These Are the Most Exciting TIFF 2024 Reveals So Far!

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival is just around the corner, and we’re finally getting wind of what to expect this year.

TIFF 2024 will run from September 5 to 15 in downtown Toronto, utilizing the typical haunts TIFF Lightbox, Royal Alexandra Theatre, Princess of Wales Theatre on King St. West, and the Scotiabank Theatre on Richmond St. West.

Though last year’s festival occurred during the joint WGA SAG-ACTRA strike, we still saw many famous faces crossing the streetcar tracks to red carpets, such as Eliot Page, Nicolas Cage, Finn Wolfhard, and Willem Dafoe. However, this year, we’re expecting that number to triple!

Last year, we also saw several Oscar winners premiere at the festival, such as American Fiction, The Holdovers, The Boy and the Heron, The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall and more.

Among the few catching our eyes announced so far are:

Friendship (director Andrew DeYoung)

WORLD PREMIERE

The comedy Friendship, starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, closely channels the cringe comedy of Robinson’s hit series I Think You Should Leave. The story follows suburban dad Robinson, who is trying desperately to become friends with his neighbor, played by Paul Rudd.

Conclave (director Edward Berger)

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Starring Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, the adaptation of Robert Harris’s novel of the same name, Conclave, follows the tense discussion between Cardinals to select the next Pope.

The Last Showgirl (director Gia Coppola)

WORLD PREMIERE

Pamela Anderson’s return to screen! Anderson and co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista have an adventure through the trials of show-biz at the end of a 30-year run.

The Substance (director Coralie Fargeat)

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

This body-horror satire divided audiences at its world premiere in Cannes. Demi Moore comes alive as a washed-up Hollywood star battling with the manifestation of her younger self (Margaret Qualley).

We Live in Time (director John Crowley)

WORLD PREMIERE

The girlies have been frothing at the mouth for this romance between Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. The Oscar nominees explore love, consequence and the expiration of time in this artistically structured film.

Will & Harper (director Josh Greenbaum)

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

This touching documentary got people talking back when it was first announced and caught rave reviews coming out of the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary follows long-time friends Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, who made a road trip across the United States after the announcement of Steele’s transition.

Without Blood (director Angelina Jolie)

WORLD PREMIERE

Based on Alessandro Baricco’s novel of the same name, Salma Hayek, Demian Bichir, and Juan Minujin come together in a story about bloodshed, war, and the connection of unified trauma between perpetrator, victim, and witness.

Daniela Forever (director Nacho Vigalondo)

WORLD PREMIERE

Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding plays a grieving man who joins a clinical trial for a drug that, via lucid dreams, grants him once again the chance to see his lost love (Beatrice Granno).

Went Up the Hill (director Samuel Van Grinsven)

WORLD PREMIERE

Stranger Things fans will be elated to see their favourite rakishly handsome Dacre Montgomery return to the screen with this haunting ghost story. Montogomery and costar Vicky Krieps create a chilling atmosphere in this film that explores dark family secrets and grief.

The Life of Chuck (director Mike Flanagan)

WORLD PREMIERE

In contrast to Flanagan’s previous works like Haunting of Hill House, The Life of Chuck follows the ordinary world of an everyday accountant (Tom Hiddleston). Adapted from Stephen King’s novella of the same name, this out-of-pocket story is not what it seems.

Sketch (director Seth Worley)

WORLD PREMIERE

Nostalgic for Gremlins, Jumanji and The Goonies, Seth Worley’s feature-length debut starring D’Arcy Darden and Tony Hale follows the family of a young girl whose odd drawings come to life. This grieving family must unite to fight for survival in a world of madness.

K-Pops (director Anderson .Paak)

WORLD PREMIERE

Poignant in a time post the Free Britney movement. 8-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak’s feature debut follows a father who hopes to hang on the coattails of his estranged son’s skyrocketing fame in Korea.

Piece by Piece (director Morgan Neville)

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Legendary singer and producer Pharrell William’s life is immortalized in this ingenious animated debut feature using LEGO pieces from Mogan Neville.  The film also features Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lemar and Jay Z.

Riff Raff (director Dito Montiel)

WORLD PREMIERE

Ed Harris, Jennifer Coolidge, Gabrielle Union and Bill Murray converge in this all-star comedy about familial ties, allegiances and murder.

Meet The Barbarians (director Julie Delpy)

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

A French hamlet prepares to take in a Ukrainian refugee family only to be deeply surprised when a Syrian family arrives instead. The question becomes who the real barbarians are in this comedy about prejudice and acceptance.