programming alert
December 12, 2024
TIFF Unveils 2025 Winter Programming Highlights
Featuring Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio in his first TIFF Cinematheque major retrospective
Tribute to groundbreaking Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden
Special Guest to Perform at Toronto Premiere of Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story in celebration of Black History Month
Left to right: Buongiorno, notte (2003), Snow Leopard (2023), and Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (2024, Photo by Yannick Reid - © Oya Media Group Inc.)
TORONTO — TIFF is starting the new year with a slate of awards season contenders from TIFF ’24 including Vermiglio, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and I’m Still Here, Italy’s, Germany’s, and Brazil’s respective Oscar submissions for Best International Feature. TIFF Cinematheque will feature retrospectives on Marco Bellocchio and Pema Tseden, plus special events and screenings celebrating Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and Valentine’s Day throughout January and February.
Information is subject to change. Please visit tiff.net for up-to-date programming details. Tickets for January Programming will be available for TIFF Members on Wednesday, December 18 and to the public on Friday, December 20.
Marco Bellocchio: A Leap in the Dark
January 10–29
TIFF Cinematheque is presenting the works of veteran Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio. With a career spanning an extraordinary six decades, Marco Bellocchio is one of Italy’s — and the world’s — great, adventurous filmmakers. This long-overdue retrospective arises during a particularly fertile time in Bellocchio’s career, marked by a string of masterworks including Kidnapped (TIFF ’23). Since making one of the greatest debuts in film history, the exhilarating Fists in the Pocket in 1965, Bellocchio has, with varying styles, delved head-on into the complexities of recent Italian history, fearlessly exploring the impacts of institutions — family, state, and church — upon the individual, and political subversion. While quintessentially Italian in their subjects, his films are also deeply personal and universal in their appeal.
Marco Bellocchio: A Leap in the Dark will launch with special guest Pier Giorgio Bellocchio (Buongiorno, notte, My Brilliant Friend), Marco Bellocchio’s son, an actor who appears in many of the director’s films and will also be in attendance for post-show Q&As. This 14-film major retrospective will also be accompanied by a free publication, Marco Bellocchio, published by Cinecittà with support from the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Programmed by TIFF Cinematheque Senior Curator Andréa Picard, Marco Bellocchio: A Leap in the Dark is a collaboration with Cinecittà and presented by Istituto Italiano di Cultura (ICI) in Toronto with the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montréal.
Compassionate Light: Stories of Tibet by Pema Tseden
January 31 – February 26
One of the most exciting and inspiring filmmakers working in the 21st century, Tibetan director and novelist Pema Tseden (1969–2023) was the first director in China to foreground Tibetan language and culture, presenting a realistic, multifaceted depiction of Tibetan life that garnered international acclaim. Pema Tseden made eight features, many of which screened at TIFF, including Snow Leopard (TIFF ’23), Balloon (TIFF ’19), and Jinpa (TIFF ’18). Compassionate Light: Stories of Tibet by Pema Tseden is curated by Guest Programmer Shelly Kraicer and comes to TIFF Lightbox after a successful run at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.
Black History Month
February 2025
TIFF offers programming that reflects Black voices and stories year-round. The inspirational documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, directed by Alison Duke, will make its Toronto Premiere with a live performance from a special guest. Rocks, the vibrant coming-of-age directed by Sarah Gavron, will be presented by TIFF Next Wave in collaboration with Vibrant Visions: The Art of Black Girlhood in Canada, a free exhibition in the TIFF Lightbox atrium gallery. Cultural Rememory: The Films of Christopher Harris, a shorts programme from the award-winning filmmaker whose work explores African American historiography through experimental cinema, will screen as part of TIFF Wavelengths.
Valentine’s Day
February 2025
TIFF Cinematheque is presenting the Canadian Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Jean-Luc Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman to mark the season of love. Romantic highlights include a new 60th anniversary 4K restoration of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, starring Catherine Deneuve, Anne Vernon, Nino Castelnuovo, and Marc Michel. Plus, TIFF Cinematheque will feature Special Screenings of David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie; George Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story; and Cheryl Dunye’s classic queer rom-com, The Watermelon Woman.
Canada’s Top Ten, TIFF’s annual showcase celebrating features and shorts across the country, will take place February 5–9, honouring some of Canada’s most beloved and storied filmmakers. Stay tuned for the full programming details on January 8.
Tickets for February programming will be available for TIFF Members on Wednesday, January 15 and to the public on Friday, January 17.
Information is subject to change. Please visit tiff.net for up-to-date programming details. Tickets for January Programming will be available for TIFF Members on Wednesday, December 18 and to the public on Friday, December 20.
Marco Bellocchio: A Leap in the Dark
January 10–29
TIFF Cinematheque is presenting the works of veteran Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio. With a career spanning an extraordinary six decades, Marco Bellocchio is one of Italy’s — and the world’s — great, adventurous filmmakers. This long-overdue retrospective arises during a particularly fertile time in Bellocchio’s career, marked by a string of masterworks including Kidnapped (TIFF ’23). Since making one of the greatest debuts in film history, the exhilarating Fists in the Pocket in 1965, Bellocchio has, with varying styles, delved head-on into the complexities of recent Italian history, fearlessly exploring the impacts of institutions — family, state, and church — upon the individual, and political subversion. While quintessentially Italian in their subjects, his films are also deeply personal and universal in their appeal.
Marco Bellocchio: A Leap in the Dark will launch with special guest Pier Giorgio Bellocchio (Buongiorno, notte, My Brilliant Friend), Marco Bellocchio’s son, an actor who appears in many of the director’s films and will also be in attendance for post-show Q&As. This 14-film major retrospective will also be accompanied by a free publication, Marco Bellocchio, published by Cinecittà with support from the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Programmed by TIFF Cinematheque Senior Curator Andréa Picard, Marco Bellocchio: A Leap in the Dark is a collaboration with Cinecittà and presented by Istituto Italiano di Cultura (ICI) in Toronto with the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montréal.
Compassionate Light: Stories of Tibet by Pema Tseden
January 31 – February 26
One of the most exciting and inspiring filmmakers working in the 21st century, Tibetan director and novelist Pema Tseden (1969–2023) was the first director in China to foreground Tibetan language and culture, presenting a realistic, multifaceted depiction of Tibetan life that garnered international acclaim. Pema Tseden made eight features, many of which screened at TIFF, including Snow Leopard (TIFF ’23), Balloon (TIFF ’19), and Jinpa (TIFF ’18). Compassionate Light: Stories of Tibet by Pema Tseden is curated by Guest Programmer Shelly Kraicer and comes to TIFF Lightbox after a successful run at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.
Black History Month
February 2025
TIFF offers programming that reflects Black voices and stories year-round. The inspirational documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, directed by Alison Duke, will make its Toronto Premiere with a live performance from a special guest. Rocks, the vibrant coming-of-age directed by Sarah Gavron, will be presented by TIFF Next Wave in collaboration with Vibrant Visions: The Art of Black Girlhood in Canada, a free exhibition in the TIFF Lightbox atrium gallery. Cultural Rememory: The Films of Christopher Harris, a shorts programme from the award-winning filmmaker whose work explores African American historiography through experimental cinema, will screen as part of TIFF Wavelengths.
Valentine’s Day
February 2025
TIFF Cinematheque is presenting the Canadian Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Jean-Luc Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman to mark the season of love. Romantic highlights include a new 60th anniversary 4K restoration of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, starring Catherine Deneuve, Anne Vernon, Nino Castelnuovo, and Marc Michel. Plus, TIFF Cinematheque will feature Special Screenings of David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie; George Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story; and Cheryl Dunye’s classic queer rom-com, The Watermelon Woman.
Canada’s Top Ten, TIFF’s annual showcase celebrating features and shorts across the country, will take place February 5–9, honouring some of Canada’s most beloved and storied filmmakers. Stay tuned for the full programming details on January 8.
Tickets for February programming will be available for TIFF Members on Wednesday, January 15 and to the public on Friday, January 17.
TIFF Winter Programming Highlights: Special Events
Lunar New Year- February 1, 4pm: Silver Screenings: Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity dir. Mina Shum | 35mm print! | FREE
Drop-in featuring Mahjong, artmaking, and food in the TIFF Lightbox atrium from 1:30pm, co-created with Asian Arts and Culture Trust (AACT).
Mina Shum’s heartwarming third feature weaves together three interconnected stories set in Vancouver’s Chinese Canadian community. It features an intergenerational cast that includes Sandra Oh, who broke out in Shum’s 1994 feature debut Double Happiness.
- January 30, 6:30pm: Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story dir. Alison Duke | Toronto Premiere! | FREE
Introduction by director and co-producer Alison Duke and co-producer Ngardy Conteh George, and on-stage performance by a Special Guest following the screening.
Featuring dynamic tour performances, interviews, archival footage, and reenactments, this inspirational documentary illuminates legendary Dancehall artist Sister Nancy’s resilience and enduring contribution to the music industry. - February 19, 6:30pm: TIFF Next Wave Presents: Rocks dir. Sarah Gavron This screening of Gavron’s Rocks (TIFF ’19), an empowering portrait of women’s friendship made with a cast of young non-professional actors, is presented in collaboration with Vibrant Visions: The Art of Black Girlhood in Canada, a free exhibition taking place February 9–22 in the TIFF Lightbox atrium.
New Releases
- Opens January 3: Vermiglio dir. Maura Delpero (filmswelike)
2024 TIFF Official Selection - Special Presentations
2024 Venice Film Festival - Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize Winner
2024 Venice Film Festival - Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award - Best Italian Film Winner
2024 Venice Film Festival - La Pellicola d’Oro Award Winner - Opens January 10: The Seed of the Sacred Fig dir. Mohammad Rasoulof (Elevation Pictures)
2024 TIFF Official Selection - Centrepiece programme
2024 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d’Or Nominee
2024 Cannes Film Festival - Jury Special Prize Winner
2024 Cannes Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize Winner - Opens January 10: Nickel Boys dir. RaMell Ross (Warner Brothers)
2024 Gotham Independent Film Awards - Best Director Winner
2024 Gotham Independent Film Awards - Breakthrough Performer Winner - Opens January 17: Soundtrack to a Coup D’etat dir. Johan Grimonprez (filmswelike)
2024 Cannes Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize Winner - World Cinema - Documentary
2024 Cannes Film Festival - World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award - Opens January 17: The Room Next Door dir. Pedro Almodóvar (Mongrel Media)
2024 TIFF Official Selection - Special Presentations
2024 Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion Winner - Best Director
2024 Venice Film Festival - Brian Award Winner - Opens January 17: The Last Showgirl dir. Gia Coppola (Mongrel Media)
2024 TIFF Official Selection - Special Presentations - Opens January 17: Hard Truths dir. Mike Leigh (Mongrel Media)
2024 TIFF Official Selection - Special Presentations - Opens January 17: I'm Still Here dir. Walter Salles (Mongrel Media)
2024 TIFF Official Selection - Special Presentations
2024 Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion Nominee - Best Film
2024 Venice Film Festival - SIGNIS Award Winner
2024 Venice Film Festival - Golden Osella Winner - Best Screenplay