The Seed Of The Sacred Fig

Source: Cannes

‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the 43 features selection for the Centrepiece programme including world premieres for Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s feuding matriarchs comedy Front Row and Laura Piani’s romantic comedy Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

Taking their place in the global cinema showcase alongside the latest work from 41 countries are features that have already impressed at festivals, such as Mohammad Rasoulof’s Cannes award winner The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, and Steven Soderbergh’s Sundance selection Presence.

The 18 world premieres include Iranian filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi’s human rights drama Seven Days written by Rasoulof, and Colombian thriller Pimpinero: Blood And Oil from Andrés Baiz.

Antoinette Jadaone’s drama Sunshine from the Philippines tells of a gymnast who discovers she is pregnant on the eve of national tryouts, while Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Canadian drama Measures For A Funeral is about a forgotten Canadian violinist.

The 49th edition of TIFF runs September 5-15. The 2024 Centrepiece programme appears below in alphabetical order.

Addition (Australia)
Dir: Marcelle Lunam
World premiere

A Missing Part (Belg-Fr)
Dir: Guillaume Senez
World premiere

An Unfinished Film (Sing-Ger)
Dir: Lou Ye
North American premiere

Anywhere Anytime (It)
Dir: Milad Tangshir
International premiere

April (It-Fr-Geo)
Dir: Dea Kulumbegashvili
North American premiere

Beloved Tropic (Pan-Col)
Dir: Ana Endara
World premiere

Bound In Heaven (Chin)
Dir: Huo Xin
World premiere

By The Stream (SK)
Dir: Hong Sangsoo
North American premiere

Cloud (Japan)
Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
North American premiere

Crocodile Tears (Indo-Fr-Sing-Ger)
Dir: Tumpal Tampubolon
World premiere

Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Viet-Sing-Phil-Indo)
Dir: Dương Diệu Linh
North American premiere

Edge Of Night (Ger)
Dir: Türker Süer
North American premiere

Fanatical: The Catfishing Of Tegan And Sara (USA)
Dir: Erin Lee Carr
World Premiere

Flow (Lat-Fr-Belg)
Dir: Gints Zilbalodis
Canadian premiere

Front Row (Alg-Saud-Fr)
Dir: Merzak Allouache
World premiere

Happyend (Japan-USA)
Dir: Neo Sora
North American premiere

Happy Holidays (Pal-Ger-Fr-It-Qat)
Dir: Scandar Copti
North American premiere

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (Fr)
Dir: Laura Piani
World premiere

Julie Keeps Quiet (Belg-Swe)
Dir: Leonardo van Dijl
North American premiere

Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without End (NZ)
Dir: Michael Jonathan
North American premiere

Kill The Jockey (Arg-Mex-Sp-Den-USA)
Dir: Luis Ortega
North American premiere

Little Jaffna (Fr)
Dir: Lawrence Valin
North American premiere

Los Tortuga (Sp-Chile)
Dir: Belén Funes
World premiere

Matt And Mara (Can)
Dir: Kazik Radwanski
North American premiere

Measures For A Funeral (Can)
Dir: Sofia Bohdanowicz
World premiere

My Sunshine (Japan-Fr)
Dir: Hiroshi Okuyama
North American premiere

Pimpinero: Blood And Oil (Col)
Dir: Andrés Baiz
World premiere

Presence (USA)
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
International premiere

Santosh (UK)
Dir: Sandhya Suri
Canadian premiere

Seven Days (Ger)
Dir: Ali Samadi Ahadi
World premiere

Souleymane’s Story (Fr)
Dir: Boris Lojkine
International premiere

Sunshine (Phil)
Dir: Antoinette Jadaone
World premiere

Sweet Angel Baby (Can)
Dir: Melanie Oates
World premiere

The Legend Of The Vagabond Queen Of Lagos (Nigeria-Ger-SA-USA)
Dirs: Agbajowo Collective – James Tayler, Ogungbamila Temitope, Okechukwu Samuel, Mathew Cerf, Tina Edukpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, A.S. Elijah | Nigeria/Germany/South Africa/USA
World premiere

The Mother And The Bear (Can-Chil)
Dir: Johnny Ma
World premiere

The Mountain (NZ)
Dir: Rachel House
North American premiere

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Iran-Fr-Ger)
Dir: Mohammad Rasoulof
Canadian premiere

The Swedish Torpedo (Swe)
Dir: Frida Kempff
World premiere

The Village Next To Paradise (Fr-Austria-Ger-Som)
Dir: Mo Harawe
North American premiere

To A Land Unknown (UK-Fr-Ger-Neth-Gre-Qat-Sau-Pal)
Dir: Mahdi Fleifel
North American premiere

Under The Volcano (Pol)
Dir: Damian Kocur
World premiere

Universal Language (Can)
Dir: Matthew Rankin
North American premiere

When The Light Breaks (Ice-Neth-Cro-Fr)
Dir: Rúnar Rúnarsson
North American premiere