The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival...
The Toronto International Film Festival unveils first slate of films for 2017
14 Galas and 33 Special Presentations kick off TIFF '17
Of the 14 Galas and 33 Special Presentations, this first announcement includes 25 World Premieres, eight International Premieres, six North American Premieres, and eight Canadian Premieres, including works from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, India, Egypt, and Cambodia.
This year, TIFF offers a refreshed, more tightly curated Festival, with a renewed commitment to bold, director-driven programming, continued support of female filmmakers, and enough star power to fuel 400,000 festival-goers.
Today’s announcement cements that the future is female (and so is TIFF’s programming), with Gala films from emerging and established filmmakers that include Kings by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, whose 2015 Festival feature Mustang earned an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film; Mary Shelley by Haifaa Al Mansour, the first female Saudi director; Dee Rees’ Mudbound, an adaptation of Hillary Jordan’s novel about racial tensions in the Jim Crow South; Susanna White’s Woman Walks Ahead, starring forever-favourite Jessica Chastain; and a big must-watch for every Canadian: Long Time Running, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s documentary on The Tragically Hip’s emotional and powerful 2016 final tour.
The sporting life also takes centre stage at TIFF this year, as Steve Carell meets his match with (honourary Canadian) Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes; Margot Robbie chases Olympic gold in I, Tonya; Paul Rudd goes from MLB to OSS in The Catcher was a Spy; and Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany navigate the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing in David Gordon Green’s Stronger.
All of your favourite filmmakers' new films are playing at TIFF this year, including Darren Aronofsky’s mother!; Alexander Payne’s Downsizing; Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird; Mahamat Saleh-Haroun's A Season in France; George Clooney’s Surburbicon; Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father; Anurag Kashyap's The Brawler; Andy Serkis’ Breathe; Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour; Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Wim Wenders’ Submergence; and — yes, don’t worry, we got it — Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
The full list of Festival '17 films announced today:
GALAS 2017
Breathe | Andy Serkis, United Kingdom
World Premiere
The Catcher Was A Spy | Ben Lewin, USA
World Premiere
Closing Night Film
C'est la vie! | Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, France
World Premiere
Darkest Hour | Joe Wright, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool | Paul McGuigan, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Kings | Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France/Belgium
World Premiere
Long Time Running | Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Canada
World Premiere
Mary Shelley | Haifaa Al Mansour, Ireland/United Kingdom/Luxembourg/USA
World Premiere
The Mountain Between Us | Hany Abu-Assad, USA
World Premiere
Mudbound | Dee Rees, USA
International Premiere
Stronger | David Gordon Green, USA
World Premiere
Untitled Bryan Cranston/Kevin Hart Film | Neil Burger, USA
World Premiere
The Wife | Björn Runge, United Kingdom/Sweden
World Premiere
Woman Walks Ahead | Susanna White, USA
World Premiere
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2017
Battle of Sexes | Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, USA
International Premiere
BPM (Beats Per Minute) | Robin Campillo, France
North American Premiere
The Brawler | Anurag Kashyap, India
World Premiere
The Breadwinner | Nora Twomey, Canada/Ireland/Luxembourg
World Premiere
Call Me By Your Name | Luca Guadagnino, Italy/France
Canadian Premiere
Catch the Wind | Gaël Morel, France
International Premiere
The Children Act | Richard Eyre, United Kingdom
World Premiere
The Current War | Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA
World Premiere
Disobedience | Sebastián Lelio, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Downsizing | Alexander Payne, USA
Canadian Premiere
A Fantastic Woman | Sebastián Lelio, Chile
Canadian Premiere
First They Killed My Father | Angelina Jolie, Cambodia
Canadian Premiere
The Guardians | Xavier Beauvois, France
World Premiere
Hostiles | Scott Cooper, USA
International Premiere
The Hungry | Bornila Chatterjee, India
World Premiere
I, Tonya | Craig Gillespie, USA
World Premiere
Special Presentations Opening Film
Lady Bird | Greta Gerwig, USA
International Premiere
Mother! | Darren Aronofsky, USA
North American Premiere
Novitiate | Maggie Betts, USA
International Premiere
Omerta | Hansal Mehta, India
World Premiere
Plonger | Mélanie Laurent, France
World Premiere
The Price of Success | Teddy Lussi-Modeste, France
International Premiere
Professor Marston and The Wonder Woman | Angela Robinson, USA
World Premiere
The Rider | Chloé Zhao, USA
Canadian Premiere
A Season in France | Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France
World Premiere
The Shape of Water | Guillermo del Toro, USA
Canadian Premiere
Special Presentations Closing Film
Sheikh Jackson | Amr Salama, Egypt
World Premiere
The Square | Ruben Östlund, Sweden
North American Premiere
Submergence | Wim Wenders, France/Germany/Spain
World Premiere
Suburbicon | George Clooney, USA
North American Premiere
Thelma | Joachim Trier, Norway/Sweden/France/Denmark
International Premiere
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | Martin McDonagh, USA
North American Premiere
Victoria and Abdul | Stephen Frears, United Kingdom
North American Premiere