media release
July 25, 2024
Set your watch for 11:59PM: TIFF's Midnight Madness returns
World Premieres include Thibault Emin’s Else, Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship, Joseph Kahn’s Ick, Kenichi Ugana’s The Gesuidouz, and Timo Tjahjanto’s The Shadow Strays
Toronto — For cult film fanatics that go giddy for the best of the bizarre, the wait is over. Today, the Toronto International Film Festival announces its Midnight Madness lineup for 2024, which will open with the North American Premiere of Coralie Fargeat’s buzzy horror thriller The Substance, starring Demi Moore. The Midnight Madness programme is presented by Intrepid Travel and features five World Premieres amongst the 10 titles that celebrate the best in action, horror, shock, and fantasy cinema with midnight premieres at the historic (and allegedly haunted) Royal Alexandra Theatre.
One of the most beloved programmes of the Festival, this year’s Midnight Madness highlights the wild and the eerie, from body horror to time travel, supernatural comedy to martial arts action, eccentric thrillers to provocative satire, and found footage to horror-themed punk rock. Surrounded by like-minded fans late at night, Midnight Madness filmgoers face the unknown in the company of strangers. A number of TIFF and Midnight Madness alumni are returning this year, including Joseph Kahn (TIFF 2017 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award winner), Timo Tjahjanto (who last attended in 2016), and Fargeat (whose debut feature premiered at TIFF in 2017).
New this year, we have asked a few TIFF Programmers to share their insights into this year’s films. Watch Midnight Madness Lead Programmer Peter Kuplowsky’s terrifying summary here.
Dead Mail Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy | USA
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
Dead Talents Society John Hsu | Taiwan
North American Premiere
Else Thibault Emin | France/Belgium
World Premiere
Sales Title
Escape from the 21st Century Yang Li | China
International Premiere
Sales Title
Friendship Andrew DeYoung | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title
Ick Joseph Kahn | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This Rachel Kempf, Nick Toti | USA
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
The Gesuidouz Kenichi Ugana | Japan
World Premiere
Sales Title
The Shadow Strays Timo Tjahjanto | Indonesia
World Premiere
OPENING FILM
The Substance Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom/USA/France
North American Premiere
Today marks the last day of this week’s TIFF Takeovers with another week coming August 6–9. More Festival details will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for TIFF ’24 go on sale to TIFF Members by level beginning on Friday, August 16. For more details, visit tiff.net/join. The full Festival schedule will be released on Tuesday, August 13.
Note: All rights availability details are subject to change. Accredited industry professionals, including buyers, can download the full TIFF 2024 Rights List in the Delegate Resources section of tiff.net/industry. The complete list will be posted in late August.
One of the most beloved programmes of the Festival, this year’s Midnight Madness highlights the wild and the eerie, from body horror to time travel, supernatural comedy to martial arts action, eccentric thrillers to provocative satire, and found footage to horror-themed punk rock. Surrounded by like-minded fans late at night, Midnight Madness filmgoers face the unknown in the company of strangers. A number of TIFF and Midnight Madness alumni are returning this year, including Joseph Kahn (TIFF 2017 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award winner), Timo Tjahjanto (who last attended in 2016), and Fargeat (whose debut feature premiered at TIFF in 2017).
New this year, we have asked a few TIFF Programmers to share their insights into this year’s films. Watch Midnight Madness Lead Programmer Peter Kuplowsky’s terrifying summary here.
2024 Midnight Madness programme (in alphabetical order)
Dead Mail Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy | USA
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
Dead Talents Society John Hsu | Taiwan
North American Premiere
Else Thibault Emin | France/Belgium
World Premiere
Sales Title
Escape from the 21st Century Yang Li | China
International Premiere
Sales Title
Friendship Andrew DeYoung | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title
Ick Joseph Kahn | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This Rachel Kempf, Nick Toti | USA
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
The Gesuidouz Kenichi Ugana | Japan
World Premiere
Sales Title
The Shadow Strays Timo Tjahjanto | Indonesia
World Premiere
OPENING FILM
The Substance Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom/USA/France
North American Premiere
Today marks the last day of this week’s TIFF Takeovers with another week coming August 6–9. More Festival details will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for TIFF ’24 go on sale to TIFF Members by level beginning on Friday, August 16. For more details, visit tiff.net/join. The full Festival schedule will be released on Tuesday, August 13.
Note: All rights availability details are subject to change. Accredited industry professionals, including buyers, can download the full TIFF 2024 Rights List in the Delegate Resources section of tiff.net/industry. The complete list will be posted in late August.