As we all look forward to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and furiously play schedule Tetris with the TIFFR planner, there’s one simple fact to accept: it’s impossible to see everything. TIFF is on the rebound this year with 280-ish films, many of which are heavyweights and award season hopefuls. Glitz and glamour can prove tempting and are, arguably, key ingredients for optimal festival fun. Admittedly, I planned my entire schedule around the Nightbitch premiere even though it has a December release date. (And, inevitably, got a party invite that I can’t skip at the exact same time!)
The range of bounty also lets cinephiles be adventurous with TIFF planning. Simply put, many TIFF films already have homes. In some cases, they have release dates. In other cases, like the Gala Will & Harper, they hit streaming during the festival.
These facts mean that cinephiles should plan smartly. Sure, one gets major FOMO missing all the hype and stars and flashbulbs. I usually plan my schedule by stacking a few of the high profile premieres during the evenings, sort of as “treats” after putting in a full day’s work. It’s a lot of fun to see the big movies with crowds and stars to witness the festival in action. And, as an avid awards season junkie, it can be helpful to get a major head start or plan ahead for weeks that have several top releases. (And, let’s be honest…sometimes films don’t get distribution for a reason.)
On the other hand, it’s really not the end of the world if you can’t get a ticket for one of the biggies. Don’t worry if something’s offsale when you can see it a few weeks later for a fraction of the price, unless you’re dying for that first screening with the director and some stars in attendance. For example, the much ballyhooed Megalopolis may be one’s last chance to see Francis Ford Coppola premiere a movie, tipping the beach ball (if they still allow that at the stuffy Royal Alexandra Theatre) during Midnight Madness may be worthwhile at The Substance for TIFF-goers who don’t have a MUBI subscription, or waiting to see if Miss Flo waltzes onto the red carpet fashionably late with an Aperol Spritz might merit a ticket to the cancer weepie We Live in Time even though it headlines a busy Thanksgiving weekend. It can be a better use of one’s time to skip the films with a confirmed release date if catching them during the encore screenings.
Most importantly: make sure to save some September and October releases for your theatrical moviegoing so that you can avoid all the raging incels at Joker!
Here’s a working list of TIFF films that have confirmed release dates heading into the festival:
(subject to change)
Will & Harper – On Netflix Sept. 13
The Substance – In theatres Sept. 20, on MUBI later
The Wild Robot – In theatres Sept. 27
Megalopolis – In theatres Sept. 27
Rez Ball – On Netflix Sept. 27
Hold Your Breath – Distributed by Hulu on Oct. 3, but the Canadian releases for those films generally get dumped in Canada by Searchlight/Disney
Disclaimer – On AppleTV+ Oct. 11
The Last of the Sea Women – On Apple TV+ Oct. 11
Piece by Piece – In theatres Oct. 11
Saturday Night – In theatres Oct. 11
We Live in Time – In theatres Oct. 11
Anora – In theatres Oct. 18
Fanatical: Catfishing Teagan and Sara – On Hulu and Disney+ (in select markets) on Oct. 18
Rumours – In theatres beginning Oct. 18
Dahomey – In theatres Oct. 25, on MUBI later
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band – On Hulu and Disney+ (in select markets) in October
Bird – In theatres Nov. 8, on MUBI later
Conclave – In theatres Nov. 8
Pedro Páramo – On Netflix Nov. 8
The Piano Lesson – In theatres Nov. 8, on Netflix Nov. 22
Emilia Perez – In theatres this fall, on Netflix Nov. 13
Heretic – In theatres Nov. 15
All We Imagine As Light – In theatres this November
Flow – In theatres this November
Nightbitch – In theatres Dec. 6
The Order – In theatres Dec. 6
The Fire Inside – In theatres Dec. 25
Better Man – In theatres Dec. 25 (limited)
The Room Next Door – In theatres this December
Unstoppable – In theatres this December
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal – Coming to Prime Video this fall
Elton John: Never Too Late – Coming to Disney+
And here are TIFF films that have Canadian distribution, but a release date has not been announced or is expected to be in 2025–and, inevitably, all the Canadian films that will open during the exact same week in March and be dead on arrival because all the coverage about them had to be banked for release.
40 Acres
Aberdeen
Babygirl
Better Man
Bonjour Tristesse
Bring Them Down
Can I Get a Witness?
Caught by the Tides
Do I Know You from Somewhere?
Eden
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
Grand Tour
Hard Truths
I’m Still Here
Living Together
M – Son of the Century
Matt & Mara
Measures for a Funeral
Misericordia
Oh, Canada
Paying for It
Presence
Sharp Corner
Seeds
Shell
Sherpherds
Shook
The End
The Girl with the Needle
The Knowing
The Listeners
The Mother and the Bear
The Return
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Viet and Nam
Village Keeper
You Are Not Alone
Youth (Hard Times)
Youth (Homecoming)
Young Werther
*This list is as of Aug. 24. Release dates are subject to change.
