The Toronto Film Festival has announced its final program for the 2024 edition, including a North American premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s dystopian epic Big city and a bow from the world for Driven Medieval action drama by director Nick Hamm William Tell.
Both films, including the Cannes premiere Big citywill have a gala premiere at the Roy Thomson Hall. William Tell, is set in 1307 and is an adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s play. The main roles are played by Danish actor Claes Bang as the hunter Tell, Ben Kingsley as King Albrecht, Rafe Spall as Stauffacher and Jonathan Pryce as Attinghausen.
Toronto, which will show all 278 films in its 49th edition, has also booked special presentation slots for another 12 titles. These include world premieres for Daniel Minahan’s historical drama On fast horses, with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter; John Maggios Paul Anka: His path; Max Minghella’s black comedy sleeve, with Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber; and Marianne Elliott’s The Salt Trailstarring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in the true story about a married couple hiking along the rugged British coast.
Sleeve.
Courtesy of Black Bear, Dark Castle Entertainment, Range, Blank Tape, Love & Squalor
There are also world arches for Hold your breaththe feature film directorial debut of screenwriters and directors Will Joines and Karrie Crous, starring Sarah Paulson; and Bad luck for the goat Director Samir Oliveros returns to Toronto with The luckiest man in America.
There will also be North American premieres for a number of titles that will be shown for the first time in Venice. These include Luca Guadagnino’s Queerwith Daniel Craig; Halina Reijns erotic thriller from A24 Babygirlstarring Nicole Kidman, Antonio Banderas and Sophie Wilde, about an influential CEO who risks her career by having an affair with an intern; Brady Corbet’s The brutalist, with Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce in the lead; Pedro Almodóvar’s The room next door, with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton; and Maura Delperos Vermilion.
With its latest official film announcement, Toronto is banking on a mix of titles that premiered at Cannes and Venice for its 2024 edition, returning to its early roots as the “festival of festivals.” It will also screen high-profile world premieres to a wide audience before battling for top spots during the upcoming Hollywood awards season.
There is a North American premiere for Mati Diops Dahomey, which won the Golden Bear for Best Film in Berlin, and an international premiere for Shemi Zarhin’s Bliss. Toronto will also host the Canadian premiere of Jason Reitman’s Saturday nighthis upcoming film about the origins of the NBC sketch show, which is set to be released by Sony Pictures on October 11.
Reitman directed the film, which will likely first be seen in Telluride and focuses on the behind-the-scenes moments that led to Saturday Night LiveThe first broadcast took place on October 11, 1975.
Dahomey.
The Ball Films – Fanta Sy
Toronto has also booked a world premiere for Karen Chapman’s domestic violence drama in the Discovery program Village guard, with Oyin Oladejo, Olunike Adeliyi and Zahra Bentham; And You are not alonea science fiction romantic comedy directed by Marie-Hélène Viens and Philippe Lupien.
TIFF organizers are also hoping to have Hollywood stars back this year after labor disputes in Los Angeles left the 2023 Toronto edition short of celebrity talent on the red carpets, although big-name filmmakers have made the trip anyway. This will give major studios and independent films the red carpet in Toronto to showcase their star-studded films to regular film fans and get seen or recognized after world premieres in Telluride, Venice or Cannes.
The Toronto Film Festival opens on September 5th with Nutcracker, David Gordon Green’s comedy starring Ben Stiller, and the 2024 edition ends with The Debthe directorial debut of Rebel Wilson, an adaptation of the original musical hit of the same name in Australia.
