TIFF 50
This year’s lineup is on fire. Outside the hotly anticipated Colin Hank’s doc, John Candy: I Like Me, and Rian Johnson’s latest, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, here are 5 films we’re keeping our eyes on in the festival’s 50th year!
- Honorary Chair and Award Winners: Actor Brendan Fraser is this year’s Honorary Chair. Other award winners include Idris Elba, Jodie Foster, Guillermo del Toro, and Channing Tatum.
- The 50th Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will run September 4–14, 2025. Celebrate with the best of Canadian and global cinema, special events and talks with stars, plus TIFF’s Industry Conference. TIFF 50
DUST BUNNY
SYNOPSIS: In visionary creator Bryan Fuller’s (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) fantastical and wickedly inventive feature directorial debut DUST BUNNY, a 10 year-old girl who joins forces with her hitman neighbor to confront each other’s monsters.
Ten year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters; he’s a hitman for hire. So when Aurora needs help killing the monster that she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services. Suspecting that Aurora’s parents may have fallen victim to assassins gunning for him, the neighbor guiltily takes the job. To protect her, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins and accept that some monsters are real.
IN THEATERS: December 5, 2025
DIRECTOR: Bryan Fuller
WRITER: Bryan Fuller
CAST: Mads Mikkelsen, Sigourney Weaver, David Dastmalchian, Sophie Slone
RUN TIME: 106 minutes TIFF 50
CAROLINA CAROLINE
In his latest slice of anarchic Americana, writer-director Adam Carter Rehmeier first introduces us to the always effervescent Samara Weaving (Guns Akimbo, TIFF ’19) as Caroline. Listless and living a small life in a small town, she dutifully cares for her single father (Jon Gries) though she longs to break from her dusty and dull world. But when she observes a handsome drifter (Kyle Gallner) pull a sly con for a few bucks, her curiosity sparks an introduction that ignites an apprenticeship. Before long, their lucrative, if untenable, criminal enterprise dovetails into a passionate romance.
CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN’
Actor James McAvoy makes his directorial debut with this irresistible, feel-good underdog tale about two Scottish men pretending to be Americans to achieve their dreams of hip-hop stardom. It’s based on a true story that’s stranger than fiction.
LILITH FAIR: Building a Mystery
![Lilith Fair_ Building a Mystery - [tiff.net]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Lilith-Fair_-Building-a-Mystery-tiff.net_.png?resize=678%2C344&ssl=1)
This galvanizing documentary from director Ally Pankiw (I Used To Be Funny) takes us behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival and features interviews with performers including Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emmylou Harris.
TUNER
A talented piano tuner’s meticulous skills for tuning pianos lead him to discover an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down.
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TIFF 50
![Mola_ A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss_ - [schedule.sxsw.com]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Mola_-A-Tibetan-Tale-of-Love-and-Loss_-schedule.sxsw_.com_-1.png?resize=678%2C381&ssl=1)
However, the underlying generational trauma manifests in a contentious mother-daughter relationship. Mola uses humor and cutting words as shields. Patrick Kirst‘s score captures each beat, whether melancholy or joy. Sonam wishes for her to stay for all the reasons one would expect a loved one to feel.
The chance meeting of Fuentes and Luckey gives us insight into a music industry mystery. Diane, aka Q Lazzarus, tells us her history with music, beginning in her childhood Baptist church choir. She knew her tastes were different and embraced her unique and powerhouse presence. 
With all the elements of a successful career at her fingertips, her romance with club promoter Richard slowly changed things for the worse. The lack of recognition took its toll. Richard’s leaving, combined with the Philadelphia soundtrack snub, was the final straw, and the drugs introduced by Richard led to Q’s world crumbling. But out of destitution and depression, Q rises from the ashes of sex work, crack addiction, rehab, finding her husband, getting clean, and fighting to bring her son James home. 
James, now an adult, encourages his mother to reclaim her work. Eva, Q, and her former bandmates plan an upcoming concert. Chasing the dream of finally making her music and onstage persona a household name. Q’s newfound enthusiasm is infectious. Even though life had different plans, Q Lazzarus and Diane Luckey gave us one unforgettable story.
Director: Gerard Johnson, Producers: John Jencks, Isabel Freer, Matthew James Wilkinson, Patrick Tolan, Screenwriters: Gerard Johnson, Austin Collings
Director: Elaine Epstein, Producers: Elaine Epstein, Robin Hessman
Directors/Screenwriters: Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak, Producers: Maria Gołoś, Monika Matuszewska
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Scharfman, Producers: Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Alex Scharfman, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page
Director: Yana Alliata, Producer: Jack Forbes, Screenwriters: Yana Alliata, Amy Miner
Director: Jessica Earnshaw, Producers: Holly Meehl Chapman, Jessica Earnshaw
Director: Eli Craig, Producers: Marty Bowen, John Fischer, Wyck Godfrey, Screenwriters: Carter Blanchard, Adam Cesare, Eli Craig
Director/Screenwriter: Kaspar Astrup Schröder, Producers: Maria Helga Stürup, Katrine A. Sahlstrøm
Director/Screenwriter: Amy Landecker, Producers: Amy Landecker, Bradley Whitford, Valerie Stadler, Jenica Bergere, James Portolese
Director/Screenwriter: Geremy Jasper, Producers: Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl
Director: Kahane Corn Cooperman, Producers: Innbo Shim, Kahane Corn Cooperman
Director: Anayansi Prado, Producers: Ina Fichman, David Goldblum, Screenwriters: Anayansi Prado, Pablo Proenza
Director: Matt Johnson, Producers: Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
Director: Ari Gold, Producers: Michelle Stratton, Starr Sutherland, Screenwriters: Ari Gold, Ethan Gold, Lara Louise, Brian Bell, Herbert Gold, Tongo Eisen-Martin, John Flanigan
Director/Screenwriter: Chelsea Christer, Producers: Clinton Trucks, Alexa Rocero, David B. Lyons
Director/Screenwriter: Lucy Davidson, Producers: Vanessa Batten, Amy Upchurch
SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
Director Reema Kagti brings TIFF ’24 audiences a dramatized version of the 2008 documentary Supermen of Malegaon. The film begins in 1997 and follows aspiring amateur filmmaker Nasir Shaikh and fellow hometown artists in Malegaon, India. SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON is a story of small-town dreams coming true. Get ready to feel all the feels.
LIFE AFTER
Canadian Bill C-7 allowed for the Right To Die. The expansion of MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) remains controversial. Davenport offers every angle of the process. This alone is an emotional roller-coaster, from perceived propaganda to Disability Rights Advocates, both for and against the legislation. 
Dr. Ramona Coelho speaks about the cost savings of moving forward with the passing of C-7. The film tackles the abuse of the law. Davenport interviews advocates who worry that this could be used as a justification tool to end the lives of disabled people, in other words, eugenics. 
Addison Heimann is a queer genre filmmaker currently residing in Los Angeles. His first feature, Hypochondriac, premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival and was distributed by XYZ Films. His goal is to tell queer stories that explore mental health in the genre space.
Evan Twohy was raised on Hitchcock and opera on the edge of a forest outside Berkeley, California. From an early age, he found himself drawn to absurdist theater and began writing plays in New York City prior to making his first feature, Bubble & Squeak.
Footage from those rescued from collapsed buildings, unimaginable loss, children caught in a tornado of violence, every film is immersive and visceral. The bravery and passion of the filmmakers are on full display. The viewing experience is heavy, inspiring, and vital, particularly for those who believe we should stop funding humanitarian efforts abroad. Amongst turmoil on American soil, we should thank our lucky stars for the privilege of honoring the ongoing courage, compassion, and unity of the Gazan people. FROM GROUND ZERO is a must-watch. 
WINNER
Zach Galifianakis is Reality’s activist-minded father, Ron. He plays a proud papa with a brilliant mind and passion for justice. The apple did not fall far. Galifianakis brings the sass in all the right ways. Connie Britton is Mom Billie Winner-Davis, someone I greatly admire. I followed her on social media once the story broke, urging others to retweet and signing petitions for the Biden administration to pardon Reality. Britton delivers a pitch-perfect performance as a Texas mother with the typical priorities before Reality’s arrest.
It’s an entire hour before we even touch on the infamous Russia document. The front end of the film gives us foundational reasons to root for Winner. Fogel skillfully injects humor into a story that appears authentically absurd from any sane outsider’s perspective. Jones’ narration sets the tone for the entire film. If you know Reality’s story, you understand what an indisputable hero she is. How this story got buried as quickly as it did will never cease to baffle me. 
Frida Kempff brings TIFF 2024 audiences the true story of Sally Bauer, a single mother attempting to swim the English Channel in 1939. THE SWEDISH TORPEDO is a unique and multilayered sports docudrama. It will take you by surprise. 
Sook-Yin Lee
Johnny Ma
Joseph Kahn
JUMPMAN
World Premiere – Spotlight Narrative
Based on the 1999 novel Too Many Men by Lily Brett
**WORLD PREMIERE**
Director Shannon Walsh shares the extraordinary love story between an artist and his larger-than-life wife. SXSW 2024 audiences discover the legacy of Adrianne and Alan St. George. This documentary is a tale of adoration, art, and Adrianne.
Herein lies the challenge for Alan and Shannon. How do you do justice to such a love story? Experimental musical interludes, Adrianne’s Doll Room, quirky home movies, and the ever-expanding house that grows like a whimsical version of The Winchester House. The mansion is an explosion of color, lavish draping fabrics, sculptures, and murals, all featuring Adrianne and Alan’s likenesses. It is Versailles meets Grimm’s Fairytales, each room mirroring a slice of her exuberant persona. She was and remains Alan’s muse for all things. 
DIG! XX
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Both films also ask complicated questions surrounding the way ideals or symbols exist or endure once they are exposed to the whims of the broader world. When Barbie and Ken leave Barbieland, they quickly learn that what they believed to be universal truths no longer apply. The way they see themselves may not be how others see them. Similarly, an initial vision for how the atom bomb might be leveraged quickly shifts when the weapon rolls out of the lab and into the hands of the US military. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer are forced to realize that intention doesn’t necessarily translate to reality.
Troy’s vulnerability flows off the screen. Reenactments directly from Troy’s storytelling deliver every emotion possible. Have tissues on hand. It will be impossible to maintain a dry eye. I wept through this film, thinking about my child with autism. If I can be a fraction as supportive as Len Kotsur, imagine what Wes may be capable of achieving. In just over twenty minutes, this unforgettable film is an ode to a parent’s unconditional love.
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