The ongoing strikes in Hollywood from the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA (The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) requires its members not to work, but also not to promote their work until agreements have been reached and the strikes end. This has raised questions as to the status of all fall festivals, but perhaps none more than the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (taking place from 7 to 17 September 2023), a usually star-studded event that derives much of its status not just from the big American productions that often choose to premiere there, but also from the actors who bring glamour to its red carpet and attract film fans to screenings.

The announcement of a first wave of 60 films in the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the upcoming 2023 edition has quelled some of those concerns, with apparently many high profile actors and directors still willing to premiere their films there, though whether they will be attending to accompany their films remains to be seen. This situation has not resulted in an unusually large European presence at the festival either, though considering the instability of current circumstances, it seems reasonable to expect more changes and surprises in the run-up to the event.

Of the 8 world premieres expected in the Gala Presentations section, two are from the UK: Ellen Kuras’ Lee, starring Kate Winslet as war journalist Lee Miller, and Mahalia Belo’s The End We Start From [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], a survival film starring Jodie Comer adapted by Alice Birch from the novel of the same name by Megan Hunter.

The musical Flora and Son [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], from Irish director John Carney (Sing Street [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]), will be making its Canadian premiere at the festival, as will The Royal Hotel [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] from Canadian director Kitty Green, a co-production between Australia and the UK.

Meanwhile, the Special Presentations section boasts a total of 29 world premieres — with many quick to point out the large presence of directorial efforts from established actors, apparently a consequence of the pandemic allowing actors to devote time to passion projects, according to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey.

However, an overwhelming share of the European films having their world premiere in the section are British productions, boasting an array of (mostly British) stars. Alongside the already announced Les Indésirables [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ladj Ly e Giordano Gederlini
scheda film], the highly anticipated new film from French director Ladj Ly (Les Misérables [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ladj Ly e Giordano Gederlini
scheda film]), we will therefore find the world premieres of North Star, the directorial debut from British actress Kristin Scott Thomas, starring Scarlett Johansson, Freida Pinto, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham; One Life [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], from experienced British TV director James Hawes, starring Anthony Hopkins; Shoshana [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] from indefatigable English director Michael Winterbottom; English director Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters, starring Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley; The Critic from London-based director Anand Tucker and starring Gemma Arterton; as well as Close to You by British director Dominic Savage (The Escape [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]) a co-production between Canada and the UK, starring Elliot Page.

Outside of the UK, European productions and co-productions having their world premiere in Special Presentations include American actor Viggo Mortensen’s second directorial effort, The Dead Don’t Hurt [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Viggo Mortensen
scheda film], a co-production between Mexico, Canada and Denmark, with Mortensen starring in the film alongside German actress Vicky Krieps; The Peasants [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], from Loving Vincent [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Dorota Kobiela
scheda film] directors DK and Hugh Welchman; Together 99 [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], from Swedish director and novelist Lukas Moodysson; Unicorns by Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd, who starred in El Hosaini’s 2022 film The Swimmers [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film].

Having its international premiere in the section are A Difficult Year [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Olivier Nakache e Eric Tol…
scheda film] from French duo Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, while Cannes titles Anatomy of a Fall [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Justine Triet
scheda film] by Justine Triet, Four Daughters [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Kaouther Ben Hania
scheda film] by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, Kidnapped [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by Italy’s Marco Bellocchio, La Chimera [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by his fellow countrywoman Alice Rohrwacher; Last Summer [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Catherine Breillat
scheda film] from French director Catherine Breillat; and The Zone of Interest [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by British director Jonathan Glazer will also be presented in Canadian or North American premieres. The Beast [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Bertrand Bonello
scheda film] from French director Bertrand Bonello will be presented in a North American Premiere, fresh off its debut at Venice.

The TIFF Docs programme, meanwhile, features 22 titles from 12 countries, and will open with UK doc Copa 71 [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] from Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine. The film tells the story of the 1971 Women’s Soccer World Cup, a tournament which saw record admissions but was largely forgotten and left out of sporting history until now. Another world premiere from the UK is Clair Titley’s The Contestant, about a Japanese man who lived for more than a year trapped inside a small room, unaware that his life was being broadcast on national TV in Japan — a real-life Truman Show.

Also among the world premieres are Karim Amer’s Defiant, a co-production between Ukraine, the UK and the USA, centred on key figures in the Ukrainian government fighting disinformation about the war; Homecoming [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] by Suvi West and Anssi Kömi, a Finland/Norway co-production, which like West’s previous film Eatnameamet – Our silent struggle [+leggi anche:
intervista: Suvi West
scheda film], concerns Finland’s attitudes towards the Sámi culture and people; and Walls [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], the directorial debut from Polish-Italian actress Kasia Smutniak, about Poland’s border policies and the European Union’s refugee crisis.

Having its international premiere in TIFF Docs is The Pigeon Tunnel [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], a co-production between the UK, the USA and Hungary from established American director Errol Morris, and consists of the final interview from British author David Cornwell, a.k.a. John le Carré.

Among the festival’s North American premieres, we can count Bye Bye Tiberias [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Lina Soualem
scheda film] from Lina Soualem (Their Algeria [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Lina Soualem
scheda film]), a co-production between France, Belgium, Qatar and Palestine, about the filmmaker’s mother Hiam Abbass (actress seen notably in the series Succession) and the family’s history of exile. Likewise fresh from its Venice premiere will be God is a Woman [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Andrés Peyrot
scheda film] from Swiss-Panamanian director Andrés Peyrot, a co-production between France, Switzerland and Panama centred on the Indigenous Kuna people in Panama’s San Blas islands; Frederick Wiseman’s Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], about a French Michelin-starred restaurant. Other North American premieres with European backing are Maciek Hamela’s In the Rearview [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], winner of the Grand Jury Award in the International Competition at Sheffield DocFest; Norwegian director Margreth Olin’s Songs of Earth [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], which premiered at CPH:DOX; and Pierre-Henri Gibert’s Cannes Classics selection Viva Varda!.

The full list of films announced:

Gala Presentations

Concrete Utopia - Um Tae-Hwa (South Korea)
Dumb Money - Craig Gillespie (USA)
Fair Play - Chloe Domont (USA)
Flora and Son [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] - John Carney (Ireland/USA)
Hate to Love: Nickelback - Leigh Brooks (Canada)
Lee - Ellen Kuras (UK)
Next Goal Wins - Taika Waititi (USA)
NYAD - Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin (USA)
Punjab ’95 - Honey Trehan (India)
Solo - Sophie Dupuis (Canada)
The End We Start From [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Mahalia Belo (UK)
The Movie Emperor - Ning Hao (China)
The New Boy - Warwick Thornton (Australia)
The Royal Hotel [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Kitty Green (Australia/UK)

Special Presentations

A Difficult Year [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Olivier Nakache e Eric Tol…
scheda film] - Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache (France)
A Normal Family - Hur Jin-ho (South Korea)
American Fiction - Cord Jefferson (USA)
Anatomy of a Fall [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Justine Triet
scheda film] - Justine Triet (France)
Close to You - Dominic Savage (Canada/UK)
Days of Happiness - Chloé Robichaud (Canada)
El Rapto - Daniela Goggi (Argentina)
Ezra - Tony Goldwyn (USA)
Fingernails - Christos Nikou (USA)
Four Daughters [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Kaouther Ben Hania
scheda film] - Kaouther Ben Hania (France/Tunisia/Germany/Saudi Arabia)
His Three Daughters - Azazel Jacobs (USA)
Hit Man - Richard Linklater (USA)
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon - Alex Gibney (USA)
Kidnapped [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Marco Bellocchio (Italy/France/Germany)
Knox Goes Away - Michael Keaton (USA)
La Chimera [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Alice Rohrwacher (Italy/France/Switzerland)
Last Summer [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Catherine Breillat
scheda film] - Catherine Breillat (France)
Les Indésirables [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ladj Ly e Giordano Gederlini
scheda film] - Ladj Ly (France)
Memory - Michel Franco (USA/Mexico)
Monster - Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan)
Mother, Couch! [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Niclas Larsson
scheda film] - Niclas Larsson (USA/Denmark/Sweden)
North Star - Kristin Scott Thomas (UK)
One Life [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - James Hawes (UK)
Pain Hustlers - David Yates (USA)
Poolman - Chris Pine (USA)
Reptile - Grant Singer (USA)
Rustin - George C. Wolfe (USA)
Seven Veils - Atom Egoyan (Canada)
Shoshana [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Michael Winterbottom (UK/Italy)
Sing Sing - Greg Kwedar (USA)
Smugglers - Ryoo Seung-wan (South Korea)
Swan Song - Chelsea McMullan (Canada)
The Beast [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Bertrand Bonello
scheda film] - Bertrand Bonello (France/Canada)
The Burial - Maggie Betts (USA)
The Convert - Lee Tamahori (Australia/New Zealand)
The Critic - Anand Tucker (UK)
The Dead Don’t Hurt [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Viggo Mortensen
scheda film] - Viggo Mortensen (Mexico/Canada/Denmark)
The Holdovers - Alexander Payne (USA)
The Peasants [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman (Poland/Serbia/Lithuania)
The Zone of Interest [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Jonathan Glazer (UK/Poland/USA)
Together 99 [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Lukas Moodysson (Sweden/Denmark)
Unicorns - Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd (UK/USA/Sweden)
Uproar - Paul Middleditch, Hamish Bennett (New Zealand)
Wicked Little Letters - Thea Sharrock (UK)
Wildcat - Ethan Hawke (USA)
Woman of the Hour - Anna Kendrick (USA)

TIFF Docs

Boil Alert - Stevie Salas, James Burns (Canada/USA)
Bye Bye Tiberias [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Lina Soualem
scheda film] - Lina Soualem (France/Belgium/Qatar/Palestine)
Copa 71 [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Rachel Ramsay, James Erskine (UK)
Defiant - Karim Amer (Ukraine/UK/USA)
Flipside - Chris Wilcha (USA)
God is a Woman [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Andrés Peyrot
scheda film] - Andrés Peyrot (France/Switzerland/Panama)
Homecoming [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] - Suvi West, Anssi Kömi (Finland/Norway)
In the Rearview [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Maciek Hamela (Poland/France/Ukraine)
Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Frederick Wiseman (France/USA)
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa - Lucy Walker (USA)
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe - Robert McCallum (Canada)
Silver Dollar Road - Raoul Peck (USA)
Songs of Earth [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Margreth Olin (Norway)
Sorry/Not Sorry - Caroline Suh, Cara Mones (USA)
Stamped From the Beginning - Roger Ross Williams (USA)
Summer Qamp - Jen Markowitz (Canada)
The Contestant - Clair Titley (UK)
The Mother of All Lies - Asmae El Moudir (Morocco/Egypt/Saudi Arabia/Qatar)
The Pigeon Tunnel [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] - Errol Morris (UK/USA/Hungary)
The World is Family - Anand Patwardhan (India)
Viva Varda! - Pierre-Henri Gibert (France)
Walls [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Kasia Smutniak (Italy)