The opening frenzy of #TIFF50 may be easing as the red carpets roll up and some international visitors head home, but the festival is far from over. With dozens of screenings still ahead, there’s no shortage of discoveries waiting to be made. The That Shelf team has seen dozens and dozens of films so far, and we’ve assembled a list of some hidden gems and fest favourites that you can still see before the final credits roll on TIFF 2025.
From crowd-pleasing standouts to under-the-radar gems, here are our top picks to catch between September 10-14 as the festival enters its final stretch. – Rachel West
Bad Apples
It’s a shame Bad Apples is flying under the radar at TIFF. The always incredible Saoirse Ronan plays an elementary school teacher forced to make a drastic decision in the satirical thriller from director Jonatan Etzler. It’s wickedly funny with surprising turns that will keep you guessing where it’s headed next. If you’re looking for a true hidden gem, this is it. – RW
Bad Apples screens on Sept. 13 at 10 pm and Sept. 14 at 6:45 pm.
Dinner With Friends
If you’ve seen Bria Mack Gets A Life, then you know Sasha Leigh Henry is a force not only to be reckoned with, but to pay attention to. The Canadian’s latest feature follows a set of eight 30-something Toronto friends as they get together for a handful of dinners over the space of a few years. Though the octet fracture, re-assemble and fracture again, Dinner With Friends remains engrossing throughout and refrains from ever feeling repetitive or tired. That’s largely thanks to a tight, incisive script (from Henry and co-writer/co-producer Tania Thompson) and an excellent cast with chemistry to spare. This is one local film you’ll want to add to your list. – Emma Badame
Dinner With Friends screens on Sept. 14 at 9:45 am.
Dust Bunny
Love the vibe of 1980s family favourites like Labyrinth and Little Monsters , but want something more grown-up? Look no further than Bryan Fuller’s horror-fantasy-comedy Dust Bunny. Reuniting with his Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen, this Midnight Madness pick is vibrant, funny, and highly entertaining. Check it out during a daytime screening to keep a reasonable bedtime. – RW
Dust Bunny screens Sept. 12 at 12:15 pm.
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
If you liked Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis drama, then you’ll absolutely love his documentary about the King. Part concert doc, part intimate confessional, this is one of the most exhilarating music docs in recent years. The film’s world premiere last weekend also drew one of the most electrifying TIFF screenings in recent memory with folks dancing in the aisles, cheering, and singing along. Highly recommended if you want a rocking good time! – Pat Mullen
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert screens Sept. 12 at 7:30 pm and Sept. 14 at 2:15 pm.
Ghost School
This thoughtful gem from British-Pakistani director Seemab Gul follows a 10-year-old girl in her quest to re-open her school after authorities shut it down. As we experience the world through her passionate, innocent eyes, things like apathy, bureaucracy, and the manipulation of the poor for the gains of the rich are put into stark perspective. But perhaps the biggest truth to behold here is just one example of a much bigger, burgeoning issue: the devaluation of learning and education. A gorgeous, intimate film, Gul’s piece is one that will leave you both incensed and entranced. – Emma Badame
Ghost School screens Sept. 10 at 3:25 pm.
Hedda
The most pleasant surprise of the festival so far includes my pick for the best performance at TIFF: Nina Hoss in Hedda. She turns this film on its head as Eileen, a gender-flipped reinvention of Hedda Gabler’s former flame. Hoss ignites one set of dramatic fireworks after another while creating this cruel downward spiral for a woman who just wanted to hold her rightful place among the men. This is an Oscar-worthy performance and a total showstopper from one of the best actors in the business. Hoss is the boss. – PM
Hedda screens Sept. 12 at 3:30 pm and Sept. 13 at 6:45 pm.
If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You
If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You, from director Mary Bronstein, stars Rose Byrne in a career-defining role as a mother awash in parental stress, paranoia, addiction, and something more mysterious, rounded out by a stellar supporting cast that includes Christian Slater and a perfectly mercurial Conan O’Brien. – Alex Southey
If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You screens on Sept. 12 at 8:30 pm and Sept. 13 at 12:00 pm.
Kokuho
Kokuho is a stunning exploration of the art of Kabuki. A Yakuza orphan is taken under the wing of an acclaimed Kabuki actor to train alongside his son of the same age. The film spans five decades, tracing the young men’s precarious careers. It demonstrates the training and skill required to become a master, as well as the inevitable betrayal fuelled by talent and ambition. The stage sequences are beautiful, adding to the film’s depth, while their emotional journeys are both inspiring and heartbreaking. – Sarah Gopaul
Kokuho screens on Sept. 11 at 8:00 pm and Sept. 12 at 7:00 pm.
A Private Life
Jodie Foster plays a woman who teams up with her ex-husband to investigate a suspicious death – en français! The French film is part crime drama, part mystery, with a dash of comedy, but it works. Director Rebecca Zlotowski gives plenty of unexpected twists in A Private Life that will keep viewers intrigued. Beautifully shot, moody, rainy Paris in autumn is the perfect backdrop for this mystery. – RW
A Private Life screens on Sept. 11 at 2:45 pm.
The Tale of Silyan
Honeyland co-director Tamara Kosteva finds a poetic environmental fable in this portrait of cranes in Macedonia and the hard struck farmers whose food waste fuels them. She observes an intimate connection between the animals and the members of the working class, tying in the folk tale of a boy who turned into a crane and desperately tried to regain his status with his family as an effective metaphor for the plight of families forced to flee their homeland amid economic hardship. Beautifully shot and full of great bird clucking, it’s an ideal festival film that you may not be able to see elsewhere! – PM
The Tale of Silyan screens Sept. 10 at 6:00pm and Sept. 11 at 3:25 pm.
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