The red carpets have been rolled up, the stanchions taken down, and the awards handed out. The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close, and like the 49 before, it was one for the books. From People’s Choice champion Hamnet (and runners up Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man) to James McAvoy getting sucker-punched at a bar, there was no shortage of headlines. There were things to celebrate, such as a record number of Canadian Indigenous films on the slate. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, as the fest still has work to do in terms of gender parity among filmmakers and faced significant controversy surrounding the programming of Barry Avrich’s documentary.
But what about the films themselves? There were a total of 291 films on offer (209 features, 6 Classics, 10 Primetime, and 66 shorts) from over 30 countries, with 1,200 screenings from September 4-14. Proven auteurs like Linklater, del Toro, Zhao, Petzold, Park Chan-wook, Soderbergh, Denis, DaCosta, Trier, al-Mansour, Safdie, Peck, Assayas, Holland, Cianfrance, Greengrass, and Van Sant all had features programmed, while McAvoy, Maude Apatow, Aziz Ansari, and Scarlett Johansson had their directorial debuts showcased. Then there were several films from newer filmmaking voices, such as Sasha Leigh Henry, Sophy Romvari, Eva Thomas, Chandler Levack, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Bretten Hannam, to marvel over and discuss. There was no shortage of music-oriented features and documentaries to revel in this year, either, with EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, You Had to Be There, Nirvanna The Band the Show the Movie, and Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery all thrilling audiences.
Each year we pull together a playlist of songs memorably featured in films we saw at the fest. Ones that stuck with us or were perfectly picked for the scenes they underlaid. From spooky tracks juxtaposing gothic fun (“Tonight You Belong to Me” by Patience and Prudence from Honey Bunch and “Come Up to the House” by Tom Waits in Wake Up Dead Man), to tracks deeply connected to characters’ emotional journeys (“Lost Together” by Blue Rodeo in Meadowlarks and “Steamboat” by Adrienne Lenker in Blood Lines). Whatever your jam, there’s something to groove to and celebrate another successful fortnight of film in the Six.
Tune in below to the tracks we loved, then scroll down to find out which film the songs were featured in:
If the above playlist if down, click below to head to Spotify to listen.
Here’s a list of where the songs were featured:
- “Tonight You Belong to Me” by Patience and Prudence (from Honey Bunch)
- “Break It to Me Gently” by Brenda Lee (from Charlie Harper)
- “Make The World Go Away” by Timi Yaro (from The Smashing Machine)
- “It’s Oh So Quiet” by Betty Hutton (from Hedda)
- “Everybody Loves Somebody” by Dean Martin (from Eternity)
- “Nouvelle Vague” by Richard Anthony (from Nouvelle Vague)
- “La Vie En Rose” by Louis Armstrong (from Good News)
- “This Funny World” by Tony Bennett (from Blue Moon)
- “Cannock Chase” by Labi Siffre (from Sentimental Value)
- “O-o-h Child” by The Five Stairsteps (from Bad Apples)
- “Cat People” by David Bowie (from Motor City)
- “Moonlight Desires” by Gowan (from Little Lorraine)
- “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads (A Private Life)
- “Alright” by Supergrass (from I Swear)
- “Acquiesce” by Oasis (from Saipan)
- “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette (from Mile End Kicks)
- “Glass, Concrete & Stone” by David Byrne (from Rental Family)
- “Lost Together'” by Blue Rodeo (from Meadowlarks)
- “Angel (Live)” by Sarah McLachlan and Emmylou Harris (from Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery)
- “Broken Halos” by Chris Stapleton (from The Lost Bus)
- “Steamboat” by Adrienne Lenker (from Blood Lines)
- “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue (from The Fence)
- “Don’t Walk Away” by Jade (from The Man in the Basement)
- “Victorious” by Shub feat. Tia Wood (from Nika & Madison)
- “Medicine” by Silibil n’ Brains (from California Schemin’)
- “Amber Decay” by Kangding Ray (from Sirat)
- “The New Pollution” by Beck (from Good Fortune)
- “Come Up to My House” by Tom Waits (from Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
- “How Great Thou Art” by Elvis Presley (from EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert)
- “Day by Day” from Godspell (from You Had to Be There)
- “Queen of the Night Aria” by David Morris (from Whistle)
- “On the Nature of Daylight” by Max Richter (from Hamnet)
- “The Dream of Gerontius: Prelude” by Edward Elgar (from The Choral)
Did we miss any other songs that stuck with you from this year’s fest? Tell us in the comments and we’ll add them in! Or check back in with our previous TIFF playlists over on our Spotify!
A big thank you to this year’s playlist contributors!
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