The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival is starting to take shape. The fest has added Gala and Special Presentation titles to its Official Selection.
Firstly, let’s tackle the world premieres. These are the films that will be skipping Venice and Telluride in favor of a TIFF bow.
Leading the pack of world premieres is “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” the third instalment in Rian Johnson’s Benoit Blanc series. This was inevitably going to be announced as the first two ‘Knives Out’ movies also screened first at TIFF.
Then there’s Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman,” a crime caper based on the real-life exploits of Jeffrey Manchester, a U.S. Army reservist turned serial fast-food robber. Channing Tatum stars as the titular thief, with Kirsten Dunst co-starring.
AppleTV+ and Paul Greengrass are also Toronto-bound with “The Lost Bus,” a thriller that continues Greengrass’ fixation on real-world tension and survival. The fact that this one isn’t headed to Venice or Telluride might be cause for concern.
“Rental Family,” directed by “Beef” helmer Hikari, and starring Oscar winner Brendan Fraser as a washed-up American actor in Tokyo, is also a world premiere. No Telluride for this one, which is a bit surprising. Maybe Searchlight wants to go the “American Fiction” route with this one.
Meanwhile, Agnieszka Holland’s “Franz” was definitely submitted for Venice, but even after her last film, “Green Border,” drew acclaim on the Lido in 2023, it looks like her latest was rejected and is now set for a world premiere in Toronto.
Also announced: Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” which is listed as a “Canadian Premiere,” which means it’ll be screening at Telluride. No word yet on a Venice bow. Zhao’s follow-up to “Eternals” adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel, loosely based on Bill Shakespeare’s life.
Gala Presentations
The Choral (Nicholas Hytner)
Homebound (Neeraj Ghaywan)
Hamnet (Chloé Zhao)
A Private Life (Rebecca Zlotowski)
Roofman (Derek Cianfrance)
She Has No Name (Peter Ho-Sun Chan)
Special Presentations
Franz (Agnieszka Holland)
The Lost Bus (Paul Greengrass)
Rental Family (Hikari)
Steal Away (Clement Virgo)
Wake Up Dead Man (Rian Johnson)
TIFF 2025 runs from September 4–14. The full festival schedule will be released August 12. With these additions, the fall festival race just got a whole lot more competitive.