Soon, our social media feeds will stop being full of beach pictures, the Summer is almost over and Pumpkin Spice Latte season is almost here! We all know what that means, kids are going back to school and the film industry has its eyes on the September festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Known as one of the biggest festivals, navigating the program can be a bit overwhelming, but don’t fear S/W is here to help! Below, you’ll find a list of the films we’re especially excited to see as they’re all directed by filmmakers who have been featured on Short of the Week in the past!

Features

Twelve of our alums have films selected in the various feature categories. Mostly represented in Special Presentations and Discovery sections, this eclectic group has directors making the jump from short to feature and others who are already established in this area.

Aftersun by Charlotte Wells (Laps)

Synopsis: Scottish writer-director Charlotte Wells’ indelible feature debut brims with warmth and quiet wonder as its protagonist recalls a father and daughter’s journey to a Turkish seaside resort some 20 years after the fact.

Program: Contemporary World Cinema

Bruiser by Miles Warren (Bruiser)

Synopsis: A 14-year-old boy turns to a charismatic loner for help after being beaten up, in director Miles Warren’s searing feature debut about fathers, families, and the effects of fighting.

Program: Discovery

Carvão (Charcoal) by Carolina Markowicz (Tatuapé Mahal Tower)

Synopsis: In the Brazilian countryside, a family straining to care for their bedridden patriarch have their lives changed when a shady nurse offers a diabolical deal: put their elder to rest and host an Argentinian drug kingpin who urgently needs a place to hide.

Program: Platform

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery by Rian Johnson (Oh Baby!)

Synopsis: Famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) travels to Greece for his latest case, in Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Knives Out starring Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Jessica Henwick, with Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

Program: Special Presentations

Joyland by Saim Sadiq (Darling)

Synopsis: A Pakistani family confronts emotional intimacy and social expectations when their son begins performing with a trans dancer, in Saim Sadiq’s staggering debut feature — winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.

Program: Special Presentations

I Like Movies by Chandler Levack (We Forgot to Break Up)

Synopsis: The feature debut from Toronto’s Chandler Levack is a funny, touching, and empathetic look at a film- and self-obsessed teenaged curmudgeon pursuing his dreams and testing personal connections in early-2000s suburban Ontario.

Program: Discovery

Nanny by Nikyatu Jusu (Suicide by Sunlight)

Synopsis: A young Senegalese newcomer to New York is haunted by violent visions while working as a nanny and planning for the arrival of her own son, in writer-director Nikyatu Jusu’s mystical feature debut exploring the dangerous allure of the American Dream in the immigrant experience.

Program: Special Presentations

Soft by Joseph Amenta (Haus)

This matter-of-fact drama follows three queer Toronto kids whose friendship is tested over one pivotal summer by divided loyalties, differing social situations, and anger issues.

Program: Discovery

Something You Said Last Night by Luis De Filippis (For Nonna Anna)

An aspiring twenty-something writer hesitantly accompanies her equally reluctant younger sister on vacation with their deliriously happy parents, in Luis De Filippis’ resonant, cliché-free debut feature.

Program: Discovery

Tales from the Gimli Hospital Redux (Night Mayor, The Heart of the World)

Synopsis: Set in the idyllic town of Gimli sometime in the 19th century, the first feature by Manitoba director Guy Maddin is a tale of jealousy, revenge, and peculiar erotic fixations.

Programme: TIFF Cinematheque

The Banshees Of Inisherin by Martin McDonagh (Six Shooter)

Synopsis: In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reteam for this fable about two lifelong friends who reach an impasse, with alarming consequences for both. The latest from Oscar-winning writer-director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri).

Programme: Special Presentations

Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund (Incident by a Bank)

Synopsis: Ruben Östlund’s latest Palme d’Or–winning satire explores hypocrisy, greed, and thirst for power amongst the idle rich (and the luxury-cruise industry).

Programme: Special Presentations

Shorts

Experimental animation, plane-based tragicomedies, the immigrant experience – the eight films from our S/W alums across the various TIFF Short Cuts programmes make for an eclectic, exciting watch. Try to catch them all, if you can.

À la vie à l’amor by Emilie Mannering (Mahalia Melts in The Rain)

Synopsis: Played with great warmth and sensitivity by co-writer Lex Garcia, a freshly brokenhearted artist turns to the people closest to him to find out what they have to say about the true meaning of love, in this poignant and perceptive drama by Montreal’s Emilie Mannering.

Program: Short Cuts 02

Airhostess-737 by Thanasis Neofotistos (Patision Avenue)

Synopsis: A troublesome new set of orthodontics is just one of the factors that provoke a midair crisis for the flight attendant in this high-tension tragicomedy by Thanasis Neofotistos.

Program: Short Cuts 01

backflip by Nikita Diakur (Ugly)

Synopsis: In his efforts to teach his digital avatar how to master a tricky move, animator Nikita Diakur creates something wholly unique: an ingenious demonstration of the potentials and pitfalls of machine learning that doubles as a riotously hilarious slapstick comedy.

Program: Short Cuts 06

Lay Me by the Shore by David Findlay (Found Me)

Synopsis: For a teen and his friends, the excitement and anticipation they feel during the final days of high school are complicated by more challenging emotions stemming from a recent tragedy, all of which are captured with grace and vividness in director David Findlay’s poignant drama.

Program: Short Cuts 04

Municipal Relaxation Module by Matthew Rankin (Mynarski Death Plummet,  The Tesla World Light)

Synopsis: One of Canada’s most distinctive film talents, Matthew Rankin returns to Short Cuts with a droll and inspired comedy about the big dreams and humble ambitions of a man who has a very exciting idea for a bench.

Program: Short Cuts 02

Nanitic by Carol Nguyen (No Crying at the Diner Table)

Synopsis: Bringing the same insight and precision to her debut dramatic work as she did with her award-winning documentaries, Toronto’s Carol Nguyen immerses viewers in the intricate matrix that connects three generations of an immigrant family.

Program: Short Cuts 01

She Always Wins by Hazel McKibbin (Doublespeak)

Synopsis: Director Hazel McKibbin and a terrific cast led by Honor Swinton Byrne capture all the complicated moves in the dance of dominance, deference, and self-diminishment that takes place when a young woman brings her new boyfriend to his first family visit.

Program: Short Cuts 02

The Flying Sailor by Wendy Tilby & Amanda Forbis (Wild Life, When the Day Breaks)

Synopsis: One of the most celebrated teams in Canadian animation, Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis return with a spectacular synthesis of sound and image, inspired by the incredible but true story of one man’s unexpected voyage on the morning of the Halifax Explosion in 1917.

Program: Short Cuts 01