media release
August 17, 2022
TIFF's Docs and Contemporary World Cinema programmes announce 35 World Premieres in lineup of 73 titles
TIFF Industry Conference announces five engaging doc sessions
TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® is delighted to announce today the 2022 selection for TIFF Docs programme presented by A&E IndieFilms, Contemporary World Cinema programme presented by Sun Life, and an additional title in the Discovery programme. This lineup features titles from over 50 countries from around the world. Additionally, TIFF is excited to announce five doc sessions as part of the 2022 Industry Conference.
“We are so proud of the TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema programmes,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “The films reflect the moment we live in and speak to who we are today, including highly anticipated films by veteran filmmakers from around the globe.”
* Previously announced
“This year’s TIFF Docs lineup has a wonderful mix of joy, creativity, and ingenuity in the face of adversity,” said TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers, now in his 17th year overseeing the section. “In recent years, we witnessed numerous films launched from this section into distribution deals and Oscar nominations. This year has a rich crop for both.”
*752 Is Not A Number
Babak Payami | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
On September 13, the Industry Conference will focus on conversations covering both the craft and business of documentary filmmaking. Access to the programming will be available to all press and industry pass holders. For public audiences interested in attending, limited day packages will be made available.
VISIONARIES: Inside the Brain of Werner Herzog
Presented by SHOWTIME®
In his new film Theatre of Thought, Werner Herzog (celebrating his 80th birthday in September) explores the cutting edge of research on the brain. He’s joined by two figures who appear in the film, brain scientist Rafael Yuste and entrepreneur Jamie Davies, to discuss hopes and fears for the future of brain exploration.
VISIONARIES: What Laura Poitras Learned from Nan Goldin
Presented by SHOWTIME®
Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) discusses what she learned over three years in the making of her new film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. The film profiles the artist Nan Goldin, who has campaigned for museums to disassociate from the patronage of the Sackler family, owners of the opioid company Purdue Pharma.
DIALOGUES: Covering Afghanistan for In Her Hands
Presented by SHOWTIME®
A Share Her Journey initiative generously supported by Betty-Ann Heggie
The new documentary In Her Hands focuses on Afghanistan’s youngest woman mayor, Zarifa Ghafari, during the tumultuous period of the Taliban’s return to power. Filmmakers Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen share clips while reflecting on the challenges of filming under wartime conditions.
PERSPECTIVES Truth, Lies, and a Million Dollar Board Game
Presented by SHOWTIME®
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla joins to discuss his new film While We Watched, which profiles the journalist Ravish Kumar of NDTV India as he struggles to maintain journalistic independence under death threats. For Shukla’s previous documentary An Insignificant Man, his team created a board game that gained massive support on Kickstarter. He’ll discuss plans to follow that model by pairing a board game with his new film.
PERSPECTIVES DocuMentality: The Growth of a Movement
Presented by SHOWTIME®
DocuMentality is an expanding initiative that seeks to normalize conversations about mental health in the documentary industry and provide best-practice guidance for filmmakers. The project started with efforts in the UK and US. Now, the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) is spearheading a new wave of focus groups with support from the Canada Media Fund. On this panel, audiences will hear from DocuMentality team member Malikkah Rollins and DOC’s Sarah Spring about the past, present, and future of the movement. We’ll also hear from filmmaker Rebeca Huntt describing what she learned about maintaining mental balance in the making of her intensely personal film Beba that premiered at TIFF last year. Moderator: Inney Prakash (Maysles Documentary Center).
“TIFF’s Contemporary World Cinema Program brings a carefully curated selection of unique stories by established filmmakers and talent with daring visions from all corners of the world,” said Diana Cadavid, International Programmer. “Through an ambitious program of more than 50 films, audiences will have the opportunity to engage with the exciting directions in which cinema can lead our understanding of a wide range of topics and human experiences.”
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells | United Kingdom, USA
North American Premiere
Alam
Firas Khoury | France, Palestine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
World Premiere
Amanda
Carolina Cavalli | Italy
International Premiere
Ashkal
Youssef Chebbi | France, Tunisia, Qatar
North American Premiere
Autobiography
Makbul Mubarak | Indonesia, France, Singapore, Poland, Philippines, Germany, Qatar
North American Premiere
Beyond the Wall (Shab, Dkheli, Divar)
Vahid Jalilvand | Iran
North American Premiere
*Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Pierre Földes | France, Luxembourg, Canada, Netherlands 🇨🇦
International Premiere
*Bones of Crows
Marie Clements | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
*Coyote (Le Coyote)
Katherine Jerkovic | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Domingo and the Mist (Domingo y la Niebla)
Ariel Escalante Meza | Costa Rica, Qatar
North American Premiere
El agua
Elena López Riera | Switzerland, Spain, France
North American Premiere
*The End of Sex
Sean Garrity | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
EO
Jerzy Skolimowski | Poland, Italy
North American Premiere
*Falcon Lake
Charlotte Le Bon | Canada 🇨🇦
North American Premiere
*Fixation
Mercedes Bryce Morgan | Canada, USA, Germany 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Godland (Vanskabte Land/Volaða Land)
Hlynur Pálmason | Denmark, Iceland, France, Sweden
Canadian Premiere
The Happiest Man in the World
Teona Strugar Mitevska | North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
North American Premiere
The Hotel
Wang Xiaoshuai | Hong Kong
World Premiere
La Jauría
Andrés Ramírez Pulido | Colombia, France
North American Premiere
Life (Жизнь)
Emir Baigazin | Kazakhstan
World Premiere
Living
Oliver Hermanus | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Love and Mathematics (Amor y matemáticas)
Claudia Sainte-Luce | Mexico
World Premiere
Love Life
Koji Fukada | Japan, France
North American Premiere
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Antonio Lukich | Ukraine
North American Premiere
*The Maiden
Graham Foy | Canada 🇨🇦
North American Premiere
Manticore (Mantícora)
Carlos Vermut | Spain
North American Premiere
Muru
Tearepa Kahi | New Zealand
International Premiere
My Sailor, My Love
Klaus Hӓrӧ | Finland, Ireland
World Premiere
Nightalk
Donald Shebib | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
*North of Normal
Carly Stone | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
The Origin of Evil
Sébastien Marnier | France, Canada
North American Premiere
Plan 75
Chie Hayakawa | Japan, France, Philippines, Qatar
North American Premiere
Return to Dust
Li Ruijun | China
North American Premiere
R.M.N.
Cristian Mungiu | Romania, France
North American Premiere
*So Much Tenderness
Lina Rodriguez | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Sparta
Ulrich Seidl | Austria, France, Germany
World Premiere
*Stellar
Darlene Naponse | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Stonewalling
Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka | Japan
North American Premiere
*The Swearing Jar
Lindsay MacKay | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
The Umbrella Men
John Barker | South Africa
International Premiere
Under the Fig Trees
Erige Sehiri | Tunisia, Switzerland, France, Qatar
North American Premiere
Valeria Is Getting Married
Michal Vinik | Israel
North American Premiere
Victim (OBEŤ)
Michal Blaško | Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Germany
North American Premiere
Vicenta B.
Carlos Lechuga | Cuba, France, USA, Colombia, Norway
World Premiere
War Sailor (Krigsseileren)
Gunnar Vikene | Norway, Germany, Malta
International Premiere
We Are Still Here
Beck Cole, Dena Curtis, Tracey Rigney, Danielle MacLean, Tim Worrall, Renae Maihi, Miki Magasiva, Mario Gaoa, Richard Curtis, Chantelle Burgoyne | Australia, New Zealand
International Premiere
Wildflower
Matt Smukler | USA
World Premiere
Winter Boy (Le Lycéen)
Christophe Honoré | France
World Premiere
The Worst Ones
Romane Gueret, Lise Akoka | France
North American Premiere
Zwigato
Nandita Das | India
World Premiere
Bruiser
Miles Warren | USA
World Premiere
For more information, please see tiff.net.
“We are so proud of the TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema programmes,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “The films reflect the moment we live in and speak to who we are today, including highly anticipated films by veteran filmmakers from around the globe.”
TIFF DOCS
Presented by A&E IndieFilms* Previously announced
“This year’s TIFF Docs lineup has a wonderful mix of joy, creativity, and ingenuity in the face of adversity,” said TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers, now in his 17th year overseeing the section. “In recent years, we witnessed numerous films launched from this section into distribution deals and Oscar nominations. This year has a rich crop for both.”
*752 Is Not A Number
Babak Payami | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Laura Poitras | USA
North American Premiere
*Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On
Madison Thomas | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Casa Susanna
Sébastien Lifshitz | France, USA
North American Premiere
Ciné-Guerrillas: Scenes from the Labudovic Reels
Mila Turajlic | Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro
World Premiere
*The Colour of Ink
Brian D. Johnson | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Documentary Now!
Alex Buono, Rhys Thomas, Micah Gardner | USA
World Premiere
*Ever Deadly
Tanya Tagaq, Chelsea McMullan | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Free Money
Sam Soko, Lauren DeFilippo | Kenya, USA
World Premiere
Mariupolis 2
Mantas Kvedaravičius | Lithuania, France, Germany
North American Premiere
The Grab
Gabriela Cowperthwaite | USA
World Premiere
In Her Hands
Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen | USA, Afghanistan
World Premiere
TIFF DOCS OPENING NIGHT FILM
*Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues
Sacha Jenkins | USA
World Premiere
Maya and the Wave
Stephanie Johnes | USA
World Premiere
Miúcha, The Voice of Bossa Nova
Daniel Zarvos, Liliane Mutti | Brazil, France
Canadian Premiere
My Imaginary Country (Mi País Imaginario)
Patricio Guzmán | Chile, France
North American Premiere
Patrick and the Whale
Mark Fletcher | Austria
World Premiere
Pray for our Sinners
Sinéad O’Shea | Ireland
World Premiere
Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot
William Kentridge | South Africa, USA
World Premiere
Theatre of Thought
Werner Herzog | USA
International Premiere
*To Kill a Tiger
Nisha Pahuja | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
While We Watched
Vinay Shukla | UK
World Premiere
DOC CONVERSATIONS @ TIFF INDUSTRY CONFERENCE
On September 13, the Industry Conference will focus on conversations covering both the craft and business of documentary filmmaking. Access to the programming will be available to all press and industry pass holders. For public audiences interested in attending, limited day packages will be made available.
VISIONARIES: Inside the Brain of Werner Herzog
Presented by SHOWTIME®
In his new film Theatre of Thought, Werner Herzog (celebrating his 80th birthday in September) explores the cutting edge of research on the brain. He’s joined by two figures who appear in the film, brain scientist Rafael Yuste and entrepreneur Jamie Davies, to discuss hopes and fears for the future of brain exploration.
VISIONARIES: What Laura Poitras Learned from Nan Goldin
Presented by SHOWTIME®
Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) discusses what she learned over three years in the making of her new film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. The film profiles the artist Nan Goldin, who has campaigned for museums to disassociate from the patronage of the Sackler family, owners of the opioid company Purdue Pharma.
DIALOGUES: Covering Afghanistan for In Her Hands
Presented by SHOWTIME®
A Share Her Journey initiative generously supported by Betty-Ann Heggie
The new documentary In Her Hands focuses on Afghanistan’s youngest woman mayor, Zarifa Ghafari, during the tumultuous period of the Taliban’s return to power. Filmmakers Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen share clips while reflecting on the challenges of filming under wartime conditions.
PERSPECTIVES Truth, Lies, and a Million Dollar Board Game
Presented by SHOWTIME®
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla joins to discuss his new film While We Watched, which profiles the journalist Ravish Kumar of NDTV India as he struggles to maintain journalistic independence under death threats. For Shukla’s previous documentary An Insignificant Man, his team created a board game that gained massive support on Kickstarter. He’ll discuss plans to follow that model by pairing a board game with his new film.
PERSPECTIVES DocuMentality: The Growth of a Movement
Presented by SHOWTIME®
DocuMentality is an expanding initiative that seeks to normalize conversations about mental health in the documentary industry and provide best-practice guidance for filmmakers. The project started with efforts in the UK and US. Now, the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) is spearheading a new wave of focus groups with support from the Canada Media Fund. On this panel, audiences will hear from DocuMentality team member Malikkah Rollins and DOC’s Sarah Spring about the past, present, and future of the movement. We’ll also hear from filmmaker Rebeca Huntt describing what she learned about maintaining mental balance in the making of her intensely personal film Beba that premiered at TIFF last year. Moderator: Inney Prakash (Maysles Documentary Center).
CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA
Presented by Sun Life“TIFF’s Contemporary World Cinema Program brings a carefully curated selection of unique stories by established filmmakers and talent with daring visions from all corners of the world,” said Diana Cadavid, International Programmer. “Through an ambitious program of more than 50 films, audiences will have the opportunity to engage with the exciting directions in which cinema can lead our understanding of a wide range of topics and human experiences.”
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells | United Kingdom, USA
North American Premiere
Alam
Firas Khoury | France, Palestine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
World Premiere
Amanda
Carolina Cavalli | Italy
International Premiere
Ashkal
Youssef Chebbi | France, Tunisia, Qatar
North American Premiere
Autobiography
Makbul Mubarak | Indonesia, France, Singapore, Poland, Philippines, Germany, Qatar
North American Premiere
Beyond the Wall (Shab, Dkheli, Divar)
Vahid Jalilvand | Iran
North American Premiere
*Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Pierre Földes | France, Luxembourg, Canada, Netherlands 🇨🇦
International Premiere
*Bones of Crows
Marie Clements | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
*Coyote (Le Coyote)
Katherine Jerkovic | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Domingo and the Mist (Domingo y la Niebla)
Ariel Escalante Meza | Costa Rica, Qatar
North American Premiere
El agua
Elena López Riera | Switzerland, Spain, France
North American Premiere
*The End of Sex
Sean Garrity | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
EO
Jerzy Skolimowski | Poland, Italy
North American Premiere
*Falcon Lake
Charlotte Le Bon | Canada 🇨🇦
North American Premiere
*Fixation
Mercedes Bryce Morgan | Canada, USA, Germany 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Godland (Vanskabte Land/Volaða Land)
Hlynur Pálmason | Denmark, Iceland, France, Sweden
Canadian Premiere
The Happiest Man in the World
Teona Strugar Mitevska | North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
North American Premiere
The Hotel
Wang Xiaoshuai | Hong Kong
World Premiere
La Jauría
Andrés Ramírez Pulido | Colombia, France
North American Premiere
Life (Жизнь)
Emir Baigazin | Kazakhstan
World Premiere
Living
Oliver Hermanus | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Love and Mathematics (Amor y matemáticas)
Claudia Sainte-Luce | Mexico
World Premiere
Love Life
Koji Fukada | Japan, France
North American Premiere
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Antonio Lukich | Ukraine
North American Premiere
*The Maiden
Graham Foy | Canada 🇨🇦
North American Premiere
Manticore (Mantícora)
Carlos Vermut | Spain
North American Premiere
Muru
Tearepa Kahi | New Zealand
International Premiere
My Sailor, My Love
Klaus Hӓrӧ | Finland, Ireland
World Premiere
Nightalk
Donald Shebib | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
*North of Normal
Carly Stone | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
The Origin of Evil
Sébastien Marnier | France, Canada
North American Premiere
Plan 75
Chie Hayakawa | Japan, France, Philippines, Qatar
North American Premiere
Return to Dust
Li Ruijun | China
North American Premiere
R.M.N.
Cristian Mungiu | Romania, France
North American Premiere
*So Much Tenderness
Lina Rodriguez | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Sparta
Ulrich Seidl | Austria, France, Germany
World Premiere
*Stellar
Darlene Naponse | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
Stonewalling
Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka | Japan
North American Premiere
*The Swearing Jar
Lindsay MacKay | Canada 🇨🇦
World Premiere
The Umbrella Men
John Barker | South Africa
International Premiere
Under the Fig Trees
Erige Sehiri | Tunisia, Switzerland, France, Qatar
North American Premiere
Valeria Is Getting Married
Michal Vinik | Israel
North American Premiere
Victim (OBEŤ)
Michal Blaško | Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Germany
North American Premiere
Vicenta B.
Carlos Lechuga | Cuba, France, USA, Colombia, Norway
World Premiere
War Sailor (Krigsseileren)
Gunnar Vikene | Norway, Germany, Malta
International Premiere
We Are Still Here
Beck Cole, Dena Curtis, Tracey Rigney, Danielle MacLean, Tim Worrall, Renae Maihi, Miki Magasiva, Mario Gaoa, Richard Curtis, Chantelle Burgoyne | Australia, New Zealand
International Premiere
Wildflower
Matt Smukler | USA
World Premiere
Winter Boy (Le Lycéen)
Christophe Honoré | France
World Premiere
The Worst Ones
Romane Gueret, Lise Akoka | France
North American Premiere
Zwigato
Nandita Das | India
World Premiere
DISCOVERY
Presented by DysonBruiser
Miles Warren | USA
World Premiere
For more information, please see tiff.net.