With the Cannes Film Festival having wrapped back in May, and the upcoming film festival looming upon us, with big festivals like Venice, Telluride, TIFF and NYFF on the horizon with further announcements to follow, now comes the time to make TIFF predictions. Sometimes it is fun to speculate on what movies will be announced at these respective festivals as attendees. So without further ado, I have compiled a list of some TIFF predictions of films that I (and perhaps many others) think will appear at the Toronto International Film Festival for this upcoming September.

All of a Sudden

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s previous film Evil Does Not Exist made an appearance at TIFF back in 2023, although it premiered at Venice first before TIFF. Given the reception and accolades his latest film has received at Cannes, All of a Sudden is likely to be one of the most highly coveted films during the upcoming festival season. I would not be surprised if TIFF is a priority as far as a North American premiere is concerned.

The Black Ball

Another film that has received much praise including winning the Best Director Award at Cannes earlier this year. Netflix bought the rights to distribution for an estimated $4-5 million and are likely looking to position the film as one of its primary awards contenders later in the year. Given Netflix and TIFF’s relationship, it’s very likely that we’ll be seeing this one come this September and could even be a potential People’s Choice contender.

Bucking Fastard

This feels like another coin toss pick. Werner Herzog is no stranger to TIFF of course, but his films do not always come to TIFF. His last feature to appear at TIFF was Salt and Fire back in 2016. I think there’s a chance – Bucking Fastard did skip Cannes this year due to it not being offered a competition slot. If it’s already finished, that suggests it should be ready for a late festival run. However, it could also skip TIFF completely and go for another festival like Venice or Telluride or so forth. Unpredictable, like Werner Herzog the man himself.

Bunker

This one may be a coin toss, as while director Florian Zeller’s previous films The Father and The Son have played at TIFF before, The Son hasn’t received quite the same acclaim and reception as The Father. There’s reason to be skeptical about the film’s chances of appearing at TIFF this year, but also reason to believe TIFF may host its North American premiere here, given Zeller’s relatively small track record thus far.

Club Kid

This directorial debut from Jordan Firstman played at Cannes this year, where it was nominated for various awards including the Camera d’Or. The reception this movie received has resulted in a large bidding war, with A24 winning out after paying $17 million for its distribution rights internationally. It’s likely that A24 will mount a significant festival and awards campaign for the film in the coming months. Perhaps this also means it’ll play at TIFF too? I’m sure there are many who would love to see that happen.

Coward

This is another one that received plenty of praise and accolades at Cannes this year. Lukas Dhont’s previous film Close did miss out on TIFF in spite of its accolades, but Dhont’s debut film Girl did have its Canadian premiere at TIFF back in 2018. This could go either way – but it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think that a festival like TIFF would be interested.

The Debut

Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut is titled The Debut. It has secured A24 distribution and includes a pretty star-studded cast lead by Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. TIFF loves Hollywood stars and celebrities, and TIFF is no stranger to premiering directorial debuts from well-known actors – think for example Eleanor the Great at TIFF last year, directed by Scarlett Johansson, or Poolman directed by Chris Pine. Maybe not a given as far as TIFF predictions are concerned, but I think the chances of it appearing at TIFF this year are worth noting.

Double Freedom

Double Freedom is director Lisandro Alonso’s latest film following his previous film Eureka which skipped TIFF back in 2023. However this is another case where many of his past features beginning with Los muertos, Fantasma, Liverpool all the way up to Jauja in 2014 have all made their North American premieres at TIFF respectively. Many of his features have also followed the pattern of premiering at Cannes first before appearing at TIFF, and it seems like Double Freedom is bound to follow suit.

Everything Else Is Noise

This is one that I think may be a fairly safe bet for appearing in the Wavelengths section at TIFF. Nicolás Pereda is no stranger to TIFF with many of his movies having made their North American premieres there. This includes Minotauro, Fauna, Lázaro de noche and his most recent film Copper from last year’s TIFF, as well as his short films Mi piel, luminosa and Dear Chantal. Everything Else Is Noise has already made its world premiere at Berlin earlier this year, and seems slated to continue its festival run for later this year.

Fatherland

This is another one where it received nothing but accolades at Cannes this year, this time taking home the Best Director Award. Also another one directed by Pawel Pawlikowski – minus his debut feature The Stringer, all his feature-length movies have appeared at TIFF in some capacity with The Woman in the Fifth and Ida being world premieres. Given the track record, Fatherland seems like a no-brainer out of many of the TIFF predictions I am making on this list.

Fjord

Another TIFF no-brainer. A combination of Fjord‘s Cannes accolades (including winning the Palme D’Or), director Cristian Mungiu’s previous three films having premiered at TIFF, plus a history of Palme D’Or winners always coming to TIFF ensures that Fjord is pretty much a slam dunk. But this also means it’ll likely be one of the hottest, most in-demand tickets like the past Palme D’Or winners at TIFF. Expect maybe about 2 or 3 screenings for this one.

Forgotten Island

TIFF loves its big animated films. Dreamworks Animation has had success in the past with their films at TIFF, the most recent being The Wild Robot in 2024. Given Forgotten Island‘s release date late in the year that wasn’t too different from that of TIFF world premieres like The Wild Robot and Abominable, the timing certainly lines up very well. Like with The Wild Robot, I fully anticipate many screenings to boot.

Here Comes The Flood

A lot of people seem to be speculating on what big Netflix films will make an appearance at TIFF this year. Many TIFF predictions seem to be going bold with something like The Adventures of Cliff Booth, but I think the chances of that premiering at TIFF are quite low. David Fincher doesn’t have much of a track record of doing TIFF, plus there’s also the connection to the previous Once Upon A Time In Hollywood you have to consider. TIFF doesn’t commonly do sequels or prequels minus standalone instalments (Junk World is one that comes to mind). In that case, I actually think something like Here Comes The Flood is a safer bet. It’s got a star-studded cast in Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and the past three films from director Fernando Meirelles have also played at TIFF (as well as his most well-known film City of God back in 2002).

I Play Rocky

Ever since Peter Farrelly split off from his brother Bobby to focus more on his solo work, his films that have released later in the calendar year – namely Green Book and The Greatest Beer Run Ever – have been world premieres at TIFF. I Play Rocky is following in that same pattern. Its inspirational angle that focuses on the story of how the first Rocky film came to be will likely appeal to the TIFF crowd, which likely comprises of those who grew up with the Rocky films. TIFF’s history of enjoying a good biographical underdog story cannot be understated.

Iron Boy

TIFF typically tends to present an animated film that has garnered some amount of praise and attention coming out of Cannes early on. Last year it was Arco and Little Amélie, and Flow the year before that. This year I think both Iron Boy and Tangles have a pretty good shot, considering the early positive reception both films have received. If it’s anything like those films I mentioned, it probably will be a 2 or 3-screening offering at TIFF too. Sony Pictures Classics has seen fit to pick this one up for distribution. They generally tend to make an appearance at TIFF each year, with Scarlet being another animated film of theirs that premiered at TIFF last year.

Klara And The Sun

Taika Waititi loves TIFF, as many of his films have appeared there. His last two non-Thor movies Next Goal Wins and Jojo Rabbit were world premieres at TIFF. His films often feature the celebrity names that TIFF likes to have at their red carpets. Given the recently announced late October release date, this seems destined for another one of Waititi’s TIFF premieres.

Look Back

Nearly the entire filmography of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s films have played at TIFF over the years, going all the way back to his debut feature Maborosi in 1995. He has also made another film Sheep In The Box which came to Cannes earlier this year, and got a rather tepid reception. That one is slated to have a July release date in theatres, which means it’ll likely miss the upcoming festival season including TIFF. Look Back is Kore-eda’s other film for this year, and so far I’d say the chances look much better for this film. It would be unfortunate for someone like Kore-eda to have his second film in a row within the same year miss out on TIFF otherwise. After Life is the only Kore-eda film thus far to have made its world premiere at TIFF, so I think the chances are much higher for Look Back to premiere first at Venice before heading to TIFF in line with some of his other films like The Truth or The Third Murder, but I suppose a TIFF world premiere is possible too. If it’s anything like Monster back in 2023, this will probably only get about two screenings.

Love Is Not the Answer

So far not much is known about the film other than it being an ‘absurdist comedy’ and another big-name actor in Michael Cera making his directorial debut. My logic for this one is pretty similar to the upcoming Jesse Eisenberg debut film: TIFF loves it when big-name actors make their directorial debuts, especially a Canadian one. I don’t know if Cera’s film will be ready for the film festivals this year considering the lack of information out there for the movie. But on paper this seems about right for a TIFF premiere.

Mimesis

Director Kaouther Ben Hania made a splash during last year’s TIFF with The Voice of Hind Rajab. Mimesis seems like it could be headed for a theatrical release later in the year which would mean a TIFF premiere would be a possibility. But if not, there’s always next year. Either way I think the chances of it appearing at TIFF at some point are pretty good, although much like The Voice of Hind Rajab this could also be one of those instances where it might head to Venice first.

Minotaur

Minotaur won a couple of accolades at Cannes earlier this May, particularly the Grand Prix. All of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s five previous films have had North American premieres at TIFF, with nearly all of them having a similar run of playing Cannes first before moving on to other film festivals later in the year. Minotaur feels like a lock as far as playing at TIFF this year is concerned.

The Myth of a Real Man

This is director Lee Filipovski’s debut feature film, following her short films Nula and Fluffy which both played at TIFF. It is a Canadian production that wrapped up production last year and has received funding from Telefilm Canada. Given Filipovski’s prior relationship with TIFF, I could see this being a TIFF world premiere.

My Wife Cries

This is probably a lock for the Wavelengths section at TIFF. Many of Angela Schanelec’s past films like The Dreamed Path, Music, as well as I Was at Home, But have all made their North American premieres at TIFF, mostly also in the Wavelengths section. Her last two films have also made their world premieres at Berlin. Given that My Wife Cries has also already premiered at Berlin in line with her previous films, it seems inevitable that TIFF will follow suit.

Out of This World

Albert Serra wrapped production on this film last year in September, with over 800 hours of footage shot. This also marks his English language debut. I do think the large amount of footage and it having missed Cannes earlier this year could point to this not being ready for TIFF or any festival run for the year. I also don’t think it’s completely out of the question to suggest that it could appear at TIFF this year. Most of Albert Serra’s feature films have made their North American premieres at TIFF, including Birdsong, Story of My Death, The Death of Louis XIV and most recently Pacifiction back in 2022. The latter 3 also were Wavelengths presentations, and while I don’t see Out of This World as being potentially another addition to the TIFF Wavelengths catalogue – the addition of bigger names and a bigger budget for Serra seems to suggest this will play out more like Rose of Nevada by Mark Jenkin which premiered as part of the Special Presentations program – I suppose it can’t be ruled out. Neither can its TIFF premiere.

Paradise

Adding Paradise to this list for some Quebecois representation. It’s not a guarantee that Paradise will appear at TIFF considering TIFF tends to prefer when Canadian films prioritize them for their world premiere over other festivals. But it’s already got some early buzz for a Canadian film, and director Jérémy Comte established a name for himself back in 2018 when his short film Fauve played at TIFF. TIFF does love its Canadian films. So, who knows?

Possible Love

Ever since Oasis in 2002, Lee Chang-dong’s films have always played at TIFF including his last film, the widely acclaimed Burning back in 2018. Possible Love is Lee Chang-dong’s long-awaited follow-up to Burning, and as a result I think a TIFF North American or Canadian premiere seems like a pretty good possibility.

Rose

MUBI typically likes to send a film or two of theirs to TIFF every year and this seems like one they might prioritize for a late festival season push. Given Rose‘s reception at Berlin earlier this year, and Markus Schleinzer’s previous films having also appeared at TIFF in past years (with his last film Angelo having been a TIFF world premiere back in 2018), surely there’s a good chance that Schleinzer’s most acclaimed film yet will play at TIFF too?

Saturn Return

This is another one of those Netflix vehicles that seems destined for a big film festival like TIFF later in the year, backed by a pretty star-studded cast and a director whose last film Sing Sing has garnered many accolades and also made its world premiere at TIFF. It also marks another one of Kwedar’s collaborations with writer and filmmaker Clint Bentley, whose past few films as a director have also appeared at TIFF including his most recent Train Dreams (which is his most acclaimed work to date).

The Stunt Driver

It’s a film about a Canadian daredevil stuntman named Ken Carter, played by Canadian actor Jay Baruchel. It’s currently got distribution from Mongrel Media, a Canadian distributor. The director Michael Dowse is also Canadian, best known for films like Goon and The F Word, both of which have made their world premieres at TIFF. The September 25th release date also means that this film is likely to be a priority for the festival – perhaps maybe even the opening night film?

Tangles

TIFF typically tends to present an animated film that has garnered some amount of praise and attention coming out of Cannes early on. Last year it was Arco and Little Amélie, and Flow the year before that. This year I think both Iron Boy and Tangles have a pretty good shot, considering the early positive reception both films have received. If it’s anything like those films I mentioned, it probably will be a 2 or 3-screening offering at TIFF too.

Tender Loving Care

Mike Leigh has been a constant at TIFF ever since Happy-Go-Lucky back in 2008 up to notably the world premiere of Hard Truths in 2024. It seems like age hasn’t stopped Leigh from making another film only 2 years after Hard Truths. So far there has not been many details released to the public about the film, although filming for it has already wrapped earlier this year. We’ll see about whether or not it’s ready in time for another TIFF premiere this year.

Victorian Psycho

Zachary Wigon’s previous film Sanctuary made its world premiere at TIFF back in 2022. This time around he’s back with a Cannes premiere this time around and a late September release date after TIFF. He seems to be leaning more into a horror direction this time around, which suggests something that could appeal to a Midnight Madness crowd as well – maybe.

Wake of Umbra

Besides Post Tenebras Lux in 2012, the feature films of director Carlos Reygadas have always been North American premieres at TIFF. Wake of Umbra is his next film currently in post-production, and so far has skipped Cannes this year. That might mean it could follow the path of his last film Our Time and make its world premiere somewhere else like Venice first before TIFF. Guess we’ll have to see.

Wild Horse Nine

Martin McDonagh has been a mainstay at TIFF ever since Seven Psychopaths in 2012. His films generally follow a similar festival run prioritizing the late film festival season, with his last two films The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri making their world premieres at Venice before immediately moving on to TIFF. So there’s almost no question that his latest film Wild Horse Nine will follow suit at TIFF after its potential Venice premiere. The November theatrical release date that is in line with McDonagh’s previous film releases also tracks.