TIFF 2024: Films That Should Be On Your Watchlist

Leaves fall, rain begins to freeze, and the Toronto International Film festival rolls around once more. Every year, the star-studded festival returns to give film fans an early look at some of their most anticipated releases, as well as a slew of smaller turns and surprises. We’re here to give you a peek behind the curtain before the festival kicks things off this Thursday, so that you can know what to expect, and perhaps even feel a bit better about navigating this year’s steep slate, too.

Big Name Directors

Eden (Gala Presentations, U.S.A.)

Eden is an upcoming American survival thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by Noah Pink. It stars arguably the sexiest cast of any film this year in Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Jude Law, Daniel Brühl and Richard Roxburgh.

Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Law) and his partner Dora Strauch (Kirby) flee Germany in 1929, to get away from what they consider to be bourgeois, and get back to true humanity. They end up on the isle of Floreana in the Galapagos islands and Friedrich begins to writehis manifesto, while Dora resolves to cure her illness with peace, quiet and meditation. Their hard-won solitude, however, is short lived.

They are joined by Margaret (Sydney Sweeney) and Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Bruehl), who prove to be earnest, capable settlers, but when others start to arrive, the couple realize they are once again surrounded by what they were trying to flee… the worst of humanity.

The film is slated to premiere at the Festival on September 7, 2024.

The Shrouds (Gala Presentations, U.S.A.)

One of the films with high head-and-shoulders excitement among the 2024 catalog is The Shrouds, the latest from David Cronenberg. Premiering on September 11th, the film’s synopsis is as follows: “Inconsolable since the death of his wife, Karsh, a prominent businessman, invents a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds. One night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh’s wife, are desecrated, and he sets out to track down the perpetrators.”

The dark stars have aligned for Cronenberg to deliver another disturbing horror-adjacent effort that delivers all the thrill and more kill than you could ever dream of. Those at TIFF will get to crack into the film before everyone else, and their scarred reactions are sure to follow.

presence (Gala Presentations, U.S.A.)

Presence, directed by Stephen Soderbergh and penned by David Koepp, will premiere only two days later on September 13, helping weigh the festival’s final few days with heavy talent and expectation. Following in the same genre footsteps as the previous entry, this one follows a family who move into a suburban home, quickly becoming convinced that they’re not alone. It sounds like a classic formula, and with Soderbergh at the helm, the film should make for an easy highlight.

Queer (Special Presentations, Italy, U.S.A.)

This adaptation of a William Burroughs’ second novel, written in the early 1950s but not published until 1985, stars former James Bond, Daniel Craig, who plays a homosexual man living in 1940s-era Mexico who decides to journey into the Amazon. While in the jungle, all he wants is a little action, and whatever hallucinogens he can find.

It’s a case of a brilliant author meeting a brilliant director in Luca Guadagnino, who has made a name for himself telling lush, beautiful and heartbreaking LGBTQ+ stories. Aside from Craig, the film also featuring supporting characters played by Jason Schwartzman and Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Queer is a drug-fulled odyssey bursting with sexuality.

Stars Continuing to Shine

Friendship (Midnight Madness, U.S.A.)

Friendship, written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, premieres to widespread anticipation. The film stars Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson who form a simple friendship between two suburban dads, though it isn’t that simple. One-sided obsession seeps into the dynamic and threatens to tear down more than just the new dynamic. This is one to watch for a surprise, sporting a deceivingly lighthearted overlay that seems to suggest something more intriguing happening beyond the tag line.

Robinson promises to continue his brand of ‘cringe comedy’ much like his cult sketch series I Think You Should Leave. In Friendship, his brand of uncomfortable comedy shows a bit of range between hilarious over the top rage, and childlike naiveté.

Partnered with Rudd, this comedic duo promises that Friendship will offer Midnighters one of the funniest, trippiest comedies of this years’ festival.

The Last Showgirl (Special Presentations, U.S.A.)

Pamela Anderson stars in The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola, (granddaughter of icon Francis Ford Coppola). The 90s icon and blonde bombshell has enjoyed a second life in the pop culture world, much in part to the mini-series Pam & Tommy, which cast her in a highly compassionate light.

Anderson plays a career Vegas showgirl, Shelly, about to be unemployed and in need of a new life that may or may not include sequins and/or her estranged daughter. Shelly must plan for the future while trying to reconcile the past. With Anderson being given new life in her career, this may be an opportunity for her to shine brightly again, and prove to critics that she has true acting chops. The film also stars Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, and Billie Lourd, and will premiere on September 6.

The Room Next Door (Special Presentations, Spain)

This complicated story follows two old friends at a crossroads – Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton), who reconnect as one battles a life-threatening illness.

As they negotiate their beliefs and fears about death, reminisce about the journalism days, and rekindle their friendship, their conversations become less about death and more about the magic of life.

Based on a bestselling novel by Sigrid Nunez, The Room Next Door is Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English language film. Students of his filmography (The Human Voice, Pain and Glory, The Skin I Live In) will still recognize many of the filmmakers trademarks, and his gifted storytelling prowess is very much on display.

Conclave (Special Presentations, U.S.A., U.K.)

When the Pope unexpectedly dies, Cardinals from across the globe have a sacred job to do, and so they all travel to the Vatican, where they immediately isolate themselves to make the difficult decision as to who the new Pope will be. The film balances religion and the outlook the Catholic church must keep in mind when choosing a Pope to take them into the future and not disenfranchise a changing world.

Conclave, from director Edward Berger has been deemed absolutely captivating by those who have seen it. Ralph Fiennes (back at the festival after last years’ The Menu) leads an all-star cast including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini in a film that promises conspiracy, politics and conniving Cardinals.

True Stories

Saturday Night (Special Presentations, U.S.A.)

In the mid 70s, America, and maybe the world felt a little broken. It was the time of Watergate. It was the time of Vietnam. And in 90 minutes’ time, live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night.

The original cast of Saturday Night Live are characterized and brought back from the 70s to bring you an exciting, (and likely drug-addled) look at the premiere night of the perennial program. Jason Reitman directs the tense and comedic fictionalized story of that faithful night, as he give audiences a behind the scenes look into the frenzied lead-up to the show’s very first episode.

Making its world premiere at TIFF, the film will have a wide release on October 11th, 49 years to the day of that very night.

Will & Harper (Gala Presentations, U.S.A.)

Speaking of Saturday Night Live, infamous funny guy and SNL alum, Will Ferrell costars with real life friend Harper Steele in this documentary/buddy road trip film. The two met in 1995 on their first day at SNL, and they discovered much like Ferrell’s famous line from Stepbrothers “Did we just become best friends?”

This funny and tender documentary comes from director Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) follows the two friends after Steele’s announcement of her transition. It serves as both a testament of the pair’s eternal friendship and a powerful documentary on the modern attitudes toward the trans community.

Elton John: Never Too Late (Gala Presentations, U.S.A.)

The Rocket Man is an icon of fashion, style and music, and yet there’s still so much we don’t know about him. Co-directed by R.J. Cutler (The September Issue, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry) and John’s partner, Scarborough boy David Furnish, this is a look back at the musicians early life, as he prepares for his farewell concert. “This is where you start to think about mortality,” John says in this film, as he begins to really reflect on the journey.

There is tons of never-before-seen archival footage and photographs of Elton John that many are surprised haven’t come out yet. John has been documented before, so to find several hidden nuggets is an absolute blessing for those who are a fan of the artist. Looking back (once again) proves, once again, that this man is a legend and perhaps deserves a dozen documentaries to record his fantastic career.

The Penguin Lessons (Gala Presentations, Spain, U.K.)

If this article hopefully teaches you anything, its that if comedian, actor and writer Steve Coogan is in something, you eventually have to check out that film. Coogan’s perennial work in comedy has been well documented in The Trip series opposite Rob Bryden, his work in Alan Partridge and even the Night at the Museum films. The man is as competent in drama as he is in comedy, and has even garnered an Oscar nomination.

He brings his trademark delicious dry wit to his role as a British boarding school teacher in 70s-era Argentina. Tom (Coogan) befriends a distressed but grateful penguin in this work adapted from the 2015 memoir by Tom Michell.

Pauk Anka: His Way (Special Presentations, U.S.A.)

Another great documentary about another great musician, this time, Canadian-born singer-songwriter Paul Anka. Director John Maggio had a taunting task in front of him, as he had to examine how to properly capture a remarkable career spanning almost 80 years, and the legendary global success Anka has had.

Besides its remarkable volume of archival footage, TIFF is reporting that one of the documentary’s strengths is Anka’s openess. The icon tells a ton of previously unheard stories about everything from the successes and mistakes he’s made in his career, the pressures of fame, his past marriage, and numerous raucous recollections around his working relationships with other musical icons. The film is a great way to get new insight for fans of the singer, as well as newcomers ready to learn just how influential Anka has been.

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe (Gala Presentations, U.K.)

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe, directed by Cosima Spender, is a documentary that follows the world-renowned performer on tour in America and Italy, and offers an intimate portrait of him as a husband, father, and dear friend who his adoring fans have never seen before. The premiere is set for September 7.

Most people know the acclaimed Italian tenor as the owner of a massive voice with scant regard for boundaries. Lesser known is Andrea Bocelli’s childhood in Tuscany, which included the congenital glaucoma that claimed his sight at age 12, and his many diverse career victories. Archival and concert footage paint the picture of a man who, at 65, remains at the top of his game.