TIFF 50
INDIGENOUS FILMS
A Sámi Wedding by Pål Jackman. Cast: Sara Margrethe Oskal, Ánte Siri, Inga Márjá Utsi, Ivan Aleksander Sara Buljo, Craig Stein, Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Sverre Porsanger. Synopsis: What happens when you mix reindeer herders, family secrets, and a 3,000-person wedding planned in a month? This riotous comedy-drama is both heartfelt and hilarious; a chaotic celebration of culture, kin, love, and imperfection.
Aki by Darlene Naponse. Synopsis: Set on Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (formerly known as Whitefish Lake), this visual art documentary follows the seasons in director Darlene Naponse’s home community in Northern Ontario.
Blood Lines by Gail Maurice. Cast: Tamara Podemski, Gail Maurice, David Webster, Dana Solomon. Synopsis: Storyteller and store clerk Beatrice (Dana Solomon) is completely taken by a new woman who arrives in her Métis community looking to find her biological family. Beatrice decides to help Chani (Derica Lafrance) in order to spend more time with her.
Levers by Rhayne Vermette. Cast: Val Vint, Andrina Turenne and Will George. Synopsis: In the enigmatic and much-anticipated follow-up to her award-winning Ste. Anne, Manitoban filmmaker and artist Rhayne Vermette weaves through a community that must grapple with a shaken sense of stability after a blast plunges them into a day of total darkness.
Mārama by Taratoa Stappard. Cast: Ariana Osborne, Toby Stephens, Umi Myers, Evelyn Towersey. Synopsis: Far from home and haunted by visions, a Māori woman uncovers gruesome secrets inside an English manor. A bold, unsettling gothic tale of identity, memory, and colonial reckoning.
Meadowlarks by Tasha Hubbard. Cast: Michael Greyeyes, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice, Michelle Thrush. Synopsis: Based on her 2017 documentary Birth of a Family, acclaimed filmmaker Tasha Hubbard has turned to drama for the first time. With Meadowlarks, she takes the story of four siblings, separated as babies, who are reuniting 50 years later during a week spent in Banff.
Nika & Madison by Eva Thomas. Cast: Ellyn Jade, Star Slade, Shawn Doyle, Amanda Brugel. Synopsis: A fateful encounter with the police propels two estranged friends to reevaluate their relationship, in Eva Thomas’ thoughtful and urgent debut.
Ni-Naadamaadiz (Red Power Rising) by Shane Belcourt and Tanya Talaga. Synopsis: A little-known story of a youth-led Indigenous land reclamation in a northwestern Ontario park comes to light in Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising. For 38 days in 1974, 150 people took over Anicinabe Park in Kenora in protest over the ongoing mistreatment of Indigenous people. Their issues included illegal land purchases, poor housing conditions, a lack of employment opportunities, and the failings of the Canadian federal government and the Department of Indian Affairs.
Pow Wow People by Sky Opinka. Cast: Jamie John, Ruben Littlehead, Freddie Cozad, Gina Bluebird. Synopsis: Visionary director Sky Hopinka’s Powwow People invites audiences into the vibrant orbit of a powwow.
Sk+te’kmujue’katik by Bretten Hannam. Cast: Glen Gould, Forrest Goodluck, Brandon Oakes, Martha Irving. Synopsis: Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) and Antle (Forrest Goodluck) are siblings who have drifted apart after experiencing unimaginable horrors in their shared past. But when Mise’l returns to their home community following an unexpected visit by a malicious spirit, the pair must put their estrangement aside in order to rid themselves of the ghosts that haunt them. In order to do so, they will have to journey through Sk+te’kmujue’katik, a forest where time collapses on itself.
The Lowdown by Sterlin Harjo. Cast: Ethan Hawke playing Lee Raybon, Philip Marlowe. Synopsis: (by Reservation Dogs‘ creator Sterlin Harjo) Lee Raybon, played by executive producer and star Ethan Hawke (also at the Festival in Blue Moon), lives, owns, and works in a rare bookstore in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His compulsion to learn the truth about Tulsa’s unofficial aristocracy, along with his disinterest in letting so-called rules of conduct get in his way, keep him in steady trouble.
Uiksaringitara by Zacharias Kunuk. Cast: Haiden Angutimarik, Theresia Kappianaq, Leah Panimera, Emma Quassa, Mark Taqqaugaq. Synopsis: A strange death, village upheavals, and swarming suitors lead to a love story gone awry in acclaimed Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk’s latest enthralling imagining of ancient Inuit stories.
MUSICAL-THEME FILMS
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes by Lisa Rideout. Cast: Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Drake, Miriam McDonald. Synopsis: Creators, superfans, and stars including Aubrey Drake Graham delve deep into all things Degrassi in this engaging history of the Canadian show that changed teen TV.
Elvis In Concert by Baz Luhrmann. Synopsis: Baz Luhrmann’s extraordinary documentary may be the most poignant account of Elvis Presley’s life and career to date, featuring long-lost footage from his epochal 1970s residency in Las Vegas.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery by Ally Pankiw. Cast: Olivia Rodrigo, Jewel, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu. Synopsis: 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.
Mile End Kicks by Chandler Levack. Cast: Jay Baruchel, Devon Bostick, Barbie Ferreira, Stanley Simons. Synopsis: I Like Movies director Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks is a bright romantic comedy starring Barbie Ferreira as Grace, a young music critic who moves to Montreal to figure out life and love.
New Year Rev by Lee Kirk. Cast: Mckenna Grace, Fred Armisen, Mason Thames, Sean Gunn. Synopsis: A garage rock trio gets the opportunity of a lifetime to open up for Green Day and hit the road across America to make the gig. The only problem is… they didn’t realize it was a prank.
QUEBEC FILMS
Amour Apocalypse (Peak Everyting) by Anne Émond. Cast: Patrick Hivon, Piper Perabo, Connor Jessup. Synopsis: Writer-director Anne Émond (Night #1, TIFF ’11) has reinvented the romantic comedy for the age of ecological anxiety. Winsomely pairing Patrick Hivon (TIFF ’17’s Les affamés) and Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), Peak Everything suggests that there is no better time to open your heart than when the world seems on the cusp of collapse.
Folichonneries (Follies) by Eric K. Boulianne. Cast: Éric K. Boulianne, Catherine Chabot, Sophie Letourneur, Julie Le Breton, Ève Landry, Florence Blain Mbaye, Étienne Galloy, Ambre Jabrane, Antonin Mousseau-Rivard. Synopsis: A big-hearted look at the complexities of contemporary relationships, Eric K. Boulianne’s debut feature may also be the year’s most hilarious movie. It’s the rarest kind of farce, one that is frank and funny on the subject of sex, yet also extends a spirit of generosity to characters who are doing their best to figure out what it is they really want.
Gagne ton ciel (The Cost of Heaven) by Mathieu Denis. Cast: Samir Guesmi. Crixus Lapointe. Meriem Medjkane. Synopsis: On the surface, the protagonist of Mathieu Denis’ fourth feature appears to have it pretty good. But, for Nacer (Guesmi), his warm and loving relationships with his wife Farrah (Medjkane) and their children and his strong community ties do little to ameliorate his sense that he’s been cheated of the life he deserves. Indeed, the earthly nirvana Nacer glimpses in a sun-dappled Lexus dealership in the opening scene is clearly what he most desires. But how far will he go to achieve it?
Mille secrets, mille dangers (Lovely Day) by Philippe Falardeau. Cast: Rose-Marie Perreault, Paul Ahmarani, Georges Khabbaz, Neil Elias Abdelwahab. Synopsis: Though his bride-to-be, Virginie (Perreault), is a steadying influence, Alain (Elias) has no lack of sources for his overwhelming state of consternation. Among the culprits are his unreliable best friend and best man Édouard (Mahbouba) and his long-divorced parents, Yolande (Chedid) and Elias (Khabbaz). Yet as the day unfolds and deeper reasons surface and each casts a new light on his actions and reactions.
Out Standing by Mélanie Charbonneau. Cast: Vincent Leclerc, Antoine Pilon, Adrian Walters, Stephen Kalyn, Conrad Pla, Andreas Apergis, Noah Parker, Steve Nash, Nicolas Fontaine. Synopsis: Raised in a military family, Sandra Perron pursued her own dream of serving her country with great determination after joining the Canadian Forces in 1984. But when she began her training to become Canada’s first woman infantry officer and then in her career as a member of the Royal 22e Régiment, Perron faced challenges far beyond the gruelling physical demands and ugly instances of harassment and abuse.
QUEER FILMS
Between Dreams and Hope by Farnoosh Samadi. Cast: Fereshteh Hosseini, Sadaf Asgari, Reza Amouzad, Amirreza Ranjbaran. Synopsis: Azad (Hosseini), a trans man, and his partner Nora (Asgari) thrive amongst like-minded friends in bustling Tehran. When Azad takes steps towards medically transitioning, his estranged father must grant his permission or the process would be halted indefinitely, When the couple travel to Azad’s hometown to plead their case to his family, Azad disappears during a row. Nora must find her lover with little assistance or care from the local authorities.
Christy by David Michôd. Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, Chad L. Coleman, Tony Cavalero. Synopsis: Featuring a career-best performance from Sydney Sweeney (TIFF ’24’s Eden), the latest from David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) chronicles pioneering boxer Christy Martin’s fierce story of self-actualization in the face of terrifying adversity.
Erupcja by Pete Ohs. Cast: Charli XCX, Lena Góra, Will Madden, Jeremy O. Harris, Agata Trzebuchowska. Synopsis: American filmmaker Pete Ohs observes the combustible chemistry between a Polish florist (Lena Góra) and a British tourist (Charli xcx) in this charming postcard of sapphic synchronicity.
Julian by Cato Kusters. Cast: Nina Meurisse, Laurence Roothooft, Jennifer Heylen, Yannick De Coster. Synopsis: Two women’s unique campaign for marriage equality inspires a poignant screen love story by director Cato Kusters.
Modern Whore by Nicole Bazuin. Cast: Claudio Musso, Andrea Werhun, Mylene Carino, Paul Thomas Forrest. Synopsis: Andrea Werhun and Nicole Bazuin challenge toxic misconceptions about sex work and sex workers with great audacity and high style.
The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi. Cast: Nadia Melliti, Park Ji-min, Amina Ben Mohamed, Melissa Guer. Synopsis: Hafsia Herzi’s sensitive and affecting coming-of-age drama The Little Sister tells the story of Fatima, a devout young Muslim woman, as she struggles to balance the dictates of her religion with her sexuality.
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamenco by Diego Céspedes. Cast: Matías Catalán, Luis Dubó, Paula Dinamarca, Tamara Cortes. Synopsis: As an unknown disease begins to spread in a small mining town in the Chilean desert, gay men are accused of transmitting it through their eyes.
Wayward by Mae Martin. Cast: Mae Martin, Sarah Gadon, Sydney Topliffe, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Brandon Jay McLaren, Patrick J. Adams. Synopsis: A bucolic but sinister town explores the insidious intricacies of the troubled teen industry, and the eternal struggle of the next generation.
MORE GEMS
Amoeba by Siyou Tan. Cast: Janice Koh, Jack Kao, Nicole Lee Wen, Doreen Toh. Synopsis: Four teenage girls form a gang as an act of resistance in a country where chewing gum and feeding pigeons are illegal. Sixteen-year-old tomboy Choo Xin Yu (Ranice Tay) seems like a misfit when she joins a highly competitive, elite all-girls school in Singapore.
A Private Life by Rebecca Zlotowski. Cast: Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric. Synopsis: The renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered.
Bad Apples by Jonatan Etzler. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms, Sean Gilder, and Kerry Howard. Synopsis: Saoirse Ronan plays Maria, an elementary teacher at a ritzy private school, whose class is plagued by the epic bad behaviour of one extremely foul mouthed and disruptive child, Danny. After he has a violent altercation with another student, Maria is forced to take action. As things spiral even further out of control, Maria is caught between her own bad choices, the utter lack of concern from her community, and the less-than-angelic behaviour of her other students.
Bayaan by Bikas Ranjan Mishra. Cast: Huma Qureshi, Chandrachur Singh, Sachin Khedekar, Swati Das. Synopsis: In a small Rajasthan town where faith is revered and silence is sacred, Bayaan unfolds as a taut, quietly devastating study of systemic complicity. When a powerful and well-respected cult leader (Singh) is accused of sexual abuse via an anonymous letter, the case is assigned to Officer Roohi (Qureshi) — a young detective from Delhi whose sense of duty quickly collides with the brutal realities of the power dynamics at play in the community.
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions by Kahlil Joseph. Cast: Shaunette Renée Wilson, Penny Johnson Jerald, Zora Casebere, Bria Samoné Henderson. Synopsis: Celebrated artist and filmmaker Kahlil Joseph revisits and expands his exploration of Black history, identity, and possibility. Joseph enlisted several prominent Black scholars and thinkers to co-write the film in an act of collective fabulation. Formally audacious and conceived as a cinematic experience that mirrors the sonic textures of an album, the film fluidly moves between modes, creating its own free-associative logic that mixes personal memoir, speculative narrative, archival footage, social media samples, and citations of work by other great artists.
Couture by Alice Winocour. Cast: Angelina Jolie, Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf, Garance Marillier. Synopsis: Anchored by a memorable star turn from Oscar winner Angelina Jolie’s French-speaking performance is a compelling new film , set in the Parisian fashion industry, that weaves together multiple threads in which women of different ages and cultural backgrounds seek to wrest control of their destinies.
Dinner With Friends by Sasha Leigh Henry. Cast: Tattiawna Jones, Izaak Smith, Andrew Bushell, Rakhee Morzaria. Synopsis: Dinner with Friends brings viewers inside a fractured group of eight longtime friends who intermittently come together for dinner parties to share in the joys and pains of being adults today.
Diya by Achille Ronaimou. Cast: Youssouf Djaoro, Ferdinand Mbaïssané, Solmem Marina Ndormadjingar, Haikal Zakaria. Synopsis: Dane (Mbaissané), a driver for an NGO in the capital, has the misfortune to run over a schoolboy. His pregnant wife (Solmem) runs to his aid to pay the hospital bills, but it’s too late: the child succumbs to his injuries, and his family summons Dane’s. He will be subjected to the diya, the blood debt, the payment of an exorbitant sum he doesn’t have.
Dog 51 by Cédric Jimenez. Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Gilles Lellouche, Louis Garrel, Romain Duris, Valéria Bruni Tedeschi, Artus. Synopsis: In a dystopian Paris of the near future, the urban landscape is split apart through checkpoints and zones, monitored by the ever-present Alma AI, always watching over everyone. When the inventor of this revolutionary technology is found dead, it sends shockwaves across the city and an investigation is called for. In search of the truth, the partners must co-exist and draw on their combined knowledge and expertise as they head down a rabbit hole with unexpected consequences and shocking revelations.
Eleanor the Great by Scarlett Johansson. Cast: June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht. Synopsis: After a devastating loss, witty and proudly troublesomeEleanor Morgenstein, 94, tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own.
Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro. Cast: Christoph Waltz, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac. Synopsis: A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
Good Fortune by Aziz Ansari. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer. Synopsis: The story of an angel named Gabriel (Reeves), whose failed attempt to show Arj (Ansari), a struggling man, that money doesn’t solve one’s problems.
Hedda by Nia DaCosta. Cast: Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots, Nicholas Pinnock. Synopsis: Transplanted to mid-century England, this ingenious reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s play is infused with fresh, feminist power and energy. Newly wed and precariously dissatisfied with life, Hedda (Thompson), gun-loving daughter of the late General Gabler, has convinced her husband George (Tom Bateman), a timid but ambitious scholar, to throw a lavish party the couple cannot afford. On the teeming guest list is Eileen Lovborg (Hoss), a celebrated author of a book exploring sexuality — and George’s key rival for a coveted academic post.
John Candy: I Like Me by Colin Hanks. Synopsis: The film will explore the life and legacy of the iconic funnyman Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 43.
Laundy by Zamo Mkhwanazi. Cast: Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe, Ntobeko Sishi, Bukamina Cebekhulu, Zekheteholo Zondi. Synopsis: A young man struggles to find his own path and save his father and his family business under a violent and oppressive apartheid regime in Zamo Mkhwanazi’s stunning feature debut.
Memory of Princess Mumbi by Damien Houser. Cast: Shandra Apondi, Ibraham Joseph, Samson Waithaka, Michael Garama. Synopsis: The film is set in 2094 and follows a filmmaker named Kuve, who travels to Umata to make a documentary about the Great War, which took place in the 2070s. There, he meets Mumbi, who not only helps him with the film but also challenges his perspective on the world.
My Father’s Shadow by Akinola Davies Jr. Cast: Sope Dirisu, Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvelous Egbo, Efòn Wini. Synopsis: Two young brothers explore Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, witnessing both the city’s magnitude and their father’s daily struggles as political unrest threatens their journey home.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie by Matt Johnson. Cast: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol, Ben Petrie, Ethan Eng. Synopsis: For the uninitiated, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s Nirvanna The Band The Show was a cult web series where its two creators portrayed hyperactive, hap-witted versions of themselves as a musical duo desperately failing to book a gig at the storied Toronto venue The Rivoli.
No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook. Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min. Synopsis: Man-soo (Lee) had it all: a loving wife, two talented children, two happy dogs. Then, after 25 years of dedicated work for Solar Paper, Man-soo is suddenly given the axe and is falling behind on his mortgage payments and his wife Mi-ri (Son Yejin) insists they put the house up for sale so he hatches a plan: invent a phony paper company, reach out to each of his rivals, lure them into a meeting… and, one by one, dispatch the competition.
Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League by Richard Brown, Tebogo Malope. Cast: Barack Obama, Stephen Curry, J. Cole, Adam Silver. Synopsis: Showcases the importance of sports to the African continent’s future as well as the complex relationship between America and Africa.
Orwell: 2+2 = 5 by Raoul Peck. Cast: Damian Lewis. Synopsis: George Orwell titled his dystopian 1949 novel 1984, but it feels utterly current in 2025 when phrases like “Big Brother is watching you” might refer to Big Government, Big Business, or Big Technology. Orwell is overdue for a fresh look and filmmaker Raoul Peck makes for an incisive and stirring guide.
Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir. Cast: Jeremy Irons, Liam Cunningham, Billy Howle, Robert Aramayo. Synopsis: Jacir’s film enlists both talented newcomers and stars such as Jeremy Irons and Hiam Abbass to tell a story of individual actions against the roiling history of 1936 during the British Mandate for Palestine. Rare archival footage sets the stage, providing a potent counterpoint to the dramatic action: Jerusalem’s bustling mix of peoples in the wake of the Ottoman Empire’s dissolution, the migration of European Jews fleeing the Nazis, and British attempts to impose colonial rule.
Portobello by Marco Bellocchio. Cast: Lino Musella, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Barbora Bobulova, Carlotta Gamba, Alessandro Preziosi, Fausto Russo Alesi. Synopsis: In the early 1980s, Italian audiences watched Enzo Tortora (Fabrizio Gifuni) on their televisions every Friday evening. Italians were stunned when, out of the blue, Tortora was arrested and charged with illegal drug trafficking activities in connection to the Camorra, the notorious Neapolitan crime organization.
Rental Family by Hikari. Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, Akira Emoto. Synopsis: This poignant comedy-drama stars Oscar winner Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Tokyo who lands a perfect job with one very big catch.
Sacrifice by Romain Gavras. Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Evans, Salma Hayek, John Malkovich, Charli XCX. Synopsis: The attendees at an environmental conference/benefit in Greece seem more like the guests at an A-list Hollywood party than a serious intellectual summit. Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy), the leader of a doomsday eco-cult and her acolytes are convinced the only way to prevent the catastrophic, world-ending eruption of the huge volcano burbling off the coast is to offer up suitably famous sacrifices.
Steal Away by Clement Virgo. Cast: Angourie Rice, Mallori Johnson, Lauren Lee Smith, Idrissa Sanogo. Synopsis: A teenager forms an intense bond with a refugee taken in by her family. As their obsessive relationship deepens, she becomes enamored with the refugee’s lifestyle, leading to desire, jealousy, and a world that is not as it appears.
The Captive by Alejandro Amenabar. Cast: Alessandro Borghi, Julio Peña, José Manuel Poga, Roberto Álamo. Synopsis: The setting is Algiers in the year 1575. The protagonist is one of the most important storytellers of all time. While his literary work reshaped the Spanish language, bringing it into the modern era, little is known about the life of Miguel de Cervantes. The icon, interpreted in this instance by Julio Peña Fernández, is held for ransom as a young ex-soldier, and the narrative astutely presents him on the verge of discovering his true calling and abilities.
The Christophers by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, James Corden. Synopsis: Having all but given up her own art practice, thirtysomething Lori (I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel) divides her time between freelance art restoration and working the window of a food truck. Her fortunes promise to change, however, when she’s approached by the estranged heirs (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) of renowned painter Julian Sklar (McKellen) with a tantalizing proposition: Lori is to apprehend a series of long-abandoned paintings from Sklar’s London home, complete the paintings using her masterful imitation skills, and receive a third of the profits from the sale of the paintings following the old man’s imminent death. Lori accepts the gig, infiltrating Sklar’s home under the pretense of becoming his new assistant, but the ruse quickly goes awry in a series of titillating twists and shifting allegiances.
The Eyes of Ghana by Ben Proudfoot. Cast: Chris Hesse, Anita Afonu, Edmund Addo. Synopsis: The power of cinema has a profound spokesperson in Chris Hesse who toiled in obscurity for six decades. Now in his nineties, Hesse finally receives the spotlight he deserves in The Eyes of Ghana. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Hesse was the personal cameraman to Ghana’s revolutionary leader Kwame Nkrumah. That made him an eyewitness to Africa’s tumultuous liberation movement away from colonialist rule. Nkrumah was deposed in a coup and his rivals sought to destroy all his filmed records. But Hesse found a way to preserve over 1,300 reels. They’ve scarcely been seen since they were filmed.
The Man in My Basement by Nadia Latif. Cast: Corey Hawkins Willem Dafoe, Anna Diop, Brian Bovell, Mark Arnold, Jonathan Ajayi, Tamara Lawrance Gershwyn. Synopsis: When a mysterious man (Willem Dafoe) approaches Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins) to rent his basement for a generous sum, Blakey is drawn into a chilling reality involving his own family’s hidden history in Nadia Latif’s adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel.
The Smashing Machine by Benny Safdie. Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Bas Rutten. Synopsis: In one of the year’s most surprising pairings, Dwayne Johnson and indie icon Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, TIFF ’19) team up in The Smashing Machine, the powerful story of pioneering mixed martial arts/UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Kerr helped grow the sport’s popularity in its early days, but the fights’ brutal demands took a toll, eventually leading to painkiller addiction. The constant need to travel, since the most lucrative early matches were always in Japan, didn’t help either.
True North by Michèle Stephenson. Cast: Norman Cook, Rodney John, Brenda Dash, Philippe Fils-Aimé. Synopsis: Michèle Stephenson’s moving documentary centres on the 1969 student protests against racism at Montreal’s Concordia University and their contribution to the story of Black liberation.
Under the Same Sun by Ulises Porra. Cast: David Castillo, Valentina Shen Wu, Jean Jean, Cecile van Welie. Synopsis: A Spanish settler, his Chinese companion, and a former Haitian soldier work together to bring high-quality silk production to early 19th-century Hispaniola, in this emotionally charged, politically resonant historical drama.
Youngblood by Hubert Davis. Cast: Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Shawn Doyle, Alexandra McDonald. Synopsis: Follows Dean Youngblood, a hockey prodigy who joins the Hamilton Bulldogs and has to deal with toxic behavior during his journey to the National Hockey League draft
Wake Up Dead Man by Rian Johnson. Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin. Synopsis: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) faces his most dangerous mystery yet in the latest entry in Rian Johnson’s beloved Knives Out series.
Wasterman by Cal McMau. Cast: David Jonsson, Tom Blyth, Robert Rhodes, Neil Linpow. Synopsis: Follows parolee Taylor whose fresh start hopes are jeopardized by cellmate Dee’s arrival. As Dee takes Taylor under his wing, a vicious attack tests their bond.
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