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2024 Toronto International Film Festival

The 49th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 5–15, 2024.


Column 1
Festival poster
Nutcrackers by David Gordon Green
The Deb by Rebel Wilson
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1976
The Life of Chuck (People's Choice Award)
September 5–15, 2024
tiff.net/tiff

The 49th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 5–15, 2024.

The festival opened with David Gordon Green's film Nutcrackers, and closed with Rebel Wilson's directorial debut film The Deb.

The first programming announcements were released on June 18, 2024. A second batch of films was announced on July 9, and the opening and closing galas were announced on July 16. Full program announcements began on July 22, with the gala and special presentations lineups announced that day and several other programs announced over the course of that week. The full festival schedule, including numerous late additions, was announced on August 13. In addition to new and current films, the schedule included anniversary special event screenings of Damien Chazelle's Whiplash and Mina Shum's Double Happiness.

Nutcrackers marked the first time that an acquisitions title not already attached to a commercial distributor opened the festival since Creation launched the 2009 edition. Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail linked this choice to the festival's announcement earlier in the year that it plans to launch a full film market in 2026, suggesting that it signaled an effort by the festival to play an active role in helping the film to secure a distribution deal and thus demonstrate the business case for the market project.

The choice of The Deb as closing film was effectively leaked a few days earlier than the official announcement, when Wilson posted a video to her Instagram account to accuse the film's producers of having tried to block the film's premiere at TIFF.

The TIFF Tribute Awards recipients included David Cronenberg as recipient of the Norman Jewison Award, and Amy Adams as a recipient of the performer award. Actor Jharrel Jerome was also honoured in the performance category, and actress Zhao Tao received a special tribute award.

Cate Blanchett was the recipient of the Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award for women who have made a positive difference in the film industry. Angelina Jolie was the recipient of the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media.

Mike Leigh received the Director Award, Camille Dalmais and Clément Ducol received the Variety Artisan Award, and Durga Chew-Bose received the Emerging Talent Award.

Awards for films, including the People's Choice Award, were announced at the conclusion of the festival. The awards program included a return of the Best Canadian Discovery Award, previously presented by the festival as "Best Canadian First Feature" until being discontinued after the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

AwardFilmDirector
People's Choice AwardThe Life of ChuckMike Flanagan
People's Choice Award, First Runner UpEmilia PérezJacques Audiard
People's Choice Award, Second Runner UpAnoraSean Baker
People's Choice Award: DocumentariesThe Tragically Hip: No Dress RehearsalMike Downie
Documentary, First Runner UpWill & HarperJosh Greenbaum
Documentary, Second Runner UpYour TomorrowAli Weinstein
People's Choice Award: Midnight MadnessThe SubstanceCoralie Fargeat
Midnight Madness, First Runner UpDead Talents Society (鬼才之道)John Hsu
Midnight Madness, Second Runner UpFriendshipAndrew DeYoung
Platform PrizeThey Will Be Dust (Polvo serán)Carlos Marqués-Marcet
Platform Prize, Honorable MentionDaughter's Daughter (女兒的女兒)Sylvia Chang (performance)
Best Canadian Feature FilmShepherds (Berger)Sophie Deraspe
Best Canadian DiscoveryUniversal Language (Une langue universelle)Matthew Rankin
Best Canadian Discovery, Honorable MentionYou Are Not Alone (Vous n'êtes pas seuls)Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien
Best Canadian Short FilmAre You Scared to Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?Bec Pecaut
Best International Short FilmDeck 5B (Däck 5B)Malin Ingrid Johansson
Best International Short Film, Honorable MentionQuota (Quotum)Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw
FIPRESCI AwardMother MotherK'naan Warsame
NETPAC AwardThe Last of the Sea WomenSue Kim
  • Platform: Atom Egoyan, Hur Jin-ho, Jane Schoenbrun
  • Best Canadian Feature Film and Best Canadian Discovery: Estrella Araiza, Chelsea McMullan, Randall Okita
  • Short Cuts: Luis De Filippis, Micah Kernan, Shane Smith
  • NETPAC: Hannah Fisher, Vilsoni Hereniko, Kerri Sakamoto
  • FIPRESCI: Li Cheuk-to, Pierre-Simon Gutman, Azadeh Jafari, Saffron Maeve, Wilfred Okiche

In Conversation with... events were held featuring Cate Blanchett, Zoe Saldaña, Steven Soderbergh, and Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook.

The following films were selected to the Gala Presentations section:

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Andrea Bocelli: Because I BelieveCosima SpenderUnited Kingdom
Better ManMichael GraceyAustralia
The DebRebel Wilson
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs TonightEmbeth DavidtzSouth Africa
EdenRon HowardUnited States
Elton John: Never Too LateR.J. Cutler, David FurnishUnited States, United Kingdom
The FriendScott McGehee, David SiegelUnited States
Harbin하얼빈Woo Min-hoSouth Korea
Meet the BarbariansLes barbaresJulie DelpyFrance
MegalopolisFrancis Ford CoppolaUnited States
NutcrackersDavid Gordon Green
Oh, CanadaPaul Schrader
The Penguin LessonsPeter CattaneoSpain, United Kingdom
The ReturnUberto PasoliniItaly, United Kingdom
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street BandThom ZimnyUnited States
The ShroudsDavid CronenbergCanada, France
Superboys of MalegaonReema KagtiIndia
Takin' Care of BusinessTyler MeasomCanada, United States
UnstoppableWilliam GoldenbergUnited States
Will & HarperJosh Greenbaum
The Wild RobotChris Sanders
William TellNick HammItaly, United Kingdom

The following films were selected to the Special Presentations section:

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Double HappinessMina ShumCanada
DuneDenis VilleneuveUnited States
Dune: Part Two
WhiplashDamien Chazelle

The Centrepiece program was announced on August 6.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AdditionMarcelle LunamAustralia
Anywhere AnytimeMilad TangshirItaly
AprilDea KulumbegashviliItaly, France, Georgia
Beloved TropicQuerido trópicoAna EndaraPanama, Colombia
BlissHemdaShemi ZarhinIsrael
Bound in Heaven捆绑上天堂Huo XinChina
By the StreamSuyucheonHong Sang-sooSouth Korea
CloudクラウドKiyoshi KurosawaJapan
Crocodile TearsAir Mata BuayaTumpal TampubolonIndonesia, France, Singapore, Germany
Don't Cry, ButterflyMưa trên cánh bướmDương Diệu LinhVietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia
Edge of NightTürker SüerGermany
The ExilesLos TortugaBelén FunesSpain, Chile
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and SaraErin Lee CarrUnited States
FlowStraumeGints ZilbalodisLatvia, France, Belgium
Front RowMerzak AllouacheAlgeria, Saudi Arabia, France
HappyendNeo SoraJapan, United States
Happy HolidaysScandar CoptiPalestine, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar
Jane Austen Wrecked My LifeJane Austen a gâché ma vieLaura PianiFrance
Julie Keeps QuietLeonardo van DijlBelgium, Sweden
Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without EndMichael JonathanNew Zealand
Kill the JockeyEl jockeyLuis OrtegaArgentina, Mexico, Spain, Denmark, United States
The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of LagosAgbajowo Collective: James Tayler, Ogungbamila Temitope, Okechukwu Samuel, Mathew Cerf, Tina Edukpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, A.S. ElijahNigeria, Germany, South Africa, United States
Little JaffnaLawrence ValinFrance
Matt and MaraKazik RadwanskiCanada
Measures for a FuneralSofia Bohdanowicz
A Missing PartUne part manquanteGuillaume SenezBelgium, France
The Mother and the BearJohnny MaCanada, Chile
The MountainRachel HouseNew Zealand
My SunshineBoku No OsihamaHiroshi OkuyamaJapan, France
Pimpinero: Blood and OilAndrés BaizColombia
PresenceSteven SoderberghUnited States
SantoshSandhya SuriUnited Kingdom
The Seed of the Sacred FigMohammad RasoulofIran, France, Germany
Seven DaysAli Samadi AhadiGermany
Souleymane's StoryL'histoire de SouleymaneBoris LojkineFrance
SunshineAntoinette JadaonePhilippines
The Swedish TorpedoDen svenska torpedenFrida KempffSweden
Sweet Angel BabyMelanie OatesCanada
To a Land UnknownMahdi FleifelUnited Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine
Under the VolcanoPod wulkanemDamian KocurPoland
An Unfinished Film一部未完成的电影Lou YeSingapore, Germany
Universal LanguageUne langue universelleMatthew RankinCanada
The Village Next to ParadiseMo HaraweFrance, Austria, Germany, Somalia
When the Light BreaksLjósbrotRúnar RúnarssonIceland, Netherlands, Croatia, France

Documentaries were announced on August 7. One late addition, Alexis Bloom's The Bibi Files, was added to the program just a few days before the festival opened.

The film Russians at War was pulled from the festival following protests accusing it of being Russian propaganda whitewashing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a characterization which the film's producers and TIFF organizers denied. According to CEO Cameron Bailey, "In emails and phone calls, TIFF staff received hundreds of instances of verbal abuse. Our staff also received threats of violence, including threats of sexual violence." TIFF subsequently proceeded with a screening on September 17, outside of the festival dates.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
The Bibi FilesAlexis BloomUnited States
Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien StorySinéad O’SheaIreland, United Kingdom
Ernest Cole: Lost and FoundRaoul PeckFrance
The Freedom of FierroLa Libertad de FierroSantiago EsteinouMexico, Canada, Greece
From Ground ZeroWissam Moussa, Nidal Damo, Ahmed Hassouna, Alaa Ayoub, Karim Satoum, Bashar Al Babisi, Khamis Masharawi, Nida’A Abu Hasna, Tamer Nijim, Ahmed Al Danaf, Rima Mahmoud, Muhammad Al Sharif, Basil El Maqousi, Mustafa Al Nabih, Rabab Khamis, Mustafa Kulab, Alaa Damo, Hana Eleiwa, Mahdi Kreirah, Aws Al Banna, Islam Al Zeriei, Etimad WashahPalestine, France, Qatar, Jordan
The Last of the Sea WomenSue KimUnited States
The Last RepublicanSteve Pink
Living TogetherCohabiterHalima ElkhatabiCanada
Men of WarJen Gatien, Billy CorbenUnited States, Canada
Mistress DispellerElizabeth LoChina, United States
No Other LandYuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel SzorPalestine, Norway
Patrice: The MovieTed PassonUnited States
A Sisters' TaleLeila AminiSwitzerland, France, Iran
So Surreal: Behind the MasksNeil Diamond, Joanne RobertsonCanada
Space CowboyMarah Strauch, Bryce LeavittUnited States
Sudan, Remember UsSoudan, souviens-toiHind MeddebFrance, Tunisia, Qatar
TataLina Vdovîi, Radu CiorniciucRomania, Germany, Netherlands
Temporary ShelterTímabundið SkjólAnastasiia BortualiIceland
Vice Is BrokeEddie HuangUnited States
Wishing on a StarPeter KerekesItaly, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia
Your TomorrowAli WeinsteinCanada

The Discovery program lineup was announced on July 24.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AberdeenRyan Cooper, Eva ThomasCanada
Bonjour TristesseDurga Chew-BoseCanada, Germany
BoongLakshmipriya DeviIndia
The CourageousLes CourageuxJasmin GordonSwitzerland
DiciannoveGiovanni TortoriciItaly
Do I Know You from Somewhere?Arianna MartinezCanada
Freedom WayAfolabi OlalekanNigeria
GülizarBelkıs BayrakTurkey, Kosovo
HorizonteCésar Augusto AcevedoColombia, France, Luxembourg, Chile, Germany
Ink WashSarra TsorakidisRomania, Greece, Denmark
LindaMariana WainsteinArgentina, Spain
MeatDimitris NakosGreece
Mother MotherK'naan WarsameCanada, Kenya, Somalia, United Kingdom, United States
My Fathers' DaughterBiru UnjárgaEgil PedersenNorway, Sweden, Finland
On FallingLaura CarreiraUnited Kingdom, Portugal
The Paradise of ThornsWiman NamBoss KunoThailand
The Party's OverFin de fiestaElena ManriqueSpain
The Quiet OnesDe LydløseFrederik Louis HviidDenmark
Really Happy SomedayJ StevensCanada
SabaMaksud HossainBangladesh
Sad JokesFabian StummGermany
SeedsKaniehtiio HornCanada
ShookAmar Wala
U Are the UniversePavlo OstrikovUkraine, Belgium
Village KeeperKaren ChapmanCanada
You Are Not AloneVous n'êtes pas seulsMarie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien

The Platform Prize program lineup was announced on July 23. The jury comprised filmmakers Atom Egoyan, Hur Jin-ho and Jane Schoenbrun.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Daniela ForeverNacho VigalondoSpain, Belgium
Daughter's Daughter女兒的女兒Huang XiTaiwan
Mr. KTallulah H. SchwabNetherlands, Belgium, Norway
Paying for ItSook-Yin LeeCanada
Pedro PáramoRodrigo PrietoMexico
They Will Be DustPolvo seránCarlos Marqués-MarcetSpain, Italy, Switzerland
TriumphPetar Valchanov, Kristina GrozevaBulgaria, Greece
ViktorOlivier SarbilUkraine, United States
Winter in SokchoHiver à SokchoKoya KamuraFrance
The Wolves Always Come at NightGabrielle BradyAustralia, Mongolia, Germany

The Midnight Madness program lineup was announced on July 25.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Dead MailJoe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghyUnited States
Dead Talents Society鬼才之道John HsuTaiwan
ElseThibault EminFrance, Belgium
Escape from the 21st Century从21世纪安全撤离Yang LiChina
FriendshipAndrew DeYoungUnited States
The Gesuidouzザ·ゲスイドウズKenichi UganaJapan
IckJoseph KahnUnited States
It Doesn't Get Any Better Than ThisRachel Kempf, Nick Toti
The Shadow StraysTimo TjahjantoIndonesia
The SubstanceCoralie FargeatUnited Kingdom, United States, France

Primetime selections were announced on August 9.

The public premiere of The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal was followed by a public singalong of the Tragically Hip songs "Ahead by a Century", "Bobcaygeon" and "Grace, Too", led by Choir! Choir! Choir!, as part of the Festival Street activities.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
DisclaimerAlfonso CuarónUnited Kingdom
FaithlessTomas Alfredson, Sara JohnsenSweden
Families like OursFamilier som voresThomas VinterbergDenmark, France, Sweden, Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway, Germany
The KnowingCourtney Montour, Tanya TalagaCanada
The ListenersJanicza Bravo, Jordan TannahillUnited Kingdom
M. Son of the CenturyM. Il figlio del secoloJoe WrightItaly, France
Thou Shalt Not StealDylan RiverAustralia
The Tragically Hip: No Dress RehearsalMike DownieCanada

Short Cuts selections were announced on August 9.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
After SundayOmolola AjaoCanada
Aïda NeitherAïda non plusElisa GilmourFrance
AlazarBeza Hailu LemmaEthiopia, France, Canada
AmarelaAndré Hayato SaitoBrazil
Anotc ota ickwaparin akosiinCatherine BoivinCanada
Are You Scared to Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?Bec PecautCanada
Before They Joined UsArshile Khanjian EgoyanCanada
The Beguiling ishkwaazheShane McSaubyUnited States
The BestIan BawaCanada
The Cost of HuggingLouis BhoseUnited Kingdom
Deck 5BDäck 5BMalin Ingrid JohanssonSweden
Don't F*ck With BaSally TranUnited States
Every Other WeekendMick Robertson, Margaret RoseCanada
FantasHalima ElkhatabiCanada
Fuck MeAnette SidorSweden, Norway
Gender RevealMo MattonCanada
Inkwo for When the Starving ReturnInkwo à la défense des vivantsAmanda StrongCanada
Julian and the WindConnor JessupCanada
Loser BabyDakota JohnsonUnited States
The Man Who Could Not Remain SilentČovjek koji nije mogao šutjetiNebojša SlijepčevićCroatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia
MarionJoe Weiland, Finn ConstantineFrance, United Kingdom
Masterpiece MommyDorothy Sing ZhangUnited Kingdom, China
Maybe ElephantsKanskje det var elefanterTorill KoveNorway, Canada
MercenairePier-Philippe ChevignyCanada
Never Have I EverJoyce A. NashawatiFrance
ORúnar RúnarssonIceland, Sweden
On a Sunday at ElevenAlicia K. HarrisCanada
On the WayRrugësSamir KarahodaKosovo
One Day This KidAlexander FarahCanada
Out for Ice CreamCrème à glaceRachel SamsonCanada
PercebesAlexandra Ramires, Laura GonçalvesPortugal, France
perfectly a strangenessAlison McAlpineCanada
QuotaQuotumJob Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, Marieke BlaauwNetherlands
Sauna DaySannapäivAnna Hints, Tushar PrakashEstonia
Serve the CountryFabián Velasco, Miloš MitrovićCanada
Silent PanoramaNicolas PiretBelgium
SolematesJames Rathbone, Mike FeswickCanada
A Son & a Father1 Hijo & 1 PadreAndrés Ramírez PulidoFrance, Colombia
Stomach BugMatty CrawfordUnited Kingdom
The Sunset Special 2Nicolas GebbeGermany
TendernessHelen LeeCanada, South Korea
La Voix des SirènesGianluigi ToccafondoFrance, Italy
Vox HumanaDon Josephus Raphael EblahanPhilippines, United States, Singapore
welima’qshalan joudryCanada
Who Loves the SunArshia ShakibaCanada
The WolfLe LoupTheodore UshevCanada
Wrecked a Bunch of Cars, Had a Good TimeJames P. Gannon, Matt FerrinUnited States
The YellowMaika Monroe, Simone FaoroUnited States

Wavelengths selections were announced on August 8.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Adrift PotentialsPotenciais à derivaLeonardo PirondiBrazil, United States
Archipelago of Earthen Bones: To BunyaMalena SzlamCanada, Australia, Chile
The Ballad of Suzanne CésaireMadeleine Hunt-EhrlichUnited States
Being John SmithJohn SmithUnited Kingdom
A Black Screen TooRhayne VermetteCanada
Collective MonologueMonólogo colectivoJessica Sarah RinlandArgentina, United Kingdom
The DamnedRoberto MinerviniItaly, United States, Belgium
The Diary of a SkyLawrence Abu HamdanLebanon
Drama 1882Wael ShawkyEgypt
exergue - on documenta 14Dimitris AthiridisGreece
Exposé du film annonce du film “Scénario”Jean-Luc GodardFrance, Japan
Go BetweenChris KennedyCanada, Australia
Grand TourMiguel GomesPortugal, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, China
Lázaro at NightLázaro de nocheNicolás PeredaCanada, Mexico
Notes of a CrocodileDaphne XuCambodia, China, Canada
October NoonOctubre al mediodíaFrancisco Rodríguez TeareChile, France
PepeNelson Carlo de los Santos AriasDominican Republic, Germany, France, Namibia
Perfumed with MintMoattar binanaaMuhammed HamdyEgypt, France, Tunisia, Qatar
Revolving RoundsJohann Lurf, Christina JauernikAustria
ScénariosJean-Luc GodardFrance, Japan
The Sojourn暫棲Tiffany SiaUnited States
Someplace in Your MouthBeatrice Gibson, Nick GordonItaly
Viet and NamTrong lòng đấtMinh Quý TrươngPhilippines, Singapore, France, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Vietnam
Youth (Hard Times)Qing Chun (Ku)Wang BingFrance, Luxembourg, Netherlands
Youth (Homecoming)Qing Chun (Gui)Wang BingFrance, Luxembourg, Netherlands

Classics selections were announced on August 8.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AwaaraRaj KapoorIndia
BonaLino BrockaPhilippines
EsseneFrederick WisemanUnited States
MasalaSrinivas KrishnaCanada
The Sweet HereafterAtom EgoyanCanada
Time of MaturityReifezeitSohrab Shahid-SalessGermany

Free outdoor screenings of classic films with thematic or production connections to films in the main festival program at David Pecaut Square.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
ArrivalDenis VilleneuveUnited States
Dodgeball: A True Underdog StoryRawson Marshall ThurberUnited States
DrumlineCharles Stone IIIUnited States
FootlooseHerbert RossUnited States
GattacaAndrew NiccolUnited States
GhostJerry ZuckerUnited States
GhostbustersIvan ReitmanUnited States
The Karate KidJohn G. AvildsenUnited States
The OutsidersFrancis Ford CoppolaUnited States
Pitch PerfectJason MooreUnited States

With the launch of a full film market having been announced for 2026, the 2024 festival included a larger selection than previous years of films that were screened for film buyers and all industry professionals at the festival, but not open to the general public. This included a mixture of films that had yet to be released at all, and films that had already been released in other countries but had not yet secured distribution in North America.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
100 Litres of GoldTeemu NikkiFinland
Code 3Christopher LeoneUnited States
LockedDavid YaroveskyUnited States
London CallingAllan UngarUnited States
Monsieur AznavourMehdi IdirFrance
NoiseKim Soo-jinSouth Korea
Rich FluGalder Gaztelu-UrrutiaSpain
SkeetNik SextonCanada
TransamazoniaPia MaraisFrance, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, Brazil
YuppieSergio NavarrettaCanada

The festival's annual Canada's Top Ten list, selecting the ten best Canadian feature and short films of the year, was announced on January 8, 2025.

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