Written by Kianna Best on Aug 28, 2024. Posted in Awards and Festivals

TIFF 2024 to welcome gala line-up of anticipated projects

The 49^th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will welcome Raj Kapoor’s 4k restored Award premiere as well as honour  Angelina Jolie with the esteemed Tribute Award. Presented by Rogers, the festival will showcase Canadian and international cinema projects from 5 -15 September, as well as special events and talks with some of the industry’s biggest names.

Image courtesy of Disney+

“We know the TIFF audience has been eagerly anticipating what films will be coming to Toronto this September, and today’s announcement is a snapshot of what’s to come this year: a wonderfully wide range of titles that span genres and generations, with discoveries for everyone,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “TIFF is renowned for finding and showcasing works from both emerging and established filmmakers from all around the world, and for creating an unmatched groundswell of excitement, often paving the way for awards season, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of industry delegates and public filmgoers that attend each year. As we approach our 50th Festival, we are proud to evolve and expand our offerings to meet the needs of the industry and our audiences while always remaining true to what TIFF stands for — transforming the way people see the world through film.”

The festival is set to welcome six highly anticipated projects for this year’s gala, including R.J. Cutler and David Furnish's Elton John: Never Too Late, Woo Min-ho's Harbin, Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck, Marielle Heller's Nightbitch, Sydney Freeland's Rez Ball, and Chris Sanders' The Wild Robot. This year’s official screening venues will include TIFF Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall, the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, Glenn Gould Studio at the Canadian Broadcast Centre, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

Cutler and Furnish's project Elton John: Never Too Late will pull back the curtain on the superstar's life for the first time in the documentary set for a Disney+ arrival on 13 December. South Korean cinema heavy hitters Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, Park Jeong-min, and Jeon Yeo-been will star in feature Harbin, whilst The Life of Chuck makes way for Tom Hiddleston playing the titular character for the Stephen King novel based project. Nightbitch starring Amy Adams is a dark comedy following a stay at home mum whose mundane life takes a dramatic turn. LeBron James put his producer hat back on for Rez Ball, a coming of age story about indigenous basketball, and animated film The Wild Robot features an acclaimed ensemble cast led by Lupita Nyong'o as Roz in the animated flick.

2026 will see the launch of TIFF’s content market, envisioned as the North American hub for buying and selling screen based projects, intellectual property, and immersive and innovative content across all platforms. The Canadian government announced an investment of CAD 23 million into the initiative, enabling the organisation to accelerate planning and development work.