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.
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.
