The first major Canadian film festival of the season, the 46th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns after having led the charge in the revitalization of film festivals in the pandemic era, pioneering an in-person/virtual hybrid that resulted in great success. An important bellwether in the awards season race, many future contenders appear here with the intention of making the necessary waves to build buzz in hopes of nabbing TIFF’s coveted People’s Choice Award (which has led to nominations or wins in the Best Picture category in twelve of the last thirteen years).
While many festivals have chosen to revert back to traditional experiences, TIFF has maintained its newfound reputation of being one of the most innovative celebrations around by maintaining its hybrid structure, much to the delight of international cinephiles. With the highly anticipated announcement of the lineup finally here, read on to see which films have been officially selected for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. Stay tuned here on DiscussingFilm as we cover more of TIFF 2021!
Gala Presentations
Belfast | World Premiere
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, United Kingdom
Clifford the Big Red Dog | World Premiere
Directed by Walt Becker, USA/United Kingdom/Canada
Opening Night Film
Dear Evan Hansen | World Premiere
Directed by Stephen Chbosky, USA
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Canadian Premiere
Directed by Will Sharpe, United Kingdom
The Eyes of Tammy Faye | World Premiere
Directed by Michael Showalter, USA
Jagged | World Premiere
Directed by Alison Klayman, USA
Last Night in Soho | North American Premiere
Directed by Edgar Wright, United Kingdom
The Mad Women’s Ball (Le Bal des folles) | World Premiere
Directed by Mélanie Laurent, France
Night Raiders | North American Premiere
Directed by Danis Goulet, Canada/New Zealand
Closing Night Film
One Second | North American Premiere
Directed by Zhang Yimou, China
The Survivor | World Premiere
Directed by Barry Levinson, USA/Canada/Hungary
The Good House Maya Forbes | World Premiere
Directed by Wallace Wolodarsky, USA
Silent Night | World Premiere
Directed by Camille Griffin, United Kingdom
The Worst Person In The World (Verdens Verste Menneske) | North American Premiere
Directed by Joachim Trier, Norway/France/Sweden/Denmark
Special Presentations
Ali & Ava | North American Premiere
Directed by Clio Barnard, United Kingdom
All My Puny Sorrows
Directed by Michael McGowan | Canada
Benediction | World Premiere
Directed by Terence Davies, United Kingdom
Bergman Island | International Premiere
Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, France
Charlotte | World Premiere
Directed by Eric Warin, Tahir Rana, Canada/France/Belgium
Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over | World Premiere
Directed by Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner, USA
Drive My Car | North American Premiere
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Japan
Encounter | International Premiere
Directed by Michael Pearce, United Kingdom/USA
The Guilty | World Premiere
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, USA
I’m Your Man | North American Premiere
Directed by Maria Schrader, Germany
Inexorable | International Premiere
Directed by Fabrice du Welz, Belgium/France
Lakewood | World Premiere
Directed by Phillip Noyce, Canada
The Middle Man | World Premiere
Directed by Bent Hamer, Norway/Canada/Germany/Denmark
Official Competition (Competencia Oficial) | North American Premiere
Directed by Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, Spain/Argentina
Paris, 13th District (Les Olympiades) | North American Premiere
Directed by Jacques Audiard, France
Petite Maman | Canadian Premiere
Directed by Céline Sciamma, France
The Starling | World Premiere
Directed by Theodore Melfi, USA
The Story of My Wife | North American Premiere
Directed by Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary/Germany/Italy/France
Three Floors (Tre Piani) | North American Premiere
Directed by Nanni Moretti, Italy/France
Violet | International Premiere
Directed by Justine Bateman, USA
The Falls (Pu Bu) | North American Premiere
Directed by Chung Mong-Hong, Taiwan
The Humans | World Premiere
Directed by Stephen Karam, USA
Inu-Oh | North American Premiere
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, Japan/China
Lingui, The Sacred Bonds (Lingui) | North American Premiere
Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad/France/Germany/Belgium
Mothering Sunday | North American Premiere
Directed by Eva Husson, United Kingdom
The Power of the Dog | Canadian Premiere
Directed by Jane Campion, Australia/New Zealand
Sundown | North American Premiere
Directed by Michel Franco, Mexico
Wolf | World Premiere
Directed by Nathalie Biancheri, United Kingdom/Ireland/Poland
Ahed’s Knee (Ha’berech) | North American Premiere
Directed by Nadav Lapid, Israel/France/Germany
The Box (La Caja) | North American Premiere
Directed by Lorenzo Vigas, USA/Mexico
France | North American Premiere
Directed by Bruno Dumont, France/Germany/Italy/Belgium
Where Is Anne Frank? | North American Premiere
Directed by Ari Folman, Belgium/France/Netherlands/Luxembourg/Israel
Midnight Madness
After Blue (Dirty Paradise) | North American Premiere
Directed by Bertrand Mandico, France
DASHCAM | World Premiere
Directed by Rob Savage, United Kingdom/USA
Saloum | World Premiere
Directed byJean Luc Herbulot, Senegal
Titane | North American Premiere
Directed by Julia Ducournau, France
You Are Not My Mother | World Premiere
Directed by Kate Dolan, Ireland
Zalava | North American Premiere
Directed by Arsalan Amiri, Iran
TIFF Docs
Attica | World Premiere
Directed by Stanley Nelson, USA
Beba | World Premiere
Directed by Rebeca Huntt | USA/Mexico
Becoming Cousteau | International Premiere
Directed by Liz Garbus, USA
Burning | World Premiere
Directed by Eva Orner, Australia
Comala | World Premiere
Directed by Gian Cassini, Mexico
The Devil’s Drivers | World Premiere
Directed by Mohammed Abugeth, Daniel Carsenty, Qatar/France/Lebanon/Germany
Flee | Canadian Premiere
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Denmark/France/Sweden/Norway
Hold Your Fire | World Premiere
Directed by Stefan Forbes, USA
Listening to Kenny G | World Premiere
Directed by Penny Lane, USA
Oscar Peterson: Black + White | World Premiere
Directed by Barry Avrich, Canada
The Rescue | International Premiere
Directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, USA/United Kingdom
Three Minutes – A Lengthening | Canadian Premiere
Directed by Bianca Stigter, Netherlands/United Kingdom
Wochiigii lo: End of the Peace | World Premiere
Directed by Heather Hatch, Canada
Wavelength Features
Futura | North American Premiere
Directed by Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, Alice Rohrwacher, Italy
The Girl and the Spider (Das Mädchen und die Spinne) | North American Premiere
Directed by Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher, Switzerland
Neptune Frost | North American Premiere
Directed by Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman, Rwanda/USA
A Night of Knowing Nothing | International Premiere
Directed by Payal Kapadia, India/France
Ste. Anne | North American Premiere
Directed by Rhayne Vermette, Canada
The Tsugua Diaries (Diários de Otsoga) | North American Premiere
Directed by Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes, Portugal
