On August 15th, 2023 the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) released their official schedule for #TIFF23. TIFF is considered one of the largest and most prestigious festivals in the world, being one of the “Big Five” festivals that includes Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance. TIFF in particular is touted as a good barometer for awards season, given that every People’s Choice Award winning movie since 2012 has gone on to earn an Oscar nomination, with movies Room, Greenbook, and Nomadland actually going on to win.

But to me what makes TIFF special, aside from it being held in the city I call home, is that it is one of the few festivals that is completely open to the public. This means getting tickets, even for the layperson, is a relatively easy, accessible, and affordable experience (I say relatively because tickets are still unfortunately sold through Ticketmaster which can be a bit problematic at baseline).  

Almost every year of my adulthood I’ve gone to see at least one showing at TIFF, and every year has been an experience! Some notable highlights – In 2015 watching the first two episodes of the TV show Heroes Reborn and getting to hear the creators speak, in 2019 going to watch last minute the Singaporean film Wet Season and accidentally sitting next to the director Anthony Chen in the audience (didn’t realize until he got up to speak after the movie ended), and even last year going to watch The Good Nurse and being blessed by an impromptu cast Q&A with both Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain.  All this without having to fight for tickets or pay an arm and a leg!

An Important Disclaimer

This years’ festival obviously remains mired in the fact that we remain in the midst of a writer and actor strike, with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA remaining, rightfully so, on strike with the AMPTP. As of writing this article there are currently no calls from the unions to boycott film and television so I will continue to support the actors and writers that are part of the unions and their creative work by continuing to spotlight the films that I enjoy. I encourage you if you are interested to learn more about the strike to keep yourself informed. My go-to source has been Dan Murrell, a youtuber who provides the most thorough, researched, and level-headed industry coverage. I’ve linked to his videos below. 

WGA Strike Info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaCxH0wDeNM

SAG-AFTRA Strike Info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgB0NTp25M

Strike Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6b5850SgrE

My Top 20 Most Anticipated Films

With all that said, as we hotly anticipate the release of tickets, and after meticulously scanning the synopsis and trailer of every single offering, I present to you my Top 20 films I am most anticipating. These are listed in alphabetical order for ease, and not in any order of specific preference. Because realistically I would be happy to watch any of these films and will likely, due to timing or demand, not be able to watch them all. In general when I pick films I try to leave out the films that will for sure get wide releases (notably this year that includes movies like Dumb Money and Next Goal Wins). I also try to focus on films in the “Platform” category, which is a competitive category for films that don’t have distribution yet,  or the “Discovery” categories, as these are often new and up and coming directors. And, as always, I try to avoid horror movies (and there were a good number of interesting ones this year). 

A Normal Family | Director: Hur Jin-Ho | South Korea  – https://tiff.net/events/a-normal-family

TIFF Synopsis: In the latest from Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, adapted from Herman Koch’s international bestseller The Dinner, tragedy strikes when two brothers who do not share the same beliefs accidentally discover a dreadful secret.

Why I’m Interested: Korean filmmakers have really carved out this interesting niche in the “nuanced films about dysfunctional families” market (see Parasite, Broker), and this one looks as captivating as ever, seemingly leaning into those more action-thriller elements by the end.  

A Road To A Village | Director: Nabin Subba | Nepal  – https://tiff.net/events/a-road-to-a-village

TIFF Synopsis: This moving drama from director Nabin Subba delves deep into the dreams and struggles of a rural Nepali family when a road connects their once-remote village to the modern world.

Why I’m Interested: I think it’s the premise that got me hooked, and it’s also a look at a pocket of the world that I’m unfamiliar with. I don’t know too much about the director and so I’m looking forward to possibly giving this one a try. 

Anatomy of a Fall | Director Justine Triet | France  – https://tiff.net/events/anatomy-of-a-fall

TIFF Synopsis: Winner of this year’s Palme d’Or, and starring German actress Sandra Hüller, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall is a riveting portrait of a complex woman put on trial for the murder of her spouse.

Why I’m Interested: It’s hard not to want to watch this years’ Palme d’Or winner, particularly with all the positive buzz around the director and lead actress. The Palme d’Or has always been a bit hit or miss (looking at you Titane!) but Anatomy of a Fall seems like a solid and suspenseful picture. 

Boy Kills World | Moritz Mohr | Germany, South Africa, USA – https://tiff.net/events/boy-kills-world

TIFF Synopsis: Bill Skarsgård commits bloody martial-arts mayhem as a deaf warrior trained by a mysterious shaman (The Raid’s Yayan Ruhian) to topple a far-flung dystopia in Moritz Mohr’s loony debut feature.

Why I’m Interested: This one just sounds and looks so crazy that I’m so interested to see what it’s all about. I watched the proof of concept trailer from the director and it seems as bombastic as what is described in the TIFF synopsis. I’m nervous it will be too violent for my tastes, but I’d put that aside just for the experience of watching this in front of a big audience. 

Concrete Utopia | Um Tae-Hwa | South Korea – https://tiff.net/events/concrete-utopia

TIFF Synopsis: In the opening moments of Um Tae-hwa’s riveting new disaster epic, an earthquake renders much of Seoul a smouldering ruin. But as survivors begin efforts to restore order, it seems the real calamity has only just begun.

Why I’m Interested: This one has everything I like in a movie, an epically dystopian element, real human struggle, and maybe a glimmer of hope in the power of humanity to be able to come together against all odds? This one is definitely high up on my list!  

Dream Scenario | Kristoffer Borgli | USA – https://tiff.net/events/dream-scenario

TIFF Synopsis: This satirical swipe at celebrity and groupthink from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli and co-producer Ari Aster stars Nicolas Cage as an inconspicuous academic who is thrust into the limelight after he starts inexplicably appearing in people’s dreams.

Why I’m Interested: It’s Nicolas Cage, who is known to give 100% to all his projects, in a film with an insane concept and satirical twist. What’s not to love? I’m worried there may be elements that border on psychological horror…but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. 

Evil Does Not Exist | Ryûsuke Hamaguchi | Japan – https://tiff.net/events/evil-does-not-exist 

TIFF Synopsis: A place of bucolic serenity is threatened by cynical urban developers, in this exquisite slow burn from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car, TIFF ’21) that reveals the hidden potential for transformation on both sides of its fraught power dynamic.

Why I’m Interested: Drive My Car was such a nice surprise of a movie in 2021, in the way it explores its two main characters’ lives and tragedy in such an engrossing and delicate way. Hamaguchi is such a masterful director and I’m expecting this to be a great follow-up. 

Fingernails | Director: Christos Nikou | USA – https://tiff.net/events/fingernails

TIFF Synopsis: Starring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, and Jeremy Allen White, Greek director Christos Nikou’s English-language debut weaves an allegory about our desire for certainty, reliance on technology, and the price we pay for losing the connection to our most primal instincts.

Why I’m Interested: The concept of this movie sounds so fascinating, and the cast, particularly its three leads in Buckley, Ahmed and White, is stacked. I’m expecting incredible performances that will elevate the Black Mirror-esque premise to new heights. 

Flora and Son | Director: John Carney | Ireland, USA – https://tiff.net/events/flora-and-son

TIFF Synopsis: The latest from writer-director John Carney (Once, Sing Street) features a revelatory performance from Eve Hewson as a young mother trying to connect with her teenage son through a shared love of music.

Why I’m Interested: John Carney’s film Once is a special movie for me, and is probably what got me hooked on the more quiet indie movies at a young age. Combining that with music, and musical theatre, both of which are also passions of mine, this is definitely a movie I will enjoy.

Great Absence | Kei Chika-ura | Japan – https://tiff.net/events/great-absence 

TIFF Synopsis: Kei Chika-ura returns to the Festival with this smartly observed, beautifully shot story about the reunion of a long-estranged father and his son amid lost memories and scattered fragments of lives.

Why I’m Interested: I am always interested in movies that explore the experience and struggles of older adults and their families, and this looks like a fascinating take on family dynamics in the face of dementia and cognitive impairment. When I go to TIFF I always try to focus on the Platform category because that’s the best way to discover new incredible directors, and Kei Chika-ura certainly feel like ones to watch. 

His Three Daughters | Director: Azazel Jacobs | USA – https://tiff.net/events/his-three-daughters

TIFF Synopsis: A tense, captivating, and touching portrait of family dynamics starring Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne as sisters who converge after their father’s health declines.

Why I’m Interested: In the same vein as Great Absence, this film is set to explore a family struggling with a parent in palliative care, which we don’t get to see very often depicted in media (it’s sadly still something that gets stigmatised). I’m interested to see how authentic of an experience this one is, and in the hands of another incredible cast I’m expecting great things. 

I Don’t Know Who You Are | Director: M.H. Murray | Canada – https://tiff.net/events/i-dont-know-who-you-are

TIFF Synopsis: After a sexual assault, a Toronto musician spends a weekend trying to find the money for HIV-preventive treatment, in this ferocious debut from writer-director M. H. Murray and writer-star Mark Clennon.

Why I’m Interested: What an incredible concept and what sounds like a dynamic debut for both a lead actor and a new Canadian director. I love a good exploration of class structure, and am in full support of a movie that adopts a Toronto-centric lens. 

Mimang | Director: Kim Taeyang | South Korea – https://tiff.net/events/mimang

TIFF Synopsis: Kim Taeyang’s feature debut, shot over four years, follows a man and a woman who meet by chance and stroll through Seoul’s changing streets.

Why I’m Interested: I’m a bit on the fence as to what the experience of this movie will be like, because it feels maybe a little bit too quiet of a movie. But that said, it sounds like a love letter to Seoul, one of my favourite cities in the world, so I’d be happy to just go along for the ride (or I suppose, stroll) with these two main characters. 

Monster | Kore-eda Hirokazu | Japan – https://tiff.net/events/monster

TIFF Synopsis: Acclaimed Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to his homeland with a powerful yet delicate story of love and humanity, a moral tale about school bullying, scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Why I’m Interested: Kore-eda has a knack for directing young actors to phenomenal performances. As a follow-up to Broker, this one looks like it could be another hit. Broker leaned a bit too much into the melancholy for my taste, so I’m hoping that this one can strike a bit better of a balance. 

Seagrass | Meredith Hama-Brown | Canada – https://tiff.net/events/seagrass

TIFF Synopsis: A week at a couples’ therapy retreat — where kids can explore the Pacific coast while their parents work on their issues — exposes the fractures in a biracial family, in Meredith Hama-Brown’s debut feature.

Why I’m Interested: a directorial debut from Canadian director Meredith Hama-Brown that looks incredibly honest and authentic. Ally Maki looks poised to deliver an amazingly powerful performance. Definitely don’t want to miss this one! 

The Boy and the Heron | Hayao Miyazaki | Japan  – https://tiff.net/events/the-boy-and-the-heron

TIFF Synopsis: Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love, and rises to become a staggering work of imagination.

Why I’m Interested: while I can’t say I’m as much of a Miyazaki fan as a lot of my friends around me, having not been exposed to Studio Ghibli until much later in my life, the final Miyazaki film is definitely not one to miss. Here’s hoping we can get tickets!

The Breaking Ice | Director: Anthony Chen | China – https://tiff.net/events/the-breaking-ice

TIFF Synopsis: In Anthony Chen’s compelling Generation Z drama, an unusual love triangle develops among three friends against the icy beauty of northeast China and the Changbai Mountain.

Why I’m Interested: Maybe it’s because I got to sit next to the director in 2019, call me nostalgic. But this one seems like a compelling perspective on three young Chinese leads that looks quiet but powerful. 

The Movie Emperor | Director: Ning Hao | China – https://tiff.net/events/the-movie-emperor

TIFF Synopsis: Andy Lau is perfectly, cheekily cast as a movie star seeking relevance via a film festival–baiting art-house role in director Ning Hao’s sharp satire of movie industry pretension.

Why I’m Interested: Full disclosure, I had not heard of Andy Lau prior to this day, despite being ancestrally from Hong Kong. That said, this movie looks like it will be a great one and looks like a great role for such a prolific actor based on the limited research I’ve done. An entertaining satire about the film industry, premiering at a prestigious film festival? Say no more. 

The Queen of My Dreams | Director: Fawzia Mirza | Canada – https://tiff.net/events/the-queen-of-my-dreams

TIFF Synopsis: Fawzia Mirza’s stylish feature debut mashes up the textures of Indian cinema and a Canadian coming-of-age picture, tracing key moments in the lives of a mother and daughter born three decades apart.

Why I’m Interested: I’m a sucker for any kind of coming of age story, but one told from the perspective of an Indian-Canadian – that feels like this could go in some fresh new directions. Looking forward to supporting yet another up-and-coming Canadian director. 

Woman of the Hour | Director: Anna Kendrick | USA, Canada – https://tiff.net/events/woman-of-the-hour

TIFF Synopsis: Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut examines uncomfortable gender dynamics with the stranger-than-fiction story of Rodney Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game in the middle of his 1970s murder spree.

Why I’m Interested: I’m probably more interested in watching this because it’s Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, as opposed to being interested in the themes and historical context specifically. Anna Kendrick has always seemed so incredibly talented and intelligent that I’m excited to see what she has in store from behind the camera. 

So there you have it, my top 20 most anticipated movies for #TIFF23. You can review the entire schedule here (https://tiff.net/films?schedule) and I would encourage you to start planning now if you’re thinking of attending. So let me know, what’s on your most anticipated list for TIFF this year?  Any films I may have missed that I should check out?