The most star-studded event in Canada is just over a week away, with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returning for its 50th year. Over the course of its history the Toronto event has significantly grown in size and popularity, establishing itself as one of the most important and beloved festivals for filmmakers, actors and film lovers around the world.
This year TIFF runs from Sept. 4 to Sept. 14 and includes everything from big Hollywood film premieres, to smaller movies from more up-and-coming filmmakers. TIFF tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. ET on Aug. 25.
With hundreds of movies to watch at the festival, some highlights include Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the franchise popular with TIFF goers. Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley star in Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao’s film Hamnet, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein will screen at the festival ahead of its Netflix release.
Scarlett Johansson makes her feature directorial debut with Eleanor the Great, starring June Squibb. Additionally, Maude Apatow is following in her father’s footsteps with her debut feature Poetic License. Actors Brian Cox and James McAvoy are also making their directorial debuts.
On the Canadian front, there is a documentary on the history of the show Degrassi, Chandler Levack returns with her film Mile End Kicks, starring Barbie Ferreira, and Ally Pankiw’s documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, produced by Dan Levy, is a must-see film. And don’t miss Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie from Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, and the film from Toronto-based filmmaker Sasha Leigh Henry, Dinner With Friends.
Canadian star Mae Martin’s limited series Wayward will also be at TIFF, before landing on Netflix.
Here are the movies you don’t want to miss at the 2025 Toronto International Film FestivalWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
The Knives Out franchise has a history of being a popular ticket at TIFF, back with the third instalment for 2025 with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc faces an even more dangerous threat, as Rian Johnson adds elements of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
The film’s characters include Josh Brolin as a priest, with his younger cleric played by Josh O’Connor. Alongside other stars including Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny and Jeremy Renner. Mila Kunis plays a local cop who wants to solve this seemingly insoluble murder case.
HAMNET (TIFF)
Hamnet
Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao’s film Hamnet will have its Canadian premiere at TIFF, a drama about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his family, through the eyes of his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley), based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell.
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes
Filmmaker Lisa Rideout does a deep dive into one of Canada’s most beloved TV shows with Degrassi: Whatever It Takes. Looking at the history of the show, how it reflected the life of teens, the film features creators, writers, superfans and cast members, including Aubrey Drake Graham, Miriam McDonald, Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogren and Melinda Shankar.
Eleanor the Great
After her success with Thelma last year, June Squibb is back on the big screen with Eleanor the Great, in Scarlett Johansson’s feature directorial debut.
Squibb plays 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein who leaves her home in Florida for New York City, moving in with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and grandson Max (Will Price), after the death of her long-time roommate Bessie (Rita Zohar). At the Manhattan Jewish Community Center, Eleanor sees a support group for Holocaust survivors, and joins the group, but she isn’t sharing her story, it’s Bessie’s.
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein will have its North American premiere at TIFF, his take on Mary Shelley’s famed story. Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, with Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster, and Mia Goth as Frankenstein’s fiancé Elizabeth. The film was shot in both Toronto and Scotland.
Eternity
Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner and Miles Teller star in David Freyne’s film Eternity, a story about a love triangle.
After decades of marriage elderly couple Joan (Olsen) and Larry (Teller) die within a week of each other. Every soul goes back to their appearance at the age of their happiest moment, and has a week to decide who they want to spend the rest of eternity with. The answer may not be so clear for Joan and Larry as they anticipated.
Mile End Kicks (TIFF)
Mile End Kicks
Chandler Levack’s film I Like Movies was one of the most exciting premieres at TIFF in 2022 and the Canadian filmmaker is back with Mile End Kicks, starring Barbie Ferreira.
Set in 2011 Montreal, Grace (Ferreira) is a 23-year-old music critic who plans to write the next great book in the 33 1/3 series about Alanis Morrisette’s “Jagged Little Pill.” But Instead, she falls in love with two guys in the same band, and uses her music industry knowledge to be their publicist.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (TIFF)
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
Dan Levy is a producer on Canadian Ally Pankiw’s highly anticipated documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, looking at the emergence of Sarah McLachlan’s all-women music festival and its importance in music history. It features interviews from Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo and Emmylou Harris.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s Nirvanna The Band The Show was a comedy web series where they portrayed versions of themselves trying to book a gig at The Rivoli in Toronto, with the concept now expanded with the feature film.
Poetic License (TIFF)
Poetic License
Maude Apatow is following in her father Judd Apatow’s footsteps with her debut feature Poetic License. In this comedy Ari (Cooper Hoffman) and Sam (Andrew Barth Feldman) are longtime friends, with quite different personalities, but they both fall for married mother Liz (Leslie Mann), who moved to the small college town with her husband, played by Cliff Smith aka Method Man, and her daughter, played by Nico Parker.
Hedda
Writer/director Nia DaCosta has reimagined Henrik Ibsen’s play with Hedda. Starring Tessa Thompson, Hedda finds herself torn between her past love and her present life. Over one night, her repressed desires and tensions erupt.
Wayward
Canadian star Mae Martin’s limited series Wayward takes us back to the early 2000s, as rebellious teens teens Abby (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) are sent to a school for “troubled teens” in Tall Pines. Shortly after Alex Dempsey (Martin) and his pregnant wife Laura ( Sarah Gadon) move into their new Two Pines home, Alex starts investigating what happens in the school, particularly the actions of the school’s headmistress Evelyn (Toni Collette).
Rental Family (TIFF)
Rental Family
Oscar winner Brendan Fraser plays Philip, an American actor in Tokyo, in Hikari’s film Rental Family, where Philip is hired to play a character in a real funeral.
Christy
Christy
Sydney Sweeney portrays professional boxer Christy Martin in the film Christy, directed by David Michôd. The film follows her life, from her upbringing in West Virginia, to her career accomplishments, including her relationship with her trainer, manager and ex-husband Jim (Ben Foster), who attacked her in 2010 and was convicted of attempted murder.
California Schemin’ (TIFF)
California Schemin’
James McAvoy makes his directorial debut with California Schemin’. Inspired by the real-life story of Scottish rap duo Silibil N’ Brains, a.k.a. Gavin Bain (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley), as the pair pretend they’re American to try to succeed as rappers.
Glenrothan (TIFF)
Glenrothan
Brian Cox makes his directorial debut with Glenrothan, starring Cox himself, along with Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson.
Donal (Cumming) returns to the whisky distillery owned by his family, in the Scottish Highlands, after living in the U.S. for 35 years. He first left the day his mother died and his brother Sandy (Cox) got into a violent exchange with their father. Donal hopes to make amends with Sandy, and find some closure and peace.
Good Fortune
Aziz Ansari’s film Good Fortune features several Canadians, with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen and Sandra Oh joined by Keke Palmer for this comedy.
A junior angel named Gabriel (Reeves) steps into the lives of tech bro Jeff (Rogen) and Arj (Ansari), who has been struggling to find work, by forcing them to swap lives.
Ballad of a Small Player
Oscar-winning director Edward Berger’s film Ballad of a Small Player will have its Canadian premiere at TIFF, starring Colin Farrell as travelling gambler Lord Doyle.
While he’s in Macau, struggling to keep up with his gambling debts, he’s presented with a lifeline from casino employee Dao Ming (Fala Chen), but private investigator Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) is racing to confront Doyle.
John Candy: I Like Me
John Candy: I Like Me
Colin Hanks looks back at the life of one of the most beloved Canadian actors with John Candy: I Like Me, which includes archival footage and testimonials from stars like Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Macaulay Culkin.
Driver’s Ed (TIFF)
Driver’s Ed
While Lotus star Sam Nivola stars in Driver’s Ed as Jeremy, a high school senior who misses his girlfriend Samantha (Lilah Pate), who’s a freshman in college. So he steals his school’s driver’s ed car to drive to Samantha in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The film is directed by Bobby Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary), and written by actor and writer Thomas Moffett.
Bad Apples (TIFF)
Bad Apples
Saoirse Ronan plays Maria, a school teacher who’s trying to inspire her 10-year-old students, but one particularly disruptive child leads her to her own bad decision, while she also realizes what her community is willing to ignore. The film is directed by Jonatan Etzler and written by Jess O’Kane.
Good Boy (TIFF)
Good Boy
Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough and Anson Boon star in Oscar-nominated director Jan Komasa’s film Good Boy. In the film 19-year-old Tommy (Boon) goes out partying with his friends. He gets separated from the group, but keeps partying, and wakes with a chain around his neck in the basement of a suburban family home.
No Other Choice
After Park Chan-wook brought his film Decision To Leave to TIFF in 2022, he returns with No Other Choice, based on the novel by Donald E. Westlake, starring Lee Byung Hun.
Man-soo (Lee) has a loving wife, two children and two happy dogs, but was let go from his job of 25 years at a paper company. He falls behind on his mortgage payments and his wife Mi-ri (Son Yejin) demands they sell their home. But when he’s desperate to get a job with a new company, he devises an interesting plan to get rid of his competition.
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited …
Making its world premiere at TIFF, Nick Davis’ documentary is about a notable Toronto production of the musical Godspell, with an impressive cast that included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Jayne Eastwood. And the musical director of the 1972 show, which ran for 14 months, was Paul Shaffer.
The film features interviews with individuals involved in the Toronto show, shining a light on a unique moment in time, with some of the most brilliant and internationally beloved talents.
Easy’s Waltz (TIFF)
Easy’s Waltz
True Detective creator, Nic Pizzolatto, will premiere his film Easy’s Waltz at TIFF, starring Vince Vaughn, Al Pacino, Simon Rex, Kate Mara, Cobie Smulders and Shania Twain.
Vegas crooner Easy (Vaughn) certainly has talent, but hasn’t found big time success, while he also tries to keep his reckless little brother Sam (Rex) out of trouble. But then Pacino’s character emerges, with a desire to take Easy to the next level in his career.
Cover-Up (TIFF)
Cover-Up
Laura Poitras is one of the most well-regarded documentary filmmakers and journalists, and she worked with critically acclaimed producer, director, and writer Mark Obenhaus for Cover-Up. The film profiles investigative reporter Seymour Hersh and his reporting on the My Lai massacre, Watergate, CIA operations spying on Americans, and more.
Dead Man’s Wire
Dead Man’s Wire
Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino, star in Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant’s film Dead Man’s Wire. It’s based on the true story of Tony Kiritsis (played by Bill Skarsgård). In 1977 Kiritsis, from Indianapolis, fell behind on his mortgage payments and held his mortgage broker hostage.
Swiped (TIFF)
Swiped
Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s film Swiped will make its world premiere at TIFF, a film inspired by the real-life story of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Set in 2012, 22-year-old Whitney (James) joins the development team at MatchBox, a company she rebranded as Tinder. But she is sexual harassed by her male colleagues. She leaves, files a lawsuit and wins a settlement, moves to Texas and develops her own dating app.
Canceled: The Paula Deen Story
Canceled: The Paula Deen Story
Director Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) looks at Paula Deen’s rise to fame in food TV and the collapse of her empire in 2013, after she admitted to using a racial slur in a legal deposition. The film features interviews with Deen, her family, critics, and former colleagues.
Rose of Nevada (TIFF)
Rose of Nevada
Shot on 16mm, Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada, George MacKay and Callum Turner play two men who sign on to crew the resurrected vessel Rose of Nevada.
Dinner With Friends
The film Dinner With Friends is about a fractured group eight longtime friends who come together for dinner parties to share in the joys and pains of their adults lives. The movie was directed by Toronto’s Sasha Leigh Henry, and co-written by Henry and Tania Thompson.
Exit 8
Adapted from Kotake Create’s cult game, Exit 8, directed by Genki Kawamura, has Arashi star Kazunari Ninomiya trapped in a looping, sterile subway corridor. There is one rule to escape, he has to turn back if anything looks off. If he misses an anomaly, he gets placed back at the start, and begins the loop again.
Normal (TIFF)
Normal
In Normal, Bob Odenkirk plays a provisional sheriff in a the Midwestern American town of Normal, but when a botched bank robbery takes place, secrets from this town are expose. The film is directed by Ben Wheatley, written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad.
Roofman
Kirsten Dunst and Channing Tatum star in the true-crime film from Oscar-nominated director Derek Cianfrance. Jeffrey (Tatum) is an American military veteran trying to get by when he gets caught robbing McDonald’s. After being incarcerated he breaks out, and makes a hideout for himself in a Toys “R” Us store, but falls in love with store employee Leigh (Dunst).
The Man in My Basement (TIFF)
The Man in My Basement
In Nadia Latif’s film The Man in My Basement, Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins) feels lonely, he can’t get a job, when the mysterious Anniston Bennet (Willem Dafoe) offers to rent his basement of a large amount of money.
The Smashing Machine (TIFF)
The Smashing Machine
Benny Safdie’s film The Smashing Machine looks at the career of MMA and UFC pioneer Mark Kerr, played by Dwayne Johnson, and the demands that led to his painkiller addiction.
The Testament of Ann Lee (TIFF)
The Testament of Ann Lee
Mona Fastvold, co-writer of The Brutalist, looks at the life of Ann Lee, one of America’s pre-Revolutionary religious figures, in The Testament of Ann Lee, starring Amanda Seyfried.
Sacrifice
Sacrifice
Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, Salma Hayek Pinault, John Malkovich, Ambika Mod, Charli XCX, and Jonatan “Yung Lean” Leandoer star in Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice, set during an environmental conference/benefit in Greece.
Hamlet (TIFF)
Hamlet
Aneil Karia brought Shakespeare’s Hamlet to London’s present day South Asian community, starring Riz Ahmed. The cast also includes Morfydd Clark as Ophelia, Art Malik as Claudius, and Sheeba Chaddha.
After his father’s funeral, Hamlet is shocked to find out that his uncle Claudius will marry his mother, but his father’s ghost revealed that he was murdered by Claudius, and Hamlet is out for revenge.
Erupcja (TIFF)
Erupcja
We get more acting from Charli XCX in Pete Ohs’ film Erupcja. The famed pop artist plays British tourist Bethany, who’s visiting Poland and breaks away from the plan made by her boyfriend Rob (Will Madden). Instead, she reunites with her friend Nel (Lena Góra), who have intense chemistry with each other.