Dir. Naomi Kawase
Under The Open Sky (Jap)
Dir. Miwa Nishikawa
Violation (Can)
Dirs. Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli
Wildfire (UK-Ire)
Dir. Cathy Brady
No comments yet