TIFF Adds Natalie Portman, Chloë Grace Moretz, Isabelle Huppert Pics & Reveals Discovery Lineup

Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 6-16) has added a world premiere screening of Neil Jordan’s Greta and the North American premiere of Natalie Portman-starrer Vox Lux to its Special Presentations program, which now numbers 24 films.

Jordan’s Greta tells the story of a young New York woman named Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) who strikes up an unlikely friendship with an enigmatic widow named Greta (Isabelle Huppert). Co-written by Jordan and Ray Wright, pic also stars Colm Feore, Maika Monroe, and Stephen Rea.

In musical drama Vox Lux, Brady Corbet’s second feature as writer-director tracks its heroine’s path from childhood tragedy to a life of fame and fortune. Starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law, the film begins with teenage sisters Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and Eleanor (Stacy Martin) who survive a violent incident that changes their lives.

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TIFF has also revealed the 46 movies taking part in its Discovery lineup for emerging filmmakers. Opening the strand will be Bai Xue’s The Crossing while highlights include world premieres for Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Farming and Carmel Winters’ Float Like A Butterfly as well as well-received festival titles such as Adina Pintilie’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not and Cannes pics Woman At War and Girl. 48% of the selected movies are directed by women. Check out the lineup in full below.

Also revealed today is that Mira Nair will join the Platform jury and the fest will host a 25th anniversary screening of Wayne Wang’s The Joy Luck Club at the Elgin Theatre. Among movies announced for the festival’s Kids strand is The Elephant Queen, a nature documentary narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Meanwhile, TIFF’s Rising Stars are now confirmed as Stéphane Bak, Ahmed Malek, Josh Wiggins, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Devery Jacobs, Lamar Johnson, Michaela Kurimsky, and Jess Salgueiro.

Discovery program:

aKasha, Hajooj Kuka | Sudan/South Africa/Qatar/Germany North American Premiere

ANIARA, Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja | Sweden World Premiere

Blind Spot (Blindsone), Tuva Novotny | Norway International Premiere

The Chambermaid (La Camarista), Lila Avilés | Mexico World Premiere

Complicity (Kazenoki Wa Koto No Youni), Kei Chikaura | Japan/China World Premiere

Consequences (Posledice), Darko Štante | Slovenia/Austria World Premiere

Discovery Opening Film The Crossing (Guo Chun Tian), Bai Xue | China World Premiere

The Day I Lost My Shadow (Yom Adaatou Zouli), Soudade Kaadan | Syria/France/Qatar/Lebanon North American Premiere

The Dig, Andy Tohill and Ryan Tohill | United Kingdom North American Premiere

An Elephant Sitting Still (Da Xiang Xi Di Er Zuo), Hu Bo | China Canadian Premiere

Emu Runner, Imogen Thomas | Australia World Premiere

ENDZEIT – EVER AFTER (ENDZEIT), Carolina Hellsgård | Germany World Premiere

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García (El Viaje Extraordinario de Celeste García), Arturo Infante | Cuba/Germany World Premiere

Farming, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | United Kingdom World Premiere

Fig Tree Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian | Israel/Germany/France/Ethiopia World Premiere

Float Like a Butterfly, Carmel Winters | Ireland World Premiere

Girl, Lukas Dhont | Belgium Canadian Premiere

Gwen, William McGregor | United Kingdom World Premiere

Helmet Heads (Cascos Indomables), Neto Villalobos | Costa Rica/Chile World Premiere

Her Job, Nikos Labôt | Greece/France/Serbia World Premiere

Icebox, Daniel Sawka | USA World Premiere Jirga Benjamin Gilmour | Australia North American Premiere

Light as Feathers, Rosanne Pel | Netherlands World Premiere

Lionheart, Genevieve Nnaji | Nigeria World Premiere

The Load (Teret), Ognjen Glavonic | Serbia/France/Croatia/Iran/Qatar North American Premiere

Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu), Phuttiphong Aroonpheng | Thailand/France/China North American Premiere

The Mercy of the Jungle, Joël Karekezi | Belgium/France/Germany North American Premiere

Orange Days (Rooz-haye Narenji), Arash Lahooti | Iran World Premiere

Our Body (A-wol Ba-di), Han Ka-ram | South Korea World Premiere

Parade (Aglumi), Nino Zhvania | Georgia/Russia World Premiere

Phoenix (Føniks), Camilla Strøm Henriksen | Norway/Sweden World Premiere

Rafiki, Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya/South Africa/France/Lebanon/Norway/Netherlands/Germany/USA North American Premiere

Saf, Ali Vatansever | Turkey/Germany/Romania World Premiere

Discovery Closing Film Screwdriver (Mafak), Bassam Jarbawi | Palestine/USA/Qatar North American Premiere

Summer Survivors, Marija Kavtaradze | Lithuania World Premiere

Tel Aviv on Fire, Sameh Zoabi | Luxembourg/France/Israel/Belgium North American Premiere

The Third Wife, Ash Mayfair | Vietnam World Premiere

Tito and the Birds (Tito e os Pássaros), Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto | Brazil North American Premiere

Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven), Dominga Sotomayor | Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar North American Premiere

Touch Me Not, Adina Pintilie | Romania/Germany/Czech Republic/Bulgaria/France North American Premiere

Twin Flower (Fiore Gemello), Laura Luchetti | Italy World Premiere

Woman at War (Kona fer í stríð), Benedikt Erlingsson | Iceland/France/Ukraine North American Premiere

Previously announced Canadian titles in the Discovery programme include Akash Sherman’s Clara, Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife, Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers, and Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Freaks.