It’s almost that time! Award-winning actors and filmmakers will soon descend on our city for one of the most highly-anticipated film festivals of the year — the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). There are so many buzz-worthy TIFF films to see this year, and we’ve got the highlights for you right here.
From star-studded comedies to groundbreaking dramas, here are the most talked-about TIFF films to see in 2023.
Which of these movies will you be watching first?
Dumb Money
Craig Gillespie’s film Dumb Money starring Seth Rogen and Paul Dano is all about the infamous GameStop Wall Street scandal.
It’s described by TIFF as an “outrageous battle of wits between amateur investors and hedge fund billionaires.” This is going to be good!
Next Goal Wins
Starring Michael Fassbender, Next Goal Wins is a Taika Waititi comedy about “the American Samoa soccer team’s attempt to make a World Cup — 12 years after their infamous 31-0 loss in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match.”
Other stars include Elisabeth Moss and Oscar Kightley.
Dicks: The Musical
We love a musical comedy! And this one is directed by Larry Cohen of Borat, so you already know it’s going to bring the laughs.
This hilarious film is a take on The Parent Trap, following “a pair of identical twins who conspire to reunite their divorced and disturbingly deranged parents,” according to TIFF. We can’t wait.
Hate to Love: Nickelback
The Canadian band everyone loves to hate will take centre stage at TIFF this year with the appropriately named documentary, Hate to Love.
“This intimate portrait surveys the Canadian stadium rockers’ rollercoaster career and reveals the abiding love for music that keeps them together,” says TIFF.
Be warned, you may shed a tear or two during this touching documentary, and have “look at this photograph” stuck in your head afterward.
Fair Play
This finance drama stars Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor “set in the merciless milieu of hedge fund managers,” says the description.
Dynevor will star alongside Alden Ehrenreich as a couple whose romance is put to the test in a cut-throat workplace “where success is a zero-sum game.”
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Concrete Utopia
This South Korean film will have its North American premiere at TIFF this September.
The riveting film by Um Tae-hwa is a disaster epic that tells the story of survivors of a devastating earthquake in Seoul.
It follows the “characters’ gradual descent into ruthless tribalism in a way that eerily mirrors so many contemporary global events,” says TIFF.
This one is going at the top of our list!
The New Boy
Also having its North American premiere at TIFF is this Australian film starring Oscar winner Cate Blanchett.
Described as a spiritual drama, The New Boy “hauntingly evokes Australia’s fraught colonial legacy through the story of one very special child.”
The film is set in the 1940s and is “equal parts magic and heartache.”
Sly
This Netflix documentary about Sylvester Stallone’s extraordinary life journey will be the closing night gala film of the 2023 festival.
“Celebrating the legacy of a true icon, Sly takes audiences on an intimate journey through the life of Stallone, a cultural touchstone whose impact on cinema spans nearly half a century,” said the CEO of TIFF about the film.
“Sly offers an unexpected and heartfelt exploration of the man behind the action megastar.”
Poolman
A trailer for this highly-anticipated film hasn’t been released yet, but it’s definitely generating all the buzz.
Directed by and starring Chris Pine, Poolman is described by TIFF as a “kinetic noir comedy.”
In the film, Pine plays an “anxious pool cleaner who uncovers a curious conspiracy in the city of Los Angeles.”
The Boy and the Heron
And last but not least, we have the opening night gala presentation film, Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron.
This masterpiece of a film is acclaimed in Japan and will have its international premiere at the festival.
This visionary director is the co-founder of the Oscar-winning Studio Ghibli and this may be his last film ever.
The story “begins as a simple story of loss and love, and rises to become a staggering work of imagination,” according to TIFF.
We cannot wait to see it all unfold.
