TIFF announces its 2024 Centrepiece programme with titles from over 40 countries

Toronto —TIFF is proud to unveil its 2024 Centrepiece programme lineup presented by Marriott Bonvoy®, featuring 43 titles from filmmakers representing 41 countries. The selection includes 18 World Premiere titles from Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and USA. Centrepiece honours and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films. The programme is a reflection of TIFF’s commitment to providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries. The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will take place September 5-15, 2024.

The 2024 Centrepiece selection has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Jason Ryle, and Norm Wilner. Discover more about the films from the programmers themselves here:
Notable World Premieres include Front Row, from one of the filmmakers selected as a Luminary — TIFF’s spotlight on new work from the world’s most influential art-house directors — Algerian director Merzak Allouache, marking his 19th feature film, a family-friendly comedy about feuding matriarchs battling over the best beachfront spot. Seven Days, the latest from Iranian filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi and writer Mohammad Rasoulof (also in the Centrepiece programme with his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig), centres on an Iranian human rights activist named Maryam who has spent the last six years in prison and has been granted a rare seven-day medical leave. Pimpinero: Blood and Oil, a gripping thriller set in the early 2010s from acclaimed Colombian filmmaker Andrés Baiz (Griselda, Narcos), starring Colombian music icon Juanes, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Speitzer, and Laura Osma, takes place in the treacherous desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers or pimpineros risk their lives transporting illegal fuel. Under the Volcano, a tense and timely second feature from Polish filmmaker Damian Kocur following Bread and Salt, which garnered a Special Jury Prize at Venice ’22, tells the story of a Ukrainian family on vacation in the Canary Islands who become refugees overnight when Russia’s ongoing occupation of Ukraine turns into a full-scale invasion. Another timely film covering pressing social issues is Antoinette Jadaone’s Sunshine, from the Philippines, starring up-and-coming Maris Racal (her third collaboration with the filmmaker), who plays a young gymnast who discovers she’s pregnant on the week of the national team tryouts. The latest from Belgian director Guillaume Senez (Keeper, TIFF ’15), A Missing Part is a thoughtful and moving drama about a father’s search for his daughter, with an exceptional lead performance by Romain Duris. From Canada, Measures for a Funeral, from acclaimed filmmaker and Short Cuts alumni Sofia Bohdanowicz and her frequent collaborator, actor Deragh Campbell, tells a singular story about a forgotten Canadian violinist. Also, Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara are at the centre of the gripping documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, which charts the global rise of the trailblazing twins, their advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, and their simultaneously liberating and fraught relationship with social media, from American documentary filmmaker and writer Erin Lee Carr (At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal, Britney vs Spears), who directed and produced the film.

Other Centrepiece standout World Premieres include Jane Austen Wrecked My Life from France. In an utterly charming debut, writer-director Laura Piani draws from Austen’s works while crafting a wholly contemporary romantic comedy — featuring a Frederick Wiseman cameo — that stands on its own merits. Kiwi-Australian filmmaker Marcelle Lunam, who has directed multiple music videos and short films, as well as the feature documentary Habana Shakes, presents Addition, a warm-hearted and illuminating adaptation of the bestselling novel by Toni Jordan, starring Teresa Palmer (A Discovery of Witches), who plays a mathematician struggling to balance her compulsive counting habit (and imaginary friendship with Nikola Tesla) with a new romance. The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, a debut from Nigeria’s Agbajowo Collective, is a thriller with flecks of magical realism, telling a story about the government’s forced evictions of informal settlements. Inspired by the directors’ lived experiences, the film stars Temi Ami-Williams (Eyimofe – This Is My Desire) and celebrity activist-actor Adebowale Adedayo (a.k.a. Mr Macaroni, also at the Festival with Discovery selection Freedom Way). From China, renowned scriptwriter Huo Xin presents Bound in Heaven, a poignant tale of love and resilience starring Ni Ni, Zhou You, and Liao Fan. This deeply touching film tackles domestic violence and terminal illness with assured direction and outstanding performances.

2024 Centrepiece Programme (in alphabetical order)

Addition Marcelle Lunam | Australia
World Premiere
Sales Title

A Missing Part Guillaume Senez | Belgium/France
World Premiere
Sales Title

An Unfinished Film Lou Ye | Singapore/Germany
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Anywhere Anytime Milad Tangshir | Italy
International Premiere
Sales Title

April Dea Kulumbegashvili | Italy/France/Georgia
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Beloved Tropic Ana Endara | Panama/Colombia
World Premiere
Sales Title

Bound in Heaven Huo Xin | China
World Premiere
Sales Title

By the Stream Hong Sangsoo | South Korea
North American Premiere

Cloud Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Crocodile Tears Tumpal Tampubolon | Indonesia/France/Singapore/Germany
World Premiere
Sales Title

Don’t Cry, Butterfly Dương Diệu Linh | Vietnam/Singapore/Philippines/Indonesia
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Edge of Night Türker Süer | Germany
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara Erin Lee Carr | USA
World Premiere

Flow Gints Zilbalodis | Latvia/France/Belgium
Canadian Premiere

Front Row Merzak Allouache | Algeria/Saudi Arabia/France
World Premiere
Sales Title

Happyend Neo Sora | Japan/USA
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Happy Holidays Scandar Copti | Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar
North American Premiere
Sales Title

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Laura Piani | France
World Premiere
Sales Title

Julie Keeps Quiet Leonardo van Dijl | Belgium/Sweden
North American Premiere
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Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without End Michael Jonathan | New Zealand
North American Premiere
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Kill the Jockey Luis Ortega | Argentina/Mexico/Spain/Denmark/USA
North American Premiere
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Little Jaffna Lawrence Valin | France
North American Premiere
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Los Tortuga Belén Funes | Spain/Chile
World Premiere
Sales Title

Matt and Mara Kazik Radwanski | Canada
North American Premiere

Measures for a Funeral Sofia Bohdanowicz | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title

My Sunshine Hiroshi Okuyama | Japan/France
North American Premiere
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Pimpinero: Blood and Oil Andrés Baiz | Colombia
World Premiere

Presence Steven Soderbergh | USA
International Premiere

Santosh Sandhya Suri | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title

Seven Days Ali Samadi Ahadi | Germany
World Premiere
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Souleymane’s Story Boris Lojkine | France
International Premiere
Sales Title

Sunshine Antoinette Jadaone | Philippines
World Premiere
Sales Title

Sweet Angel Baby Melanie Oates | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos Agbajowo Collective: James Tayler, Ogungbamila Temitope, Okechukwu Samuel, Mathew Cerf, Tina Edukpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, A.S. Elijah | Nigeria/Germany/South Africa/USA
World Premiere
Sales Title

The Mother and the Bear Johnny Ma | Canada/Chile
World Premiere
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The Mountain Rachel House | New Zealand
North American Premiere
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The Seed of the Sacred Fig Mohammad Rasoulof | Iran/France/Germany
Canadian Premiere

The Swedish Torpedo Frida Kempff | Sweden
World Premiere
Sales Title

The Village Next to Paradise Mo Harawe | France/Austria/Germany/Somalia
North American Premiere
Sales Title

To a Land Unknown Mahdi Fleifel | United Kingdom/France/Germany/Netherlands/Greece/Qatar /Saudi Arabia/Palestine
North American Premiere
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Under the Volcano Damian Kocur | Poland
World Premiere
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Universal Language Matthew Rankin | Canada
North American Premiere

When the Light Breaks Rúnar Rúnarsson | Iceland/Netherlands/Croatia/France
North American Premiere
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TIFF Takeover #2: This week’s programming alerts

• Wednesday, August 7, at 10am ET: Docs
• Thursday, August 8, at 10am ET: Wavelengths & Classics
• Friday, August 9, at 10am ET: Short Cuts & Primetime

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.