Christy

Source: TIFF

Christy

World premieres of David Michôd’s boxing biopic Christy starring Sydney Sweeney, Alice Winocour’s fashion industry drama Couture starring Angelina Jolie, and David Mackenzie’s action thriller Fuze are among the line-up in Galas and Special Presentations unveiled by Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) today (July 21).

Also selected for their first public screenings at the festival’s 50th anniversary edition (September 4-14) are Isabel Coixet’s drama Three Goodbyes, Romain Gavras’s adventure comedy Sacrifice, mystery The Ugly from Train To Busan’s Yeon Sang-ho, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg Trials drama Nuremberg, acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America,  Aziz Ansari’s comedy Good Fortune starring Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves at Lionsgate, and Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert.

There are also world premieres for two renowned UK actors making their feature directorial debuts: Brian Cox’s sibling drama Glenrothan and James McAvoy’s Scottish music scam drama California Schemin’.

True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto brings the comeback drama Easy’s Waltz with Al Pacino, Vince Vaughn, and Kate Mara.

TIFF has prized itself on strong ties to the North American comedy community and brings the world premieres of Driver’s Ed from Bobby Farrelly, older brother to Peter whose 2018 Green Book won the TIFF audience award; Poetic License from Maude Apatow, daughter of Judd Apatow; and Adulthood from director and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure co-star Alex Winter.

A North American slot for Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine essentially confirms the film’s world premiere status at Venice, which announces its line-up tomorrow (July 22). Dwayne Johnson stars in A24’s wrestling biopic and will figure prominently in an awards push.

The same goes for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein at Netflix, Gus Van Sant’s sales title and hostage thriller Dead Man’s Wire starring Al Pacino and Bill Skarsgard, and historical drama The Testament Of Ann Lee directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written by husband Brady Corbet, who swap roles after the 2024 Venice world premiere The Brutalist.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and chief programming officer Anita Lee announced several Cannes titles last week and they have added more here, with Competition entries The Secret Agent from Kleber Mendonça Filho and Olivier Laxe’s Sirât – both of which Neon acquired on the Croisette – as well as two Un Certain Regard selections: Simón Mesa Soto’s A Poet which 1-2 Special acquired for North America, and Scarlett Johansson’s Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Eleanor The Great at Sony Pictures Classics.

Canadian director Anne Émond’s Directors’ Fortnight selection Peak Everything will close TIFF.

The festival will announce Platform, Discovery, and Midnight Madness programmes later this week.

Selections below in alphabetical order.

(*previously announced)

2025 Galas

*A Private Life (Fr)
Dir. Rebecca Zlotowski
North American premiere

Adulthood (US)
Dir. Alex Winter
World premiere

Driver’s Ed (US)
Dir. Bobby Farrelly
World premiere

Eleanor The Great (US)
Dir. Scarlett Johansson 
North American premiere

Eternity (US)
Dir. David Freyne
World premiere

Fuze (UK)
Dir. David Mackenzie
World premiere

Glenrothan (UK)
Dir. Brian Cox
World premiere

Good Fortune (US)
Dir. Aziz Ansari
World premiere

*Hamnet (UK-US)
Dir. Chloé Zhao
Canadian premiere

*Homebound (India)
Dir. Neeraj Ghaywan
North American premiere

*John Candy: I Like Me (US)
Dir. Colin Hanks
World premiere
Opening Night Gala

Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery (Can)
Dir. Ally Pankiw
World premiere

Nuremberg (US)
Dir. James Vanderbilt
World premiere

Palestine 36 (Pal-UK-Fr-Den-Qat-Saud-Jord)
Dir: Annemarie Jacir
World premiere

Peak Everything (Can)
Dir. Anne Émond
Toronto premiere
Closing Night Gala

*Roofman (US)
Dir. Derek Cianfrance
World premiere

*She Has No Name (China)
Dir. Peter Ho-Sun Chan
North American premiere

Sholay (India)
Dir. Ramesh Sippy
50th anniversary restoration
North American Premiere

Swiped (USA)
Dir. Rachel Lee Goldenberg
World premiere

*The Choral (UK-US)
Dir. Nicholas Hytner
World premiere

Two Pianos (Fr)
Dir. Arnaud Desplechin
World premiere 

2025 Special Presentations

A Pale View Of Hills (Japan-UK-Pol)
Dir. Kei Ishikawa
North American premiere

A Poet (Col-Ger-Swe)
Dir. Simón Mesa Soto
North American premiere

Bad Apples (UK)
Dir. Jonatan Etzler
World premiere

Ballad Of A Small Player (UK)
Dir. Edward Berger 
Canadian premiere

California Schemin’ (UK-USA)
Dir. James McAvoy
World Premiere

Calle Malaga (Mor-Fr-Sp-Ger-Bel)
Dir. Maryam Touzani
North American premiere

*The Captive (Sp-It)
Dir. Alejandro Amenábar
World Premiere

Charlie Harper (US)
Dirs. Tom Dean, Mac Eldridge
World premiere

*The Christophers (US-UK)
Dir. Steven Soderbergh
World premiere

Christy (US)
Dir. David Michôd
World premiere

Couture (US-Fr)
Dir. Alice Winocour
World premiere

Dead Man’s Wire (US)
Dir. Gus Van Sant
North American premiere

Degrassi: Whatever It Takes (Can)
Dir. Lisa Rideout
World premiere

Easy’s Waltz (US)
Dir. Nic Pizzolatto
World premiere

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Australia-US)
Dir. Baz Luhrmann
World premiere

Eternal Return (UK-US)
Dir. Yaniv Raz
World premiere

Frankenstein (US)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro
North American premiere

*Franz (Czech-Ger-Pol)
Dir. Agnieszka Holland
World premiere

*Good News (S Kor)
Dir. Byun Sung-hyun
World premiere

*Hedda (US)
Dir. Nia DaCosta
World premiere

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (US)
Dir. Mary Bronstein
Canadian premiere

It Was Just An Accident (Iran-Fr-Lux)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Canadian premiere

It Would Be Night in Caracas (Mex)
Dirs. Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás
World premiere

Kokuho (Japan)
Dir. Lee Sang-il
North American premiere

Ky Nam Inn (Viet)
Dir. Leon Le
World premiere

Lovely Day (Can)
Dir. Philippe Falardeau
World premiere

Meadowlarks (Can)
Dir. Tasha Hubbard
World premiere

*Mile End Kicks (Can)
Dir. Chandler Levack
World premiere

Monkey In A Cage (India)
Dir. Anurag Kashyap
World premiere

Nouvelle Vague (Fr)
Dir. Richard Linklater
Canadian premiere

Poetic License (USA)
Dir. Maude Apatow
World premiere

Primavera (It/Fr)
Dir. Damiano Michieletto
World premiere

Project Y (S Kor)
Dir. Lee Hwan
World premiere

*Rental Family (US-Jap)
Dir. Hikari
World premiere

Rose Of Nevada (UK)
Dir. Mark Jenkin
North American premiere

Sacrifice (UK-Greece)
Dir. Romain Gavras
World premiere

Scarlet (Japan)
Dir. Mamoru Hosoda
North American premiere

Sentimental Value (Nor-Fr-Den-Ger-Swe-UK)
Dir. Joachim Trier
Canadian premiere

Silent Friend (Ger-Hun-Fr)
Dir. Ildikó Enyedi
North American premiere

Sirāt (Fr-Sp)
Dir. Óliver Laxe
North American premiere

Sound Of Falling (Ger)
Dir. Mascha Schilinski
North American premiere

*Steal Away (Can-Bel)
Dir. Clement Virgo
World premiere

*The Lost Bus (US)
Dir. Paul Greengrass
World premiere

The Secret Agent (Bra-Fr-Neth-Ger)
Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Canadian Premiere

The Smashing Machine (US)
Dir. Benny Safdie
North American premiere

The Testament Of Ann Lee (UK)
Dir. Mona Fastvold
Presented in 70mm
North American premiere

The Ugly (S Kor)
Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
World premiere

Three Goodbyes (It/Sp)
Dir. Isabel Coixet
World premiere

Train Dreams (US)
Dir. Clint Bentley
International premiere

Tuner (US)
Dir. Daniel Roher
Canadian premiere

Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) (Can)
Dir. Zacharias Kunuk
North American premiere

*Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (US)
Dir. Rian Johnson
World premiere

You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited The Comedy Revolution… (US)
Dir. Nick Davis
World premiere.

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