It’s that time of the year again, as the announcements begin to roll out of the films that are set to screen at the 2018 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. There have already been two rounds of announcements, featuring the first bunch of Galas and Special Presentations, as well as the Canadian film line-up. While the TIFF18 opening and closing galas have yet to be announced, the opening film of the Special Presentations programme will be the World Premiere MOUTHPIECE by veteran Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema (I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Into the Forest). The closing film of the Special Presentations programme will be the Canadian premiere of the Palme d’Or winning Shoplifters by Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. Some other highlights of the Galas include the Canadian Premiere of Damien Chazelle’s First Man, the World Premiere of Emilio Estevez’s The Public, the North American Premiere of Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born and the World Premiere Steve McQueen’s Widows.
The Canadian film selection will be headlined by the Special Event World Premiere of Sharkwater Extinction, whose filmmaker Rob Stewart tragically passed away during production. TIFF18 will also featuring the World Premiere of The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, which is the first English language film by filmmaker Xavier Dolan and features an allstar cast that includes Jacob Tremblay, Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Thandie Newton, and Sarah Gadon. Some other highlights of the TIFF18 Canadian selections include the Toronto Premiere of Denys Arcand’s The Fall of the American Empire, the World Premiere of Miranda de Pencie’s The Grizzlies, the World Premiere of Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers, and the World Premiere of Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein Freaks.
Here is a full list of the films currently announced for the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival:
Galas 2018
Beautiful Boy Felix van Groeningen, USA
World Premiere
Everybody Knows Asghar Farhadi, Spain/France/Italy
North American Premiere
First Man Damien Chazelle, USA
Canadian Premiere
Galveston Mélanie Laurent, USA
Canadian Premiere
The Hate U Give George Tillman, Jr., USA
World Premiere
Hidden Man Jiang Wen, China
International Premiere
High Life Claire Denis, Germany/France/Poland/United Kingdom
World Premiere
Husband Material Anurag Kashyap, India
World Premiere
The Kindergarten Teacher Sara Colangelo, USA
Canadian Premiere
The Land of Steady Habits Nicole Holofcener, USA
World Premiere
Life Itself Dan Fogelman, USA
World Premiere
The Public Emilio Estevez, USA
World Premiere
Red Joan Sir Trevor Nunn, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Shadow Zhang Yimou, China
North American Premiere
A Star is Born Bradley Cooper, USA
North American Premiere
What They Had Elizabeth Chomko, USA
International Premiere
Widows Steve McQueen, United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere
Special Presentations 2018
Ben is Back Peter Hedges, USA
World Premiere
Burning Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
North American Premiere
Can You Ever Forgive Me? Marielle Heller, USA
International Premiere
Capernaum Nadine Labaki, Lebanon
North American Premiere
Cold War Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland/United Kingdom/France
Canadian Premiere
Colette Wash Westmoreland, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Dogman Matteo Garrone, Italy/France
Canadian Premiere
The Front Runner Jason Reitman, USA
International Premiere
Giant Little Ones Keith Behrman, Canada
World Premiere
Girls of the Sun (Les filles du soleil) Eva Husson, France
International Premiere
Hotel Mumbai Anthony Maras, Australia
World Premiere
The Hummingbird Project Kim Nguyen, Canada
World Premiere
If Beale Street Could Talk Barry Jenkins, USA
World Premiere
Manto Nandita Das, India
North American Premiere
Maya Mia Hansen-Løve, France
World Premiere
Monsters and Men Reinaldo Marcus Green, USA
Canadian Premiere
*Special Presentations Opening Film*
MOUTHPIECE Patricia Rozema, Canada
World Premiere
Non-Fiction Olivier Assayas, France
Canadian Premiere
The Old Man & The Gun David Lowery, USA
International Premiere
Papi Chulo John Butler, Ireland
World Premiere
Roma Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico/USA
Canadian Premiere
*Special Presentations Closing Film*
Shoplifters Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
Canadian Premiere
The Sisters Brothers Jacques Audiard, USA/France/Romania/Spain
North American Premiere
Sunset László Nemes, Hungary/France
North American Premiere
Through Black Spruce Don McKellar, Canada
World Premiere
The Wedding Guest Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom
World Premiere
The Weekend Stella Meghie, USA
World Premiere
Where Hands Touch Amma Asante, United Kingdom
World Premiere
White Boy Rick Yann Demange, USA
International Premiere
Wildlife Paul Dano, USA
Canadian Premiere
Canadian Features
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Anthropocene Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky | Canada
World Premiere
The Death and Life of John F. Donovan Xavier Dolan | Canada
World Premiere
The Fall of the American Empire Denys Arcand | Canada
Toronto Premiere
The Grizzlies Miranda de Pencier | Canada
World Premiere
SPECIAL EVENT
Sharkwater Extinction Rob Stewart | Canada
World Premiere
TIFF DOCS
Carmine Street Guitars Ron Mann | Canada
North American Premiere
Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz Barry Avrich | Canada
World Premiere
What is Democracy? Astra Taylor | Canada
North American Premiere
DISCOVERY
Clara Akash Sherman | Canada
World Premiere
Edge of the Knife Gwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown | Canada
World Premiere
Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari | Canada
World Premiere
Freaks Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein | Canada
World Premiere
CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA
Falls Around Her Darlene Naponse | Canada
World Premiere
The Fireflies Are Gone Sébastien Pilote | Canada
North American Premiere
The Great Darkened Days Maxime Giroux | Canada
World Premiere
Kingsway Bruce Sweeney | Canada
World Premiere
Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin Renée Beaulieu | Canada
World Premiere
Splinters Thom Fitzgerald | Canada
World Premiere
WAVELENGTHS
Fausto Andrea Bussmann | Canada/Mexico
North American Premiere
The Stone Speakers Igor Drljača | Canada/Bosnia and Herzegovina
World Premiere