Toronto FF Information
Lineup – Deadline
See the full list of TIFF Centerpiece here.
And TIFF Docs here.
TIFF 2025 Centrepiece and Docs include films directed by Richard Linklater, Kirk Jones, Christian Petzold, Ben Proudfoot, Shu Qi, Raoul Peck, Jimmy Chin, and László Nemes.
This adds to the Special Presentations and Galas films directed by Guillermo del Toro, Steven Soderbergh, Derek Cianfrance, Gus Van Sant, Brian Cox, Aziz Ansari, and David Mackenzie.
Awards
The 50th Toronto International Film Festival announces its 2025 award winners
The winners of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival were announced, and the film “Hamnet” directed by Chloé Zhao, won the top audience award at this prestigious festival.
The 50th Toronto International Film Festival was held in the “Contemporary World Cinema”, “Discovery”, “Midnight Madness”, etc. on September 4-14, 2025 in Toronto, Canada, and the winners of various competition, including; The People’s Choice Award, The Short Cuts Awards, The FIPRESCI Prize, The NETPAC Award, The Best Canadian Discovery Award and The Platform Award were announced.
The People’s Choice Awards
The Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Awards, presented by Rogers, presents the audience’s top titles at the festival as voted by the viewing public. All feature films and Primetime series in TIFF’s Official Selection are eligible.
The People’s Choice Award
The People’s Choice Award, to: “Hamnet” by Chloé Zhao (United Kingdom)
First runner-up, to: “Frankenstein” by Guillermo del Toro (United States of America)
Second runner-up, to: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” by Rian Johnson (USA)
The International People’s Choice Award
The International People’s Choice Award, to: “No Other Choice” by Park Chan-wook (South Korea)
First runner-up: Sentimental Value, by Joachim Trier (Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom)
Second runner-up, to: “Homebound” by Neeraj Ghaywan (India)
The People’s Choice Documentary Award
The People’s Choice Documentary Award, to: “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” by Barry Avrich (Canada)
First runner-up, to: “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” by Baz Luhrmann (Australia)
Second runner-up, to: “You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…” by Nick Davis (United States of America)
The People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
The People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award, to: “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie”, by Matt Johnson (Canada)
First runner-up, to: “Obsession” by Curry Barker (United States of America)
Second runner-up, to: “The Furious” by Kenji Tanigaki (Hong Kong, China)
The Short Cuts awards
The Short Cuts Awards are presented to the Best International Short Film, Best Canadian Short Film, and Best Animated Short Film, as awarded by the Short Cuts jury. Each of the three winning films will receive a bursary of $10,000 CAD.
The Short Cuts Jury Members
The The Short Cuts Jury members for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, including; Ashley Iris Gill; Canadian Cinematographer, Connor Jessup; Canadian actor, writer, and Marcel Jean; Artistic Director of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival director, announced their opinions as follows:
Best International Short Film
The Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film, to: “Talk Me” by Joecar Hanna (Spain/USA)
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “Agapito” by Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines)
Best Canadian Short Film
Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film, to: “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” by Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski (Canada)
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “A Soft Touch” by Heather Young (Canada)
Best Animated Short Film
Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film, to: “To the Woods” by Agnès Patron (France)
The FIPRESCI Prize
The FIPRESCI jury is awarding the International Critics Prize, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, to a debut feature film having its World Premiere in TIFF’s Discovery or Centrepiece programmes.
The 2025 FIPRESCI Jury Members
The 2025 FIPRESCI jury members are: Andy Hazel; Film Journalist (Australia), Francisco Ferreira; Journalist and Film Critic (Portugal), Jean-Philippe Guerand; Journalist and Film Critic (France), Justine Smith; Editor and Programmer (Canada) and Katharina Dockhorn; Freelance Journalist (Germany), announced their opinions as follows:
The FIPRESCI Prize
The FIPRESCI Prize, to: “Forastera” by Lucía Aleñar Iglesias (Spain/Italy/Sweden)
The NETPAC Award
Presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, the NETPAC Award recognizes films specifically from the Asian and Pacific regions. The jury consists of three international community members selected by TIFF and NETPAC, who award the prize to the best Asian film by a first or second-time feature director.
The 2025 NETPAC Jury Members
The 2025 NETPAC jury members are Keoprasith Souvannavong; French journalist, Dina Iordanova; professor of global cinema, an expert in transnational film festivals and Helen Lee; Seoul-born, Toronto-based filmmaker, announced their opinions as follows:
The NETPAC Award:
The NETPAC Award, to: “In Search of The Sky” (Vimukt) by Jitank Singh Gurjar (India)
The Best Canadian Discovery Award
The Best Canadian Discovery Award celebrates works of emerging filmmakers who contribute to enriching the Canadian film landscape. All Canadian first or second feature films in Official Selection are eligible for this award. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 CAD.
The Canadian Discovery Award Jury Members
Jury members presiding over both the Best Canadian Discovery Award and Best Canadian Feature Film Award are: Jennifer Baichwal; Canadian filmmaker, Sophie Jarvis; Canadian Film director and production designer, and R.T. Thorne; Canadian film producer and director, announced their opinions as follows:
Best Canadian Discovery Award:
The Best Canadian Discovery Award, to: “Blue Heron” by Sophy Romvari (Canada)
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “100 Sunset” by Kunsang Kyirong (Canada)
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award honours the unique craft and storytelling in Canadian cinema. All Canadian feature films in Official Selection – excluding first or second features – are considered for the award. The winning filmmaker will receive a $10,000 CAD cash prize.
Best Canadian Feature Film Award:
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award, to: “Uiksaringitara” (Wrong Husband) by Zacharias Kunuk (Canada)
Honourable Mention:
Honourable Mention, to: “There Are No Words” by Min Sook Lee (Canada)
Platform Award
Marking the tenth anniversary of the Festival’s competitive section, Platform champions bold directorial vision and distinctive storytelling on the world stage. The Platform Award is a prize of $20,000 CAD given to the best film in the programme, selected.
The Platform Award Jury Members
The Platform Award members international jury, including; Carlos Marqués-Marcet; Spanish film director and screenwriter (Jury Chair), Marianne Jean-Baptiste; English Actress and Chloé Robichaud; Canadian director, announced their opinions as follows:
Platform Award
Platform Award, to: “To The Victory!” by Valentyn Vasyanovych (Ukraine/Lithuania)
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “Hen” by György Pálfi (Germany/Greece/Hungary)
TIFF the most prestigious film festival in North America
The Toronto International Film Festival, along with the Sundance Film Festival, is the most prestigious film festival in North America. Its 50th edition was held in the “Contemporary World Cinema”, “Discovery”, “Midnight Madness”, etc. on September 4-14, 2025 in Toronto, Canada.
Here are the highest profile projects world premiering at TIFF Centrepiece and Docs this year:
• Erupcja
?Dir/Co-Writer/Prod/DP/Editor: Peter Ohs
?Co-Writer/Producer/Star: Charli xcx
Synopsis:
The combustible chemistry between a Polish florist and a British tourist (xcx) in this charming postcard of sapphic synchronicity.
Peter Ohs has been building his filmography quietly. He was the co-writer, editor, producer, and director of the recent SXSW horror film, The True Beauty of Being Bit By a Tick, which has a very unsettling trailer. It features, among other things, bugs having sex. Ohs previously directed an early Julia Garner film, Everything Beautiful Is Far Away (2017).
• Good Boy
?Dir: Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi)
?Cast: Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough
Synopsis:
A 19-year-old criminal, Tommy, is kidnapped and forced into a rehabilitation process by a dysfunctional couple, Chris and Kathryn, who try to make him a “good boy.” Tommy must find a way to escape.
Graham and Riseborough as a dysfunctional couple is a brilliant cast. They’ve each played similar roles, with Graham as the aching father thrown off balance in Netflix’s Adolescence to Riseborough as the drunk drifter with a whole lot of heart in To Leslie.
• I Swear
?Dir: Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine)
Synopsis:
True life story of John Davidson. Diagnosed with Tourette’s at 15, targeted as insane by his peers, he struggled with a condition few had witnessed. Campaigning for Tourette’s as an adult, he accepted his MBE from the Queen in 2019.
Jones hasn’t directed a feature since My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), so it’s time for a comeback. His stellar debut, Waking Ned Devine (1998), pushed him into studio features that were lighter-hearted or more fantasy-based (Universal’s Nanny McPhee, Lionsgate’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting). His new one seems perfect for Jones. Heavier material that he can spin into something euphoric and profound.
• The Eyes of Ghana
?Dir: Ben Proudfoot (Two-time short doc Oscar winner for The Last Repair Shop, A Concerto Is a Conversation )
?EP: The Obamas’ Higher Ground
Synopsis:
A look through the life and work of Ghanaian documentarian Chris Hesse, who captured the rise and fall of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.
We’re into whatever Proudfoot is working on. His The Last Repair Shop (2024, Full short) tracks the last instrument repair shop for school kids in LA. It mixes emotionally broken people with physically broken instruments into a cinematic symphony that is intimate and sweeping.
TIFF’s Centrepiece and Docs section also spotlight some of the best films at festivals this year. Including 41 films that premiered at other festivals. 20 at Cannes, 12 at Venice, 6 at Berlin, and 3 at Locarno.
Full breakdown:
Cannes Films:
• Eagles of the Republic (Official Selection)
?Dir: Tarik Saleh
?Clip
• Renoir (Official Selection)
?Dir: Chie Hayakawa (2nd feature, her first feature, Plan 75, played in Un Certain Regard in 2022, where it won the Caméra d’Or Special Distinction.)
• The Little Sister (Official Selection)
?Dir: Hafsia Herzi
• Two Prosecutors (Official Selection)
?Dir: Sergei Loznitsa
?Distributor: Janus Films
• My Father’s Shadow (Un Certain Regard)
?Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or
?Dir: Akinola Davies Jr.
?Prod Co: BBC Films
?Distributor: Mubi
?Clip
• The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Un Certain Regard)
?Dir/Wri: Diego Céspedes
?Clip
• The Last One for the Road (Un Certain Regard)
?Dir: Francesco Sossai
• Exit 8 (Midnight)
?Distributor: Neon
• The President’s Cake (Director’s Fortnight)
?Dir: Hasan Hadi
?Winner: Camera d’Or, Audience Award
?Clip
• Miroirs No.3 (Director’s Fortnight)
?Dir: Christian Petzold (Barbara),
?Metograph was originally going to distribute this, but it has changed hands.
• The Love that Remains (Premiere Section)
?Distributor: Janus Films
• Orwell: 2+2=5
?Dir: Raoul Peck
?Distributor: Neon
• A Useful Ghost (Critics Week)
?Dir: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
?Distributor: Cineverse (Terrifier 3)
• Left-Handed Girl (Critics Week)
?Co-Wri: Sean Baker
?Clip
?Distributor: Netflix
• Lucky Lu (Director’s Fortnight)
?Lloyd Lee Choi
• Mama (Special Screening)
?Dir: Or Sinai
• Arco (Special Screening, Animation)
?Prod: Natalie Portman
?Producer Sophie Mas voices the main character’s mother
?Distributor: Neon
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Special Screening, Animation)
?Distributor: GKIDS
• Dandelion’s Odyssey (Critics Week)
?Dir: Momoko Seto
• Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (Acid Cannes)
?Dir: Sepideh Farsi
Venice:
• Orphan (Official Selection)
?Dir/Wri: László Nemes (Son of Saul)
• Duse (Official Selection)
?Cast: Noémie Merlant
?Dir: Pietro Marcello (dir: Martin Eden won TIFF’s 2019 Platform prize)
• Girl (Official Selection)
?Dir: Shu Qi (actress: Transporter)
?Clip
• The Sun Rises On Us All (Official Selection)
?Dir: Cai Shangjun Cai
• Below the Clouds (Official Selection)
?Dir: Gianfranco Rosi (won the top prize in Venice for Sacro GRA (2013) & the top prize in Berlin for Fire at Sea (2016)
?Trailer (Doc)
• The Last Viking (out of competition)
?Cast: Mads Mikkelsen (in a comedy)
?Dir: Anders Thomas Jensen (Riders of Justice starring Mikkelsen)
• Cover-Up (out of competition)
?Dir: Laura Poitras (All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the 2nd doc ever to win the top prize at Venice), Mark Obenhaus
• Nuestra Tierra (out of competition)
?Dir: Lucrecia Martel, twice nominated for the Palme d’Or (The Headless Woman, The Holy Girl)
• Barrio Triste (Orizzonti)
?Dir: Stillz (Bad Bunny Music Video Director)
• Milk Teeth (Orizzonti)
?Dir: Mihai Mincan
• Motor City (Spotlight)
?Dir: Potsy Ponciroli
?Cast: Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber
• Memory of Princess Mumbi (Sidebar)
Berline:
• Blue Moon (In Competition)
?Dir: Richard Linklater
?Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
• The Blue Trail (In Competition)
?Dir: Gabriel Mascaro
?Winner: Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
• Honey Bunch (Special program)
?Dir: Dusty Mancinelli, Madeleine Sims-Fewer
• Olmo (Panorama)
?Dir: Fernando Eimbcke
• Space Cadet (Generation Kplus)
?Dir: Kid Koala
• The Tale of Silyan (Out of Competition)
?Dir: Tamara Kotevska
Locarno
• Blue Heron
?Dir: Sophy Romvari
• Follies
?Dir: Éric K. Boulianne
?Clip
• Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream
?Dir: Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
TIFF Centerpiece programmer stated that the lineup this year had:
“Really great arthouse dramas, thrillers. I got a hockey movie. I got a sex comedy… One thing that really connects these movies as different as they may seem, is that they really are personal stories and you can really feel that in the work.”
Congrats to all the filmmakers
