TIFF Not Screening Some Big Films This Year

The Toronto International Film Festival used to be the marquee place to screen almost every major fall festival title.

However, something’s changed these past few years, maybe it’s their insistence on nabbing world premieres or maybe it’s the studio’s sudden realization that they don’t really need to go to TIFF, regardless, the message this fall is quite clear: Some films can get by without Toronto.

The films set to skip Toronto this year are some of the biggest ones, opting instead for bows at Telluride and and/or Venice: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Bardo,” Todd Field’s “TAR,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones & All,” Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise,” Paul Schrader’s “The Master Gardener” … it’s astounding to see this unfold.

Toronto has instead decided to focus on nabbing world premieres like Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” Rian Johnson’s “Green Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” and Nicolas Stoller’s “BROS,” and Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever.”

They will also be screening a few key titles like Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Florian Zeller’s “The Son,” Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” Joanna Hogg’s “The Eternal Daughter,” Tobias Lindholm’s “The Good Nurse,” Sebastien Lelio’s “The Wonder,” and Daniel Goldhaber’s “How to Blow Up a Pipeline.”

We’ll see how this 47th edition of TIFF will turn out, and if fest boss Cameron Bailey’s gamble has truly paid off.