A Suitable Boy

Source: Courtey of TIFF

A Suitable Boy

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