TIFF 2023 Lineups and my TBW List

While Barbenheimer is dominating the box office, a phenomenon that coins a new word in our vernacular thanks to the simultaneous release of the two movies Barbie and Oppenheimer, my attention, however, is drawn to the lineups in the film festivals beginning the end of August with Venice and then the Toronto International Film Festival in September. All others follow in the fall.

I won’t be heading to TIFF this year but I do have a To Be Watched list after browsing through their lineups if any of these films ever show up in my city or for streaming. Do watch for these titles, as I’m sure you’d find some that pique your interest… and might show up in the Awards Seasons later this year. Here’s my list:

NYAD 
International Premiere. True story of Diana Nyad, at age 64, became the first person to swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Starring Jodie Foster and Annette Bening, directed by the Oscar winning husband and wife adventure team Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Free Solo, 2019). Now, you might ask … who’s playing the swimmer Nyad?

Anatomy of a Fall
Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, a French film directed by Justine Triet and starring German actress Sandra Hüller. A man is found dead and his wife is put on trial for his murder while their visually impaired son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness. Sounds most intriguing. Other than Cannes, the film has also won the Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival.

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon 
World Premiere. Documentary following America’s music icon Paul Simon into the studio making his new album Seven Psalms while looking back on his six-decade career from Sounds of Silence to Graceland.

North Star 
World Premiere. Directorial debut of veteran British star Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient, 1996) A family drama about three sisters returning home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother. The past and the future converge as mother and daughters reunite with some unexpected guests. Could be autobiographical.

The Critic 
World Premiere. Adaptation of the 2015 novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. A mystery thriller storyline driven by ambitions and deceits in the theatre world. Directed by Anand Tucker (Girl with a Pearl Earring, 2003) with a wonderful UK cast including Lesley Manville, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Romola Garai, and Ian McKellen.

Monster 
The North American Premiere of acclaimed Japanese auteur Hirokazu Koreeda, who is a master of family drama such as Shoplifters (2018), Our Little Sister (2015), and Like Father, Like Son (2013) From TIFF’s webpage, Monster is “a delicate story of love and humanity, a moral tale about school bullying, scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.”

Wildcat
Ethan Hawkes explores the life and art of writer Flannery O’Connor and featuring his daughter Maya Hawks as the titular character. Laura Linney in supporting role.

The Zone of Interest 
Adaptation of Martin Amis’s 2015 Walter Scott Prize winning novel directed by Jonathan Glazer. Premiered at Cannes in May, garnering the Grand Prix and the FIPRESCI Prize. The story is a macabre juxtaposition of horror and a love affair between a Nazi officer the wife of the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Maestro
I placed it last on this list because it’s not at TIFF but in Venice, just a week before TIFF kicks off. The Maestro refers to the American legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, played by Bradley Cooper. The story explores his complex relationship with his wife Felicia, played by Carey Mulligan. High on my anticipation list. Bradley Cooper directs his second musician-based feature after A Star is Born (2018)

***

Published by

Arti

If she’s not birding by the Pond, Arti’s likely watching a movie, reading, or writing a review. Creator of Ripple Effects, bylines in Asian American Press, Vague Visages, Curator Magazine.

12 thoughts on “TIFF 2023 Lineups and my TBW List”

  1. Ooooh! Lots to anticipate, Arti! For me definitely NYAD with Jodie Foster and Annette Bening, 2 of my favourite actresses; In restlessness Dreams (sounds of silence was my first Paul Simon album, Graceland was my last) Monster (loved Like father, like son); Maestro!

    Thanks for the heads up!

    Yinling

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. I think I need to print out this list to remind myself to keep abreast of what I can see in my area. Pretty sure it was a review from you that prompted me to go to the theater by myself for the first and only time in my life. 🙂 I haven’t even come to the end of your list but already see some very appealing films.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Let’s hope these films will trickle into our theatres or streaming platforms. As for going solo to watch movies, I’ve been doing that for a long while now and feel that’s the only way I can fully appreciate and enjoy a movie, especially the ones I need to focus on all the nuances and dialogues.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I found that to be true when I saw that one movie alone. Maybe you can help me remember the name of it, which I think was the name of the main character, a woman who was the housekeeper for a wealthy Mexican family. It was based on the true story of the director’s nanny or housekeeper. I loved the experience of being able to give all my attention to it without having a companion to attend to in any way.

        Still, I might be more likely to see movies at all if I had someone to go with!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

          1. Thank you so much!! It is really gratifying to go back and read about that experience of the movie itself. In my mind I had not retained such detailed memories of it, but mostly of the whole outing as a new thing for me.

            I kept wanting her name to be Rosa, all along. Maybe revisiting it will help me to retain ROMA. And it certainly makes me want to see the movie again.

            Like

            Reply

Leave a comment