media release
September 28, 2022
TIFF announces fall 2022 programming lineup and welcomes special guests to TIFF Bell Lightbox
Retrospectives on New Italian Cinema and Nordic Noirs, Special Tributes to film legends Sidney Poitier and Jean-Luc Godard, Conversation with literary icon John Irving, Haunting Halloween series featuring women filmmakers, Commemorative Viola Desmond screening and art activations, Festival favourites: Holy Spider, Triangle of Sadness, Decision to Leave and My Policeman
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
TORONTO — Today, TIFF Cinematheque unveiled an exciting fall programming slate with a series of retrospectives, special screenings, new restorations, commemorative events, the return of Wavelengths Presents, exclusive New Releases, and many special guests at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Starting October 14, TIFF Cinematheque shines a light on contemporary Italian cinema with its comprehensive focus on four visionary filmmakers — Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher — who have revitalized their national scene on a global level. The first series of its kind to draw resonances between these singular bodies of work, Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema is a major 17-film retrospective curated by TIFF Cinematheque Senior Curator Andréa Picard and co-presented in partnership with Cinecittà, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the Consulate General of Italy, Toronto. Comodin and Frammartino will be in attendance for the opening weekend.
This Halloween season, TIFF is inviting audiences to explore HERROR, a series of honest, daring, and darkly satisfying horror films created by women, co-presented by Rue Morgue. Midnight Madness Presents will complement the lineup with a special presentation of Stephanie Rothman’s under-screened classic The Velvet Vampire, featuring a virtual Q&A with the filmmaker on October 29. Horror fans will be able to enjoy a lineup of women-centric films on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox on October 7: The Blair Witch Project, Crawl, The Lair Of The White Worm, The Ring, and You Won’t Be Alone.
TIFF will spotlight Nordic Noir films in November, the final of three retrospectives in a year-long series celebrating the best of Nordic cinema, which includes Morten Tyldum’s adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s novel Headhunters; and the adaptation of Arnaldur Indriðason’s book Jar City by director Baltasar Kormákur — made possible as part of Nordic Bridges 2022 in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.
Audiences can also look forward to the Canadian premiere of Pedro Costa’s haunting debut film and TIFF Official Selection O Sangue, newly restored in 4K; the Toronto premiere of the 2K restoration of Arthur Bressan’s Buddies on World AIDS Day, featuring an introduction by filmmaker John Greyson; the return of TIFF Wavelengths Presents, with the Toronto premiere of C.W. Winter & Anders Edström’s monumental, multiple–award-winning The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin); and the Canadian premiere of The African Desperate from installation artist and filmmaker Martine Syms, featuring a Q&A with Syms presented in partnership with Mercer Union.
Other in-person guests include Academy Award–winning writer John Irving, who will discuss his highly anticipated new novel The Last Chairlift, as well as The Cider House Rules; pop culture critic and podcaster Elamin Abdelmahmoud, who will present a screening of his favourite film, Moneyball, as part of TIFF’s Loved It series; American filmmaker and screenwriter Lodge Kerrigan to present the 4K restoration of Keane, his startling third feature and a 2004 TIFF Official Selection; and Argentine filmmaker Matías Piñeiro will present the Toronto premiere of his latest film, Isabella as part of MDFF Selects. Also, writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour joins us for a live remote Q&A following a screening of her cult hit A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
In addition, TIFF Bell Lightbox will be showing New Releases fresh off their run at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, including Denmark’s entry for best international feature at the Oscars 2023, Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider; Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning film Triangle of Sadness; Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook’s Cannes Best Director prize–winning film and Best International 2023 Oscar entry for South Korea; and Michael Grandage’s My Policeman, which was honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance (Ensemble). Additional internationally acclaimed films include Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985, Best International 2023 Oscar entry for Argentina; Juan Pablo González’s Sundance winner Dos estaciones; and Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon’s directorial debut feature, Falcon Lake.
Boosie Fade Film Club
October 6 and December 1
Presented in 35mm
TIFF’s ongoing series of cult classics that have made a huge impact on hip-hop and R&B culture is back in October with Spike Lee’s controversial cult favourite Bamboozled, in which a TV writer (Damon Wayans) pitches a minstrel show at the television network where he works in an attempt to get fired, only to have it become a huge success. Then in December, see the 1997 buddy comedy film B*A*P*S, about two diner girls (Halle Berry, Natalie Desselle) who become embroiled in a scheme to take advantage of a rich older man, only to find themselves growing emotionally attached to their victim.
HERROR
October 7–30
Panel Discussion – October 7
HERROR presents six women-written, -directed, and -centred films from the past decade that use genre and a gendered gaze to explore all manner of trauma: grief and motherhood (The Babadook, Prevenge), sexual (Revenge), racial (Master), intergenerational (Relic), and the sum total of patriarchal oppressions (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night). Following the screening of The Babadook on October 7, TIFF Cinematheque will feature a panel discussion with Andrea Subissati, Rue Morgue magazine executive director and the producer and co-host of the Faculty of Horror podcast; film writer and curator Sarah-Tai Black; and film critic and writer Carolyn Mauricette.
To Sidney, with Love
October 8–November 22
To mark the passing of icon and actor Sidney Poitier earlier this year and to celebrate his life, TIFF is a featuring a selection of Poitier’s filmography including Buck and the Preacher, which he also directed; Paris Blues; A Raisin in the Sun; To Sir, with Love; and In the Heat of the Night.
Forever Godard
October 9–15
After Jean-Luc Godard’s death just a few weeks ago, TIFF examines what his legendary work means to cinema with this trio of 35mm films from our Film Reference Library collection, including Breathless, Week-end, and Numéro deux.
New and Restored
October 13–December 1
A diverse and thrilling selection of recent restorations that have been painstakingly brought back to life. Films include Alain Resnais’ The War is Over (La guerre est finie), Sarah Maldoror’s Sambizanga, Edward Yang’s A Confucian Confusion, Lodge Kerrigan’s Keane, Pedro Costa’s O Sangue, Sara Gómez’s One Way or Another, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Hyenas, Robin Phillips’s The Wars, Arthur Bressan’s Buddies, Jacques Rivette’s Love on the Ground, and a 35th anniversary screening of Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys.
Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema
October 14–November 29
Filmmaker panel discussion – October 14
Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema shines a light on four internationally celebrated contemporary Italian filmmakers — Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher — who have revitalized their national cinema with uncompromising and visionary films. Frammartino and Commodin will attend in person for a panel discussing their work before their screening of Roberto Rossellini’s masterpiece Journey to Italy on October 14. Comodin will also introduce the Canadian premiere of his latest, award-winning film, The Adventures of Gigi the Law, and Frammartino will present his Festival favourite, Le Quattro Volte. In addition to numerous premieres and rarities, a free, accompanying publication Cinema According to Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, Alice Rohrwacher published by Cinecittà and Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Toronto will be available at TIFF Bell Lightbox for the duration of the series.
MDFF Selects
October 27–November 24
MDFF co-founder Kazik Radwanski will host a Q&A (virtual and in-person) with directors following their screenings.
MDFF Selects features a showcase of the world’s best, most challenging, and most provocative new international cinema. Films in this series include the folkloric film One Man Dies a Million Times, Jessica Oreck’s first narrative feature about a seed bank and the botanists who worked throughout the Siege of Leningrad during World War II, preceded by Canadian Filmmaker Carol Nguyen’s emotionally complex and meticulously composed portrait of intergenerational trauma in the TIFF 2019 Official Selection No Crying at the Dinner Table — winner of the Short Documentary Jury Award at SXSW, and selected by TIFF for Canada’s Top Ten Shorts.
Then on November 24, the Toronto Premiere of Isabella by Festival favourite Matías Piñeiro, who will be on hand to present the screening, starring longtime collaborators María Villar and Agustina Muñoz as two actors vying for the lead role in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, the director’s most structurally daring and artistically striking film to date.
Midnight Madness Presents
October 29
Virtual Q&A with filmmaker Stephanie Rothman Since 1988, TIFF’s annual Midnight Madness programme has presented the wildest and strangest cinematic provocations from around the world. Inspiring contemporary films and feminist filmmakers, the undeniably stylish conceit of The Velvet Vampire and the playfulness of Rothman’s directorial voice will delight and dare the audience to reflect on the centuries of vampire fantasy.
Nordic Noirs
November 6–23
This retrospective traces the Nordic crime-fiction phenomenon to its roots in modern literature and the foundations of the region’s cinema itself. Each of the films in this series uses local elements to craft compelling and unique mysteries which stand with the best of the genre. Films include: Bodil Ipsen’s Melody of Murder, Baltasar Kormákur’s Jar City, Óskar Jónasson’s Reykjavik Rotterdam, Reynir Oddsson’s Story of a Murder, Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters, and Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl.
Pure Cinematic Oxygen: The Films of Michael Roemer
November 16–25
This spotlight on the celebrated independent writer-director Michael Roemer features three of his narrative features: The Plot Against Harry, Nothing But a Man, and Vengeance is Mine — the only ones to have ever received theatrical release. Roemer suffered a disproportionate amount of bad release luck, which initially prevented his singular films from reaching audiences. The 94-year old filmmaker is finally being recognized for his astounding contributions to American independent filmmaking.
Nuit Blanche
October 1, 7pm–October 2, 7am – FREE
TIFF is proud to host Toronto-based artist Haneen Dalla-Ali’s animation and augmented reality installation Between a Rock and a Hard Place, bringing a remote, Southern Ontario landscape to downtown Toronto and showcasing it through the eyes of the immigrant. Dalla-Ali’s installation is part of Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all-night celebration of contemporary art, which takes place from sunset on October 1 to sunrise on October 2
imagineNATIVE iNdigital Space
October 18 to 23 – FREE
The iNdigital Space is back and bigger than ever. Flowing from the TIFF Gallery into the TIFF Atrium, imagineNATIVE and TIFF are excited to share Indigenous new media with audiences! Featuring virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), video games, interactive web, audio, and more! Visit @imaginenative on socials for more information.
Sexual Politics and Storytelling, According to John Irving
October 25, 7pm
In-person talk by author John Irving
For more than 40 years, literary icon John Irving has been weaving themes of tolerance for sexual differences throughout his writing. His novels advocate for sexual minorities and reproductive rights with urgency and sincerity, while captivating readers with tragicomic turns and unforgettable characters. At this moment — with the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court, and with US state legislators moving to curtail protections for 2SLGBTQ+ youth — Irving’s work has never felt more vital or timely.
Audiences are invited for a special evening as Irving reflects on the sexual politics that compel his storytelling. The author and screenwriter will launch his new novel, The Last Chairlift, look back at the Academy Award–winning film adaptation of The Cider House Rules, and speak to the parallel impulse of both works.
Viola Desmond Day
November 8–27 – FREE
Public Spaces Art — Activation in the TIFF Bell Lightbox Atrium
When Morning Comes screening — November 8
To commemorate the 76th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s historic stand against racial segregation on November 8, 1946, TIFF is presenting a special screening of Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s debut feature that premiered at TIFF 2022, When Morning Comes, followed by a conversation about representation, authentic storytelling, and community with Black-led organizations that are at the forefront of supporting Black creators in the entertainment sector. In addition, from November 8 to November 27, TIFF is presenting free public artist activations programmed in partnership with Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) and Vintage Black Canada. Join us on November 8 at 6pm in the TIFF Bell Lightbox Atrium for a celebration of Black Toronto-based artists and creators. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.
TIFF Next Wave Presents: Open Screen
November 15, 6:30pm
Open Screen invites emerging filmmakers to share something on screen that they’ve created with a community of supportive peers. It can be a finished project or a work-in-progress, something they’ve screened before or something they’ve been sitting on for a while. Filmmakers will receive helpful perspectives and feedback on their work after it plays on the big screen.
His Name is Ray
November 22, 7pm – FREE
In acknowledgment of National Housing Day on November 22 and National Addictions Awareness Week (November 22–28), TIFF is screening Michael Del Monte’s documentary His Name is Ray followed by a conversation about the devastating opioid and housing crises in Toronto ― exacerbated by COVID-19 ― and the vital role of harm-reduction approaches in reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use.
Loved It: Elamin Abdelmahmoud on Moneyball
November 30, 7pm
Pop culture critic and podcaster supreme Elamin Abdelmahmoud revisits Moneyball, a baseball movie with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill that is not totally about baseball. Featuring Aaron Sorkin’s signature dialogue, it is one of the most riveting and defining movies of the 2010s.
Opens September 29
Ponniyin Selvan: I, KW Talkies
Mani Ratnam | India | 2022 | 170 mins.
Vandiyathevan (Karthi), sets out to cross the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram). Kundavai (Trisha Krishnan) attempts to establish political peace in the land as civil war is seemingly being plotted by vassals and petty chieftains.
Opens September 30
Argentina, 1985, Amazon Studios
Santiago Mitre | Argentina, United States | 2022 | 140 mins.
Inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle in which, under constant threat, they dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship against all odds and in a race against time to bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta.
Opens October 6
Triangle of Sadness, Elevation Pictures
Ruben Östlund | Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Greece | 2022 | 150 mins.
Ruben Östlund’s latest Palme d’Or–winning satire explores hypocrisy, greed, and thirst for power amongst the idle rich (and the luxury-cruise industry).
Opens October 7
Dos estaciones, Cinema Guild
Juan Pablo González | Mexico | 2022 | 99 mins.
In the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.
Opens October 14
Falcon Lake, Sphère Films
Charlotte Le Bon | Canada, France | 2022 | 100 mins.
Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon’s directorial debut, based on Bastien Vivès’s graphic novel, is part summertime coming-of-age story and part eerie gothic
Opens October 21
My Policeman, Amazon Studios
Michael Grandage | United Kingdom, United States of America | 2022 | 113 mins.
This tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions follows three people — policeman Tom (Harry Styles/Linus Roache), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin/Gina McKee), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson/Rupert Everett) — and their emotional journey spanning decades.
Opens October 28
Decision to Leave, Mongrel Media
Park Chan-wook | South Korea | 2022 | 138 mins.
A dramatic love story is the beating heart of Park Chan-wook’s mesmerizing and lavish noir masterpiece, featuring the charismatic Chinese star Tang Wei.
Opens November 18
Holy Spider, Sphère Films
Ali Abbasi | Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France | 2022 | 116 mins.
In Iran’s spiritual capital, Mashhad, a dangerous and brutal cat-and-mouse-game unfolds between a serial killer and a journalist seeking justice.
RENT ON DIGITAL TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX
Available September 30
Carmen, Vortex
Valerie Buhagiar | Malta, Canada | 2022 | 87 mins.
In a small Mediterranean village in Malta, Carmen (Natascha McElhone) has looked after her brother, the local priest, for her entire life. When the Church abandons Carmen and she is mistaken for the new priest, Carmen begins to see the world, and herself, in a new light.
God’s Creatures, Sphère Films
Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer | Ireland, United Kingdom, United States | 2022 | 94 mins.
A mother (Emily Watson) tells a lie to protect her son (Paul Mescal), ripping apart their family and close-knit community in this sweepingly emotional drama.
Available October 4
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Elevation Pictures
Dean Fleischer-Camp | United States | 2021 | 90 mins.
In this heartwarming mockumentary that mixes live action and stop-motion animation, a one-inch-tall shell (gently voiced by Jenny Slate) searches for his long-lost family.
Available to rent now
Celebrating Steven Spielberg Shelf
Now that he’s shown us his origin story with The Fabelmans, digital TIFF Bell Lightbox is happy to showcase a selection of Steven Spielberg’s work over the decades.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Amistad (1997)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Announced late last year, a new membership benefit has been added to TIFF Memberships for the duration of 2022: Members now receive free access to over 200 Cinematheque screenings, which includes new essentials, classics, rarities and recent restorations. Additionally, TIFF recently introduced the TIFF Under-25 Free Pass, which offers young film lovers under the age of 25 a pass to access a range of free benefits, such as tickets to Cinematheque screenings, encouraging them to take advantage of exclusive year-round benefits and be part of a community of up-and-coming film lovers.
Additional fall programming details are available at tiff.net.
Starting October 14, TIFF Cinematheque shines a light on contemporary Italian cinema with its comprehensive focus on four visionary filmmakers — Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher — who have revitalized their national scene on a global level. The first series of its kind to draw resonances between these singular bodies of work, Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema is a major 17-film retrospective curated by TIFF Cinematheque Senior Curator Andréa Picard and co-presented in partnership with Cinecittà, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the Consulate General of Italy, Toronto. Comodin and Frammartino will be in attendance for the opening weekend.
This Halloween season, TIFF is inviting audiences to explore HERROR, a series of honest, daring, and darkly satisfying horror films created by women, co-presented by Rue Morgue. Midnight Madness Presents will complement the lineup with a special presentation of Stephanie Rothman’s under-screened classic The Velvet Vampire, featuring a virtual Q&A with the filmmaker on October 29. Horror fans will be able to enjoy a lineup of women-centric films on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox on October 7: The Blair Witch Project, Crawl, The Lair Of The White Worm, The Ring, and You Won’t Be Alone.
TIFF will spotlight Nordic Noir films in November, the final of three retrospectives in a year-long series celebrating the best of Nordic cinema, which includes Morten Tyldum’s adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s novel Headhunters; and the adaptation of Arnaldur Indriðason’s book Jar City by director Baltasar Kormákur — made possible as part of Nordic Bridges 2022 in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.
Audiences can also look forward to the Canadian premiere of Pedro Costa’s haunting debut film and TIFF Official Selection O Sangue, newly restored in 4K; the Toronto premiere of the 2K restoration of Arthur Bressan’s Buddies on World AIDS Day, featuring an introduction by filmmaker John Greyson; the return of TIFF Wavelengths Presents, with the Toronto premiere of C.W. Winter & Anders Edström’s monumental, multiple–award-winning The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin); and the Canadian premiere of The African Desperate from installation artist and filmmaker Martine Syms, featuring a Q&A with Syms presented in partnership with Mercer Union.
Other in-person guests include Academy Award–winning writer John Irving, who will discuss his highly anticipated new novel The Last Chairlift, as well as The Cider House Rules; pop culture critic and podcaster Elamin Abdelmahmoud, who will present a screening of his favourite film, Moneyball, as part of TIFF’s Loved It series; American filmmaker and screenwriter Lodge Kerrigan to present the 4K restoration of Keane, his startling third feature and a 2004 TIFF Official Selection; and Argentine filmmaker Matías Piñeiro will present the Toronto premiere of his latest film, Isabella as part of MDFF Selects. Also, writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour joins us for a live remote Q&A following a screening of her cult hit A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
In addition, TIFF Bell Lightbox will be showing New Releases fresh off their run at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, including Denmark’s entry for best international feature at the Oscars 2023, Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider; Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning film Triangle of Sadness; Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook’s Cannes Best Director prize–winning film and Best International 2023 Oscar entry for South Korea; and Michael Grandage’s My Policeman, which was honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance (Ensemble). Additional internationally acclaimed films include Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985, Best International 2023 Oscar entry for Argentina; Juan Pablo González’s Sundance winner Dos estaciones; and Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon’s directorial debut feature, Falcon Lake.
TIFF CINEMATHEQUE SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
Boosie Fade Film Club
October 6 and December 1
Presented in 35mm
TIFF’s ongoing series of cult classics that have made a huge impact on hip-hop and R&B culture is back in October with Spike Lee’s controversial cult favourite Bamboozled, in which a TV writer (Damon Wayans) pitches a minstrel show at the television network where he works in an attempt to get fired, only to have it become a huge success. Then in December, see the 1997 buddy comedy film B*A*P*S, about two diner girls (Halle Berry, Natalie Desselle) who become embroiled in a scheme to take advantage of a rich older man, only to find themselves growing emotionally attached to their victim.
HERROR
October 7–30
Panel Discussion – October 7
HERROR presents six women-written, -directed, and -centred films from the past decade that use genre and a gendered gaze to explore all manner of trauma: grief and motherhood (The Babadook, Prevenge), sexual (Revenge), racial (Master), intergenerational (Relic), and the sum total of patriarchal oppressions (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night). Following the screening of The Babadook on October 7, TIFF Cinematheque will feature a panel discussion with Andrea Subissati, Rue Morgue magazine executive director and the producer and co-host of the Faculty of Horror podcast; film writer and curator Sarah-Tai Black; and film critic and writer Carolyn Mauricette.
To Sidney, with Love
October 8–November 22
To mark the passing of icon and actor Sidney Poitier earlier this year and to celebrate his life, TIFF is a featuring a selection of Poitier’s filmography including Buck and the Preacher, which he also directed; Paris Blues; A Raisin in the Sun; To Sir, with Love; and In the Heat of the Night.
Forever Godard
October 9–15
After Jean-Luc Godard’s death just a few weeks ago, TIFF examines what his legendary work means to cinema with this trio of 35mm films from our Film Reference Library collection, including Breathless, Week-end, and Numéro deux.
New and Restored
October 13–December 1
A diverse and thrilling selection of recent restorations that have been painstakingly brought back to life. Films include Alain Resnais’ The War is Over (La guerre est finie), Sarah Maldoror’s Sambizanga, Edward Yang’s A Confucian Confusion, Lodge Kerrigan’s Keane, Pedro Costa’s O Sangue, Sara Gómez’s One Way or Another, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Hyenas, Robin Phillips’s The Wars, Arthur Bressan’s Buddies, Jacques Rivette’s Love on the Ground, and a 35th anniversary screening of Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys.
Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema
October 14–November 29
Filmmaker panel discussion – October 14
Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema shines a light on four internationally celebrated contemporary Italian filmmakers — Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher — who have revitalized their national cinema with uncompromising and visionary films. Frammartino and Commodin will attend in person for a panel discussing their work before their screening of Roberto Rossellini’s masterpiece Journey to Italy on October 14. Comodin will also introduce the Canadian premiere of his latest, award-winning film, The Adventures of Gigi the Law, and Frammartino will present his Festival favourite, Le Quattro Volte. In addition to numerous premieres and rarities, a free, accompanying publication Cinema According to Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, Alice Rohrwacher published by Cinecittà and Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Toronto will be available at TIFF Bell Lightbox for the duration of the series.
MDFF Selects
October 27–November 24
MDFF co-founder Kazik Radwanski will host a Q&A (virtual and in-person) with directors following their screenings.
MDFF Selects features a showcase of the world’s best, most challenging, and most provocative new international cinema. Films in this series include the folkloric film One Man Dies a Million Times, Jessica Oreck’s first narrative feature about a seed bank and the botanists who worked throughout the Siege of Leningrad during World War II, preceded by Canadian Filmmaker Carol Nguyen’s emotionally complex and meticulously composed portrait of intergenerational trauma in the TIFF 2019 Official Selection No Crying at the Dinner Table — winner of the Short Documentary Jury Award at SXSW, and selected by TIFF for Canada’s Top Ten Shorts.
Then on November 24, the Toronto Premiere of Isabella by Festival favourite Matías Piñeiro, who will be on hand to present the screening, starring longtime collaborators María Villar and Agustina Muñoz as two actors vying for the lead role in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, the director’s most structurally daring and artistically striking film to date.
Midnight Madness Presents
October 29
Virtual Q&A with filmmaker Stephanie Rothman Since 1988, TIFF’s annual Midnight Madness programme has presented the wildest and strangest cinematic provocations from around the world. Inspiring contemporary films and feminist filmmakers, the undeniably stylish conceit of The Velvet Vampire and the playfulness of Rothman’s directorial voice will delight and dare the audience to reflect on the centuries of vampire fantasy.
Nordic Noirs
November 6–23
This retrospective traces the Nordic crime-fiction phenomenon to its roots in modern literature and the foundations of the region’s cinema itself. Each of the films in this series uses local elements to craft compelling and unique mysteries which stand with the best of the genre. Films include: Bodil Ipsen’s Melody of Murder, Baltasar Kormákur’s Jar City, Óskar Jónasson’s Reykjavik Rotterdam, Reynir Oddsson’s Story of a Murder, Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters, and Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl.
Pure Cinematic Oxygen: The Films of Michael Roemer
November 16–25
This spotlight on the celebrated independent writer-director Michael Roemer features three of his narrative features: The Plot Against Harry, Nothing But a Man, and Vengeance is Mine — the only ones to have ever received theatrical release. Roemer suffered a disproportionate amount of bad release luck, which initially prevented his singular films from reaching audiences. The 94-year old filmmaker is finally being recognized for his astounding contributions to American independent filmmaking.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Nuit Blanche
October 1, 7pm–October 2, 7am – FREE
TIFF is proud to host Toronto-based artist Haneen Dalla-Ali’s animation and augmented reality installation Between a Rock and a Hard Place, bringing a remote, Southern Ontario landscape to downtown Toronto and showcasing it through the eyes of the immigrant. Dalla-Ali’s installation is part of Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all-night celebration of contemporary art, which takes place from sunset on October 1 to sunrise on October 2
imagineNATIVE iNdigital Space
October 18 to 23 – FREE
The iNdigital Space is back and bigger than ever. Flowing from the TIFF Gallery into the TIFF Atrium, imagineNATIVE and TIFF are excited to share Indigenous new media with audiences! Featuring virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), video games, interactive web, audio, and more! Visit @imaginenative on socials for more information.
Sexual Politics and Storytelling, According to John Irving
October 25, 7pm
In-person talk by author John Irving
For more than 40 years, literary icon John Irving has been weaving themes of tolerance for sexual differences throughout his writing. His novels advocate for sexual minorities and reproductive rights with urgency and sincerity, while captivating readers with tragicomic turns and unforgettable characters. At this moment — with the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court, and with US state legislators moving to curtail protections for 2SLGBTQ+ youth — Irving’s work has never felt more vital or timely.
Audiences are invited for a special evening as Irving reflects on the sexual politics that compel his storytelling. The author and screenwriter will launch his new novel, The Last Chairlift, look back at the Academy Award–winning film adaptation of The Cider House Rules, and speak to the parallel impulse of both works.
Viola Desmond Day
November 8–27 – FREE
Public Spaces Art — Activation in the TIFF Bell Lightbox Atrium
When Morning Comes screening — November 8
To commemorate the 76th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s historic stand against racial segregation on November 8, 1946, TIFF is presenting a special screening of Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s debut feature that premiered at TIFF 2022, When Morning Comes, followed by a conversation about representation, authentic storytelling, and community with Black-led organizations that are at the forefront of supporting Black creators in the entertainment sector. In addition, from November 8 to November 27, TIFF is presenting free public artist activations programmed in partnership with Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) and Vintage Black Canada. Join us on November 8 at 6pm in the TIFF Bell Lightbox Atrium for a celebration of Black Toronto-based artists and creators. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.
TIFF Next Wave Presents: Open Screen
November 15, 6:30pm
Open Screen invites emerging filmmakers to share something on screen that they’ve created with a community of supportive peers. It can be a finished project or a work-in-progress, something they’ve screened before or something they’ve been sitting on for a while. Filmmakers will receive helpful perspectives and feedback on their work after it plays on the big screen.
His Name is Ray
November 22, 7pm – FREE
In acknowledgment of National Housing Day on November 22 and National Addictions Awareness Week (November 22–28), TIFF is screening Michael Del Monte’s documentary His Name is Ray followed by a conversation about the devastating opioid and housing crises in Toronto ― exacerbated by COVID-19 ― and the vital role of harm-reduction approaches in reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use.
Loved It: Elamin Abdelmahmoud on Moneyball
November 30, 7pm
Pop culture critic and podcaster supreme Elamin Abdelmahmoud revisits Moneyball, a baseball movie with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill that is not totally about baseball. Featuring Aaron Sorkin’s signature dialogue, it is one of the most riveting and defining movies of the 2010s.
NEW RELEASES
PLAYING AT TIFF BELL LIGHTBOXOpens September 29
Ponniyin Selvan: I, KW Talkies
Mani Ratnam | India | 2022 | 170 mins.
Vandiyathevan (Karthi), sets out to cross the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram). Kundavai (Trisha Krishnan) attempts to establish political peace in the land as civil war is seemingly being plotted by vassals and petty chieftains.
Opens September 30
Argentina, 1985, Amazon Studios
Santiago Mitre | Argentina, United States | 2022 | 140 mins.
Inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle in which, under constant threat, they dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship against all odds and in a race against time to bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta.
Opens October 6
Triangle of Sadness, Elevation Pictures
Ruben Östlund | Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Greece | 2022 | 150 mins.
Ruben Östlund’s latest Palme d’Or–winning satire explores hypocrisy, greed, and thirst for power amongst the idle rich (and the luxury-cruise industry).
Opens October 7
Dos estaciones, Cinema Guild
Juan Pablo González | Mexico | 2022 | 99 mins.
In the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.
Opens October 14
Falcon Lake, Sphère Films
Charlotte Le Bon | Canada, France | 2022 | 100 mins.
Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon’s directorial debut, based on Bastien Vivès’s graphic novel, is part summertime coming-of-age story and part eerie gothic
Opens October 21
My Policeman, Amazon Studios
Michael Grandage | United Kingdom, United States of America | 2022 | 113 mins.
This tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions follows three people — policeman Tom (Harry Styles/Linus Roache), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin/Gina McKee), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson/Rupert Everett) — and their emotional journey spanning decades.
Opens October 28
Decision to Leave, Mongrel Media
Park Chan-wook | South Korea | 2022 | 138 mins.
A dramatic love story is the beating heart of Park Chan-wook’s mesmerizing and lavish noir masterpiece, featuring the charismatic Chinese star Tang Wei.
Opens November 18
Holy Spider, Sphère Films
Ali Abbasi | Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France | 2022 | 116 mins.
In Iran’s spiritual capital, Mashhad, a dangerous and brutal cat-and-mouse-game unfolds between a serial killer and a journalist seeking justice.
RENT ON DIGITAL TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX
Available September 30
Carmen, Vortex
Valerie Buhagiar | Malta, Canada | 2022 | 87 mins.
In a small Mediterranean village in Malta, Carmen (Natascha McElhone) has looked after her brother, the local priest, for her entire life. When the Church abandons Carmen and she is mistaken for the new priest, Carmen begins to see the world, and herself, in a new light.
God’s Creatures, Sphère Films
Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer | Ireland, United Kingdom, United States | 2022 | 94 mins.
A mother (Emily Watson) tells a lie to protect her son (Paul Mescal), ripping apart their family and close-knit community in this sweepingly emotional drama.
Available October 4
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Elevation Pictures
Dean Fleischer-Camp | United States | 2021 | 90 mins.
In this heartwarming mockumentary that mixes live action and stop-motion animation, a one-inch-tall shell (gently voiced by Jenny Slate) searches for his long-lost family.
Available to rent now
Celebrating Steven Spielberg Shelf
Now that he’s shown us his origin story with The Fabelmans, digital TIFF Bell Lightbox is happy to showcase a selection of Steven Spielberg’s work over the decades.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Amistad (1997)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Announced late last year, a new membership benefit has been added to TIFF Memberships for the duration of 2022: Members now receive free access to over 200 Cinematheque screenings, which includes new essentials, classics, rarities and recent restorations. Additionally, TIFF recently introduced the TIFF Under-25 Free Pass, which offers young film lovers under the age of 25 a pass to access a range of free benefits, such as tickets to Cinematheque screenings, encouraging them to take advantage of exclusive year-round benefits and be part of a community of up-and-coming film lovers.
Additional fall programming details are available at tiff.net.