programming release
February 13, 2024
Unveiling the Powerhouses of Cinema: Join TIFF’s March Celebration of Women Filmmakers!
Experience the bold vision of Toronto New Wave trailblazer, Patricia Rozema
Revive the rebel spirit with 1980s girl punk films
Catch a glimpse of TIFF’s new audacious series: Women in Action
Left to right: Mansfield Park (1999); Frida (2024); Times Square (1980)
TORONTO — TIFF is celebrating women in cinema throughout March as part of its commitment to Share Her Journey, and spotlighting a diverse lineup of woman-identifying filmmakers, films that are both historical and contemporary in a series of TIFF Cinematheque screenings, Q&As, special events, and New Releases, and welcoming special guests Patricia Rozema, Liv McNeil, and Meredith Hama-Brown to TIFF Lightbox. TIFF’s month-long International Women’s Day celebration is generously supported by the RBC Foundation.
TIFF Cinematheque is honouring the inimitable Patricia Rozema in a special series, A Certain Slant of Light: The Films of Patricia Rozema. Her films have been lauded for their complex, sympathetically rendered characters, often portraits of artists in crisis ― particularly women, as in White Room and When Night Is Falling, both of which are presented in brand new restorations ― and those reckoning with conflicting aspects of their personalities or familial obligations, as in Mouthpiece and Into the Forest. Rozema will be in attendance for a number of screenings and Q&As throughout its run. The series is curated by Robyn Citizen, Director of Programming, Festival and TIFF Cinematheque.
Rebel Yell: Girlhood in the 1980s, pays homage to punk girls featuring films such as Lou Adler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains and Marisa Silver’s Old Enough. This brief but indelible cycle of films feels particularly relevant today, as the call to radicalize girlhood, and gender in general is of great urgency and import. These films were an early call to action that, while ignored initially, are today profoundly prescient. And while frank and at times depicting deeply troubling issues, these works nevertheless, burn bright. This series is curated by guest curator Alicia Fletcher.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, TIFF will be showing Carla Gutiérrez’s debut documentary Frida in a limited screening hot off the heels of Sundance and ahead of its Amazon premiere ― an intimate portrait of one of the world’s most celebrated artists; and Tautuktavuk (What We See), a 2023 Canada’s Top Ten film from directors Carol Kunnuk and Lucy Tulugarjuk, an evocative, drawn-from-life tale about two siblings’ attempts to heal and overcome trauma during the pandemic. Meredith Hama-Brown’s debut feature Seagrass, a Canada’s Top Ten film, about an unconventional couples’ therapy retreat that exposes the fractures in a biracial family is also playing, with the filmmaker in attendance for a post-screening Q&A on February 25.
TIFF is introducing a new marquee series, coming to TIFF Lightbox this summer, Women in Action, an international survey of some of the most culturally significant and influential action films helmed by women. Inspired by Michelle Yeoh’s 2023 Oscar triumph, this major series will feature more than 20 films, and will be accompanied by free public events. The series is curated by Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer; Robyn Citizen, Director of Programming, Festival and Cinematheque; and Jessica Smith, Producer, TIFF Lightbox Programming and Projects. The full lineup and tickets will be available in May.
Please see programming listings below for a full list of films and events celebrating women filmmakers in March. TIFF Cinematheque tickets will go on sale to TIFF Members on February 14 and to the public on February 16 at tiff.net.
A Certain Slant of Light: The Films of Patricia Rozema
As part of TIFF’s year-long focus on the Toronto New Wave and to observe her ongoing contribution to the Canadian film industry, TIFF Cinematheque is pleased to present this series on the acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Patricia Rozema. In addition, the filmmaker has selected to screen Ingmar Bergman’s Persona*, a film hugely influential to her work:
Mansfield Park | March 1, 6:30pm
Into the Forest | March 7, 6:30pm
Mouthpiece | March 10, 6:30pm
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing | March 17, 3:30pm
White Room with Patricia Rozema | March 22, 6:30pm
When Night Is Falling with Patricia Rozema | March 23, 6:30pm
Grey Gardens with Patricia Rozema | FREE | March 24, 4pm
When Night Is Falling | March 26, 6:30pm
*Persona with Patricia Rozema | March 23, 3:30pm
Rebel Yell: Girlhood in the 1980s
A series that rebels against the sanitized, suburban image of the 1980s by recasting femininity through the punk perspective:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (d. Lou Adler) March 2, 6:30pm // March 10, 3:30pm
Old Enough (d. Marisa Silver) | March 8, 6:30pm
Foxes (d. Adrian Lyne) | March 9, 6:30pm
Out of the Blue (d. Dennis Hopper) | March 16, 6:30pm
Times Square (d. Allan Moyle) | March 17, 6:30pm
Starstruck (d. Gillian Armstrong) | March 21, 6:30pm
From the Collection
Grace of My Heart with Cameron Bailey | March 5, 6:30pm
Allison Anders’ passion project is an imagined biopic loosely based on the life of Carole King and her transformation from gigging songwriter to celebrated songstress. Ileana Douglas dazzles as the determined Edna Buxton, who is rebranded Denise Waverly by Joel, a Phil Spector–like producer, played with committed brio by John Turturro.
TIFF Cinematheque New and Restored
Household Saints (d. Nancy Savoca) | March 3, 6:30pm
Presented in a new 4K restoration, Nancy Savoca’s chronicle of a spirited Italian American family perfectly balances humour, tragedy, and pathos.
See the North presented by MUBI
See the North monthly series is FREE to the public.
Slash/Back (d. Nyla Innuksuk) | March 12, 6:30pm
The debut feature from Iqaluit-raised director Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back, packs a vivid and thrilling punch as a girl gang in Pangnirtung, Nunavut is left to fight off a supernatural apocalypse.
TIFF Wavelengths Presents
Un rêve plus long que la nuit (d. Niki de Saint Phalle) | March 13, 6:30pm
Pre-recorded Q&A with Arielle de Saint Phalle (Niki’s niece)
Canadian premiere of new 4K restoration! With her debut solo feature, Niki de Saint Phalle — one of the most legendary women artists from the 20th century — performs an auspicious exorcism in the form of a fairy tale touching on the absurd, comical, and disturbing aspects of growing up. In it, the young Princess Camélia (portrayed by the director’s daughter, Laura Duke Condominas) is transformed into a maiden who must traverse a phantasmagoric canvas.
TIFF Next Wave Presents
Ghost World (d. Terry Zwigoff) | March 20, 6:30pm
Presented in 35mm! It’s no surprise that Ghost World has been cemented as a cult classic for teen outcasts everywhere. Cynical best friends, starring Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca, are proud social misfits, navigating post-graduation life whilst denouncing all things mainstream. Imbued with the trademark cynicism of the early 2000s and filled to the brim with vocal fry, a perfect pairing to watch alongside Rebel Yell: Girlhood in the 1980s series!
TIFF Family Films
Brave (d. Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews) | March 24, 1:30pm
It was the first Pixar movie with a female protagonist and reflects the changing meaning of the term “Disney princess.” Merida, Brave’s wild-haired heroine, is skillful and self-reliant; she’s also the first princess not to have a love interest. Instead, the relationship at the centre of the movie is one that’s likely much more relatable to its young viewers: the complex blend of loving affection and straining expectation that exists between a teen girl and her mother.
The Making of Priscilla with Liv McNeil | March 1, 6pm
TIFF Next Wave presents a special look behind-the-scenes with Liv McNeil’s documentary The Making of Priscilla. Follow the film student as she shadows Sofia Coppola on the 30-day shoot of Priscilla. The film features exclusive interviews with Coppola, Priscilla Presley, and Cailee Spaeny, and includes the games and rituals that make the filmmaker’s sets unlike any other directors. Following the screening, director Liv McNeil will join TIFF for a conversation about her journey breaking into the industry and discovering her voice as an emerging artist, featuring clips from her past work.
Silver Screenings - Free to Seniors 65+:
Mansfield Park | March 15, 11am
Discover the charm of Jane Austen in this fresh take on her beloved novel, directed by Patricia Rozema. Following the screening, experts from the Town of York Historical Society will dive into Toronto’s history and lead participants in letter writing activities with quill pens and wax stamp seals.
Since 2017, TIFF’s Share Her Journey campaign has supported women and non-binary creators in cultivating their skills and networks, developing their projects from ideation to completion, and helping their work find its audience.
TIFF Cinematheque is honouring the inimitable Patricia Rozema in a special series, A Certain Slant of Light: The Films of Patricia Rozema. Her films have been lauded for their complex, sympathetically rendered characters, often portraits of artists in crisis ― particularly women, as in White Room and When Night Is Falling, both of which are presented in brand new restorations ― and those reckoning with conflicting aspects of their personalities or familial obligations, as in Mouthpiece and Into the Forest. Rozema will be in attendance for a number of screenings and Q&As throughout its run. The series is curated by Robyn Citizen, Director of Programming, Festival and TIFF Cinematheque.
Rebel Yell: Girlhood in the 1980s, pays homage to punk girls featuring films such as Lou Adler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains and Marisa Silver’s Old Enough. This brief but indelible cycle of films feels particularly relevant today, as the call to radicalize girlhood, and gender in general is of great urgency and import. These films were an early call to action that, while ignored initially, are today profoundly prescient. And while frank and at times depicting deeply troubling issues, these works nevertheless, burn bright. This series is curated by guest curator Alicia Fletcher.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, TIFF will be showing Carla Gutiérrez’s debut documentary Frida in a limited screening hot off the heels of Sundance and ahead of its Amazon premiere ― an intimate portrait of one of the world’s most celebrated artists; and Tautuktavuk (What We See), a 2023 Canada’s Top Ten film from directors Carol Kunnuk and Lucy Tulugarjuk, an evocative, drawn-from-life tale about two siblings’ attempts to heal and overcome trauma during the pandemic. Meredith Hama-Brown’s debut feature Seagrass, a Canada’s Top Ten film, about an unconventional couples’ therapy retreat that exposes the fractures in a biracial family is also playing, with the filmmaker in attendance for a post-screening Q&A on February 25.
TIFF is introducing a new marquee series, coming to TIFF Lightbox this summer, Women in Action, an international survey of some of the most culturally significant and influential action films helmed by women. Inspired by Michelle Yeoh’s 2023 Oscar triumph, this major series will feature more than 20 films, and will be accompanied by free public events. The series is curated by Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer; Robyn Citizen, Director of Programming, Festival and Cinematheque; and Jessica Smith, Producer, TIFF Lightbox Programming and Projects. The full lineup and tickets will be available in May.
Please see programming listings below for a full list of films and events celebrating women filmmakers in March. TIFF Cinematheque tickets will go on sale to TIFF Members on February 14 and to the public on February 16 at tiff.net.
TIFF CINEMATHEQUE
A Certain Slant of Light: The Films of Patricia Rozema
As part of TIFF’s year-long focus on the Toronto New Wave and to observe her ongoing contribution to the Canadian film industry, TIFF Cinematheque is pleased to present this series on the acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Patricia Rozema. In addition, the filmmaker has selected to screen Ingmar Bergman’s Persona*, a film hugely influential to her work:
Mansfield Park | March 1, 6:30pm
Into the Forest | March 7, 6:30pm
Mouthpiece | March 10, 6:30pm
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing | March 17, 3:30pm
White Room with Patricia Rozema | March 22, 6:30pm
When Night Is Falling with Patricia Rozema | March 23, 6:30pm
Grey Gardens with Patricia Rozema | FREE | March 24, 4pm
When Night Is Falling | March 26, 6:30pm
*Persona with Patricia Rozema | March 23, 3:30pm
Rebel Yell: Girlhood in the 1980s
A series that rebels against the sanitized, suburban image of the 1980s by recasting femininity through the punk perspective:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (d. Lou Adler) March 2, 6:30pm // March 10, 3:30pm
Old Enough (d. Marisa Silver) | March 8, 6:30pm
Foxes (d. Adrian Lyne) | March 9, 6:30pm
Out of the Blue (d. Dennis Hopper) | March 16, 6:30pm
Times Square (d. Allan Moyle) | March 17, 6:30pm
Starstruck (d. Gillian Armstrong) | March 21, 6:30pm
From the Collection
Grace of My Heart with Cameron Bailey | March 5, 6:30pm
Allison Anders’ passion project is an imagined biopic loosely based on the life of Carole King and her transformation from gigging songwriter to celebrated songstress. Ileana Douglas dazzles as the determined Edna Buxton, who is rebranded Denise Waverly by Joel, a Phil Spector–like producer, played with committed brio by John Turturro.
TIFF Cinematheque New and Restored
Household Saints (d. Nancy Savoca) | March 3, 6:30pm
Presented in a new 4K restoration, Nancy Savoca’s chronicle of a spirited Italian American family perfectly balances humour, tragedy, and pathos.
See the North presented by MUBI
See the North monthly series is FREE to the public.
Slash/Back (d. Nyla Innuksuk) | March 12, 6:30pm
The debut feature from Iqaluit-raised director Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back, packs a vivid and thrilling punch as a girl gang in Pangnirtung, Nunavut is left to fight off a supernatural apocalypse.
TIFF Wavelengths Presents
Un rêve plus long que la nuit (d. Niki de Saint Phalle) | March 13, 6:30pm
Pre-recorded Q&A with Arielle de Saint Phalle (Niki’s niece)
Canadian premiere of new 4K restoration! With her debut solo feature, Niki de Saint Phalle — one of the most legendary women artists from the 20th century — performs an auspicious exorcism in the form of a fairy tale touching on the absurd, comical, and disturbing aspects of growing up. In it, the young Princess Camélia (portrayed by the director’s daughter, Laura Duke Condominas) is transformed into a maiden who must traverse a phantasmagoric canvas.
TIFF Next Wave Presents
Ghost World (d. Terry Zwigoff) | March 20, 6:30pm
Presented in 35mm! It’s no surprise that Ghost World has been cemented as a cult classic for teen outcasts everywhere. Cynical best friends, starring Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca, are proud social misfits, navigating post-graduation life whilst denouncing all things mainstream. Imbued with the trademark cynicism of the early 2000s and filled to the brim with vocal fry, a perfect pairing to watch alongside Rebel Yell: Girlhood in the 1980s series!
TIFF Family Films
Brave (d. Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews) | March 24, 1:30pm
It was the first Pixar movie with a female protagonist and reflects the changing meaning of the term “Disney princess.” Merida, Brave’s wild-haired heroine, is skillful and self-reliant; she’s also the first princess not to have a love interest. Instead, the relationship at the centre of the movie is one that’s likely much more relatable to its young viewers: the complex blend of loving affection and straining expectation that exists between a teen girl and her mother.
PUBLIC PROGRAMMING: SPECIAL EVENTS
The Making of Priscilla with Liv McNeil | March 1, 6pm
TIFF Next Wave presents a special look behind-the-scenes with Liv McNeil’s documentary The Making of Priscilla. Follow the film student as she shadows Sofia Coppola on the 30-day shoot of Priscilla. The film features exclusive interviews with Coppola, Priscilla Presley, and Cailee Spaeny, and includes the games and rituals that make the filmmaker’s sets unlike any other directors. Following the screening, director Liv McNeil will join TIFF for a conversation about her journey breaking into the industry and discovering her voice as an emerging artist, featuring clips from her past work.
Silver Screenings - Free to Seniors 65+:
Mansfield Park | March 15, 11am
Discover the charm of Jane Austen in this fresh take on her beloved novel, directed by Patricia Rozema. Following the screening, experts from the Town of York Historical Society will dive into Toronto’s history and lead participants in letter writing activities with quill pens and wax stamp seals.
Since 2017, TIFF’s Share Her Journey campaign has supported women and non-binary creators in cultivating their skills and networks, developing their projects from ideation to completion, and helping their work find its audience.