What to Watch for at the Toronto International Film Festival

As festival season kicks into high gear, this week marks the beginning of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). TIFF is closer in content to South by Southwest (SXSW), held annually in Austin, TX where the experience of the festival goes well beyond independent and large name films. This festival plays host to anniversary screenings of iconic movies like School of Rock, Sister Act, and other films while also allowing for independent filmmakers to reach a larger audience with a deep catalogue of virtual screenings for people who cannot or do not want to make the trip up to Toronto. Here are some of the bigger name movies making their North American debut at TIFF. Keep in mind, with last week’s coverage of Venice, I omitted movies that made their debut in last week’s article. It is also worth noting that all these films are getting wider releases and have major theatrical or streaming distribution deals in place, so they are not available to watch via virtual screenings.

Bros: Touted as the first gay rom-com, Billy Eichner stars in and wrote the script of the upcoming Bros. Based on the trailer (which is getting a ton of airtime before any other movie coming out over the last few months), it does seem like a traditional rom-com but with Billy Eichner begrudgingly falling in love with Luke Macfarlane. It does look pretty funny and will be receiving a wide theatrical release on September 30th.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: Following the breakout success of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc, Netflix signed Johnson to develop two Agatha Christie-type sequels that would see Daniel Craig reprise (akin to Hercule Poirot) with a new cast of characters for each murder mystery. Notable cast this time include Janelle Monae, Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, Leslie Odom Jr., and Jessica Henwick. This entry will have a limited theatrical release before hitting Netflix on December 23rd.

Moonage Daydream: This film is Brett Morgen’s (known for his 30 for 30 entry June 17th, 1994) documentary about the life of David Bowie. It initially premiered earlier this year at Cannes where it received overwhelming approval from critics. It is significant because this is the only officially sanctioned movie about David Bowie and features never before seen concert footage. The movie will be released theatrically on September 16th.

Pearl: Earlier this year director Ti West released the movie X with A24. It was a slasher horror movie set in the 1970s about a group of young adults trying to make an adult film on an abandoned farm. The movie was widely praised, and during the shoot, an additional prequel was shot at the same time which is now being released theatrically on September 16th.

The Fabelmans: This film is probably the biggest name getting a release at TIFF, not because it is part of a major franchise or will be launching a number of sequels, but because it will almost certainly be a top contender for wins in major categories like Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay among other categories. The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical film about director Steven Spielberg’s life in post-World War II Arizona and already has considerable buzz before even one screening happens. That said, CODA was distantly behind when it came to Best Picture last year and it pulled out a win regardless so, while nothing is set in stone, the bar is incredibly high with this movie. It will be opening theatrically on November 11th.

The Woman King: This historical epic tells the true story of the Agojie, the elite female warriors who protected the kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s under the training of Nanisca, played by Viola Davis. The scale looks massive from the trailers which, like Bros is getting a ton of plays before just about any movie that’s playing in theaters. This film will also be released on September 16th.