No matter what happens, it’s the movies that matter, and that was never more true than at the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Even before the red carpets were rolled out, there were considerable challenges on the horizon. The ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes raised questions about which actors, if any, would be attending to promote their latest work. Then, just over a week away from opening day, came the shocking news that TIFF’s long-standing, nearly three decade relationship with lead sponsor, Canadian telecom giant Bell, was coming to an end in 2023. During the festival, another shockwave arrived, when 200+ actors and filmmakers signed a petition demanding TIFF cut ties with its second largest sponsor, Royal Bank of Canada, over their fossil fuel investments. However, based on the excited, enthusiastic chatter on the ground, those concerns hardly caused a ripple among critics and the public alike whose focus remained on the impressive lineup.
Opening night film, the International Premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron, proved to be so popular that organizers added multiple public screenings to meet demand. Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall caused some of the biggest press lineups in recent memory, and it was an equal chance you’d later run into a critic who didn’t manage to get in as someone who did. Other titles making a splash on the ground included Alexander Payne’s awards season bound The Holdovers, Venice sensation Hit Man, Kristoffer Borgli’s surreal cancel culture comedy Dream Scenario, Azazel Jacobs’ moving family drama His Three Daughters, and Ava DuVernay’s Origin, a last minute addition to the fest. Meanwhile, spurring astonished conversation for entirely different reasons was Harmony Korine’s divisive, infrared provocation Aggro Dr1ft.
However, the best-kept secrets at TIFF are often found within its extensive, well-curated international programming slates. EFP (European Film Promotion) were busy with fourteen films under their belt, including: the World Premiere of Ladj Ly’s highly anticipated Les Indésirables; the continued rollout of Agnieszka Holland’s Venice winner Green Border; with Solitude, Homecoming, Spirit of Ecstasy, and Sisterhood making a strong impressions as well. Asian cinema was also out in full force with pictures such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, and Wang Bing’s Youth (Spring) making their North American debuts.
For those who still wanted some A-list shine to the TIFF experience, they got that too. Jessica Chastain brought glamour to the North American Premiere of Michel Franco’s Memory, Viggo Mortensen was on hand to unspool his latest directorial effort The Dead Don’t Hurt, Ethan Hawke brought Wildcat to Toronto, while the long awaited Talking Heads reunion for the launch of the newly restored Stop Making Sense was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Meanwhile, Bertrand Bonello pulled double duty, not only representing his latest The Beast, but also introducing a screening of Jacque Rivette’s L’amour fou.
As always, unexpected themes emerged among this year’s films. Hit men factored in Hit Man, Michael Keaton’s directorial debut Knox Goes Away, and Aggro Dr1ft. Talking Heads, aside from the refresh of their seminal concert doc, became an unexpected plot point and end credits capper in Dream Scenario. While features from actors-turned-directors abounded with the aforementioned Mortensen and Keaton, plus Chris Pine bringing Poolman, and Anna Kendrick unveiling Woman of the Hour.
From the Studio Ghibli pop-up store that had Miyazaki fans lined up down the block to lively Festival Street — bringing free screenings, concerts, food trucks, and more to King Street — the energy was still up at TIFF, even if not all the stars were on hand, and the parties a little more subdued. Toronto’s devoted cinephiles still staked out their spot in Rush Lines, the indefatigable volunteers kept things running, and if there were any behind the scenes troubles at TIFF, it became clear they would have to wait until the credits rolled on this year’s edition.
