Every September, Toronto becomes the heartbeat of awards season. Today, the festival unveiled its first five world premieres for its 50th edition, kicking off the annual speculation cycle with a bang.
With the rest of the lineup likely to be released in the next couple weeks I decided to predict what I think the biggest titles will be.
The First Five: What We’ve Learned
TIFF opened its cards with five Special Presentations, each a world premiere:
- The Captive — Alejandro Amenábar returns to psychological drama with this Spanish–Italian co-production. Amenábar hasn’t hit TIFF since The Sea Inside.
- The Christophers — Steven Soderbergh, always restless, brings what’s being billed as an “alt-history thriller” centered around a fringe religious group in 1950s America. If it is scheduled to come out this year, it would be the third film Soderbergh has released wide this calendar year.
- Good News — South Korea’s Byun Sung-hyun makes his TIFF debut with what appears as a political noir.
- Hedda — Following The Marvels, Nia DaCosta pivots back to intimate drama with this reimagining of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.
- Mile End Kicks — Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack (I Like Movies) returns with a Montreal-set coming-of-age story.
Potential Additions to the Lineup
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story — dir. Rian Johnson
The first two films in the Knives Out franchise both debuted at TIFF, feels like a natural addition.
The Running Man — dir. Edgar Wright
A Stephen King adaptation won the People’s Choice Award last year, so it should be an easy addition to this year’s lineup. Edgar is also no stranger to Toronto, as he debuted his last film (Last Night in Soho) at the festival.
Hamnet — dir. Chloé Zhao
Zhao found success debuting her last big awards film (Nomadland) at TIFF (winning the Peoples Choice Award in 2020).
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey — dir. Kogonada
Kogonada is yet to debut a film at TIFF, and while it would be a quick turnaround with a September 19th release date, I’ll bet Sony will look to build some last-minute buzz with a TIFF release.
Roofman — dir. Derek Cianfrance
Cianfrance has debuted films at TIFF before with Blue Valentine, and if this is a potential awards play for lead Channing Tatum, TIFF seems like the best launch point.
The Ballad of a Small Player — dir. Edward Berger
Berger’s last two films, All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, both played at TIFF. There’s no reason to think his newest film won’t have a few screenings this year as well.
Klara and the Sun — dir. Taika Waititi
It’s unclear if Waititi’s new film, based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, is ready yet. However, he’s a Toronto fixture with wins in both the People’s Choice (Jojo Rabbit) and Midnight Madness (What We Do in the Shadows) categories. If it’s ready, it’ll be there.
The Drama — dir. Kristoffer Borgli
Borgli’s highly anticipated romantic drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson hasn’t been scheduled yet, but it seems finished. Given that Borgli’s last film, Dream Scenario, debuted at TIFF, this feels like a strong bet for this year’s lineup and will be a hot topic with its major stars.
Christy Martin Biopic — dir. David Michôd
Sports biopics are incredibly common at TIFF and tend to play well with the festival’s more populist audiences. If the Sydney Sweeney–led vehicle is ready, TIFF would be a smart launchpad for her potential awards campaign.
The Rivals of Amziah King — dir. Andrew Patterson
Patterson’s newest film debuted to rave reviews at the South by Southwest Film Festival. However, it has yet to acquire distribution. Since Patterson’s last film, Vast of Night, debuted at TIFF, it seems likely this will be the next stop.
The Smashing Machine — dir. Josh and Benny Safdie
Following the success of Uncut Gems at TIFF, this sports-related film from one half of the Safdie brothers would be a smart launching point. Like the Christy Martin biopic, it fits TIFF’s love for populist sports dramas and could build strong awards buzz.
Cannes Crossovers: Films That Debuted at Cannes and Are Likely to Play TIFF 2025
It Was Just an Accident — dir. Jafar Panahi
Every Palme d’Or winner since 2019 has also played at TIFF. Coincidentally, all were distributed by Neon, and this year’s winner looks set to follow that pattern.
Sentimental Value — dir. Joachim Trier
Another Neon-distributed film, Trier’s latest was the runner-up for the Palme d’Or and seems like a strong awards contender.
The Secret Agent — Kleber Mendonça Filho
Last year, I’m Still Here started its awards campaign at TIFF, and The Secret Agent will be looking to find some of the same magic.
Nouvelle Vague — dir. Richard Linklater
Linklater isn’t always a guaranteed TIFF presence, but Nouvelle Vague looks like a crowd-pleaser aimed at cinephiles and would be a smart addition to the lineup.
Alpha — dir. Julia Ducournau
Ducournau’s newest film didn’t quite live up to the critical acclaim of her previous work, but she hasn’t missed TIFF yet in her career, so it’s hard to see her being rejected this year.
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