My TIFF 2024 Selections

Another year of not heading to TIFF (Sept. 5 – 15), but I still like to browse online their lineups and imagine myself being there. Fond memories gush out… immersing in the festivities in the pedestrian only King Street, traffic blocked off for the occasion; watching films at TIFF Lightbox and browsing the gift shop there; serendipitous sightings of admirable characters such as top critic Justin Chang; lining up to get Roger Ebert to sign a copy of his book Life Itself, and catching a glimpse of Jessica Chastain at the historic Elgin Theatre. I won’t forget the adrenalin-kicking rush back to the press room blocks away after watching a film to write down my impression before darting out for another screening.

For 2024, here’s my watch list if I were there. The title is linked to TIFF’s webpage on the film:

Daniela Forever World Premiere. A Spain and Belgium co-production directed by Nacho Vigalondo starring Henry Golding. Since his breakout role as Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Malaysian born Golding had shown his versatility in starkly different genres, from crime action comedy The Gentlemen (2019) to Jane Austen’s Persuasion (2022). The synopsis of Daniela Forever makes me think of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), where science and love intersect.

Oh Canada North American Premiere, starring Richard Gere re-teaming with his American Gigolo (1980) director Paul Schrader after 44 years. Schrader’s most well known work probably is his screenplay for Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, but his Transcendental Style in Film is one of the books I found most helpful for me in appreciating film art. Here Gere plays a Vietnam War draft dodger recounting his life decades later.

The Friend   International Premiere, directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (What Maisie Knew, 2012) dramedy for dog lovers, starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts. Adaptation of the 2018 National Book Award winning novel by Sigrid Nunez.

The Room Next Door North American Premiere directed by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, his first English-language feature with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.

We Live in Time World Premiere directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn, 2015) with Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in a romantic drama.

By the Stream North American Premiere, prolific South Korean director Hong Sangsoo’s newest with his muse Kim Minhee.

Measures for a Funeral World Premiere, Canadian director Sofia Bohdanowicz tells the story of a young academic researching the early 20th-century Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow while escaping the grasp of a domineering musician mother. Reading the synopsis makes me think of Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata.

Daughter’s Daughter World Premiere, executive produced by international film legend Sylvia Chang and Taiwanese New Wave auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien. Chang stars in this moral tale with a very original story idea about a mother having had to make decision regarding her deceased daughter’s legacy.

In Conversation With… Cate Blanchett Special talks in these events take the star from their pedestal to a down-to-earth level, often letting them present themselves as artists and very human. In the past, I’d attended “In Conversation With Juliette Binoche,” still remembers how casually she dressed and personal she was.

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Prime Time where new TV series are introduced. Prominent film directors and actors have flocked to the small screens in recent years, levelling the playing field for film and TV, blurring the lines between the big screen and home entertainment. Here are some upcoming series for streaming. I’ll be interested to watch these:

Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer –– Oscar winning director Cuarón (Roma, 2019) is producer with a cast including Cate Blanchett, Lesley Manville, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee. A mini-series where Blanchett plays a TV documentary journalist revealing the dark side of major institutions. 

Others series include Thomas Alfredson’s (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011) Faithless, Thomas Vinterberg’s (Oscar nominee for Another Round, 2021) Families Like Ours, and Joe Wright’s (Darkest Hour, 2018; Atonement, 2008) M. Son of the Century.

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