A Return to True North: Thoughts as I Head Once Again to the Toronto International Film Festival

Greetings once again everyone from Toronto! Depending on when you read this, I’m either en route or have settled into my Airbnb here in Canada, in preparation for the Toronto International Film Festival. The 2024 edition of TIFF kicks off tomorrow, and it’s going to be something, especially this year without COVID or the SAG and WGA strikes going on. Film screenings, fancy parties, movie premieres (plus the accompanying stars), and simply being in another country. There’s nothing else quite like it. This is my fourth year attending, with many years in my future still to come. Coming hot on the heels of the Telluride Film Festival once again, and while the Venice Film Festival is still going on, there’s a bit of festival whiplash occurring. I wasn’t at the fest in Venice, obviously, but I was in Telluride, as you all know. Now, I’m in Toronto and about to see several more of the year’s most hotly anticipated titles.

Three years ago, my TIFF experience was very different than most. One, it was still a COVID festival, so most opted to take it in virtually. So, it was a fairly low key fest. Two, I was there with an ex-girlfriend, so it was a bit more relaxing and closer to a vacation in some ways. That’s all in the past, and there were tons of great films I saw, including Belfast, The Power of the Dog, and Spencer, but it will always feel like a unique memory to me. Anyway, onward and upward.

Two years ago, I was on my own, obviously, but saw some great movies. My summary here has the goods, but the highlights included The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and The Whale. There were plenty of others, but those flicks were my cream of the crop for the 2022 incarnation of the fest.

Last year, the strikes made the festival feel smaller than usual, but the quality was still there. I got into it all here, but in terms of the best films, they included Anatomy of a Fall, Dumb Money, Flora and Son, Hit Man, Origin, and Woman of the Hour. It was a top heavy TIFF, to be fair, but I certainly felt like it was time well spend, without question.

This year, there are tons of titles up north. Among the things I’m either interested in, have seen, or will be seeing include Anora, Babygirl, Bird, The Brutalist, Conclave, The Deb, Eden, Emilia Pérez, The End, The Fire Inside, The Friend, Hard Truths, The Last Republican, The Last Showgirl, Megalopolis, Millers in Marriage, Nightbitch, Nutcrackers, Oh, Canada, The Order, The Piano Lesson, Presence, Queer, Rumours, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, The Room Next Door, Saturday Night, The Shrouds, The Substance, Unstoppable, We Live in Time, The Wild Robot, Without Blood, and many more. It’s an eclectic lineup, one that I’m only scratching the surface of here.

So, strap in for some festival coverage. I’m thrilled to be there, so hopefully you’re excited for my reviews out of TIFF. There won’t be a shortage of them, either, that’s for sure. Sit tight for everything from my time up in Toronto!

Stay tuned for all of my coverage from the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival!