TIFF 2022 Must-See Films
19 films you can’t miss from FTW Creators.
By FTW Staff
The Toronto International Film Festival returns for its 46th edition on September 8 and this year’s lineup is apt for cinephiles. From Spielberg to a new Catherine Hardwicke film, the festival is brimming with plenty of new discoveries including the first feature narrative directed by a Nicaraguan female filmmaker.
Awards season is creeping around the corner and as usual, FREE THE WORK is here to guide you down the unbeaten path to discovering films you may not have on your radar. We congratulate the creators whose films are participating in the festival this year. Our team has picked out a few projects from FTW creators that you should have at the top of your lists!
Here’s FREE THE WORK’s guide to the must-watch films of TIFF 2022.
“Alice, Darling”
Why you should watch: This feature debut from filmmaker Mary Nighy is a haunting portrayal of the way domestic violence slowly poisons a person’s perception. The sense of dread that permeates throughout as Alice (Anna Kendrick) retreads the red flags that make up her relationship with her friends makes Alice, Darling worthy of your attention.
Synopsis: Anna Kendrick captures the anxious psychology of a woman in an abusive relationship as her friends try to reconnect with her while on a cottage getaway.
Content advisory: themes of anxiety and mental distress
World Premiere. Gala Presentation.
“Prisoner’s Daughter”
Why you should watch: Hailing from Harlingen, Texas, Catherine Hardwicke has made a name for herself as an expert in intimate storytelling across various genres. I mean, the first Twilight film launched an entire movement! Hardwicke delivers a touching portrait of the road to redemption with the captivating Prisoner's Daughter. It is a pleasure to be treated to another Hardwicke picture.
Synopsis: Granted a compassionate release, a dying convict (Brian Cox) tries to reconnect with his daughter (Kate Beckinsale) and the grandson he’s never known — but his violent past comes back to haunt them all, in this drama from Thirteen and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke.
World Premiere. Gala Presentation.
“Revoir Paris” (Paris Memories)
Why you should watch: Starring Virginie Efira (Benedetta), Revoir Paris is a heartbreaking portrayal of the ways in which extreme violence can completely transform us. Director Alice Winocour takes us through the shattered remains of the memory of a woman (Virgine Efira) who survived a brutal attack that left dozens of victims. The road to recovery from traumatic events is not easy, but Winocour thoughtfully takes audiences through the winding road of making those fragments, and oneself, whole again.
Synopsis: A piercing examination of what it means to live through devastating violence, the latest from Festival regular Alice Winocour brilliantly dramatizes the way trauma can render our fragments of memory into a puzzle.
Content advisory: graphic violence, mental distress
North American Premiere. Gala Presentation.
“Women Talking”
Why you should watch: Timely and gripping, Sarah Polley’s Women Talking is an ode to the bonds women share in the midst of violence and the hope that they carry against the odds. Already buzzing from its bow at Telluride and boasting a dream cast, Women Talking is bound to be the talk of the season.
Synopsis: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Judith Ivey, with Ben Wishaw and Frances McDormand, star in Sarah Polley’s fearless adaptation of Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel about a cloistered world where women struggle with an epidemic of abuse.
Content advisory: themes of sexual violence
International Premiere. Special Presentation.
“Nanny”
Why you should watch: We are here to remind you to check out Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny. We highlighted the Sierra Leonean-American writer-director Nikyatu Jusu’s vampire-horror short Suicide By Sunlight in our coverage of the 2019 Sundance lineup. In 2022, she returned to Sundance with her feature debut Nanny, and took home the Grand Jury Prize. Now, she arrives at TIFF with an international premiere and a debut on Amazon on November 23. Quite a timeline of events huh?
The FREE THE WORK creator is a powerhouse, crafting stories that range from experimental to horror-tinged tales exploring the personal strengths of their protagonists. Featured on Variety’s “Ten Directors to Watch” for 2022, Nikyatu Jusu has already caught the eye of Hollywood and is sure to become a star on the rise. Additionally, don’t miss our interview with Nikyatu’s producing partner, Nikkia Moulterie.
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.
International Premiere. Special Presentation.
“Un beau matin” (One Fine Morning)
Why you should watch: Mia Hansen-Løve returns to the festival scene with Un beau matin, an affecting story about a woman’s messy dealings with marriage, life, and an affair. Hansen-Løve has crafted a lived-in look at everyday domestic life and poetically captures the choppy emotional waters of marriage.
Synopsis: Festival favorite Mia Hansen-Løve illuminates the wonder and turbulence of everyday life with this chronicle of a woman (Léa Seydoux) swept up in her obligations as a mother, daughter, worker, and lover.
Canadian Premiere. Special Presentation.
“La Hija de todas las Rabias” (Daughter of Rage)
Why you should watch: A story about survival and valiance, La Hija de todas las rabias beautifully portrays the struggles of an 11-year-old-girl who is forced to grow up in unyielding circumstances. Laura Baumeister was born and raised in Nicaragua and trained at Mexico’s Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. The first feature narrative directed by a Nicaraguan female filmmaker, La Hija de todas las rabias is history in the making.
Synopsis: In this heart-rending yet eerily poetic debut from Laura Baumeister — the first feature narrative directed by a Nicaraguan female filmmaker — the bond between an 11-year-old girl and her mother is tested when they are suddenly separated while eking out a precarious existence near the country’s biggest landfill.
Content advisory: scenes of violence
World Premiere. Discovery.
“Until Branches Bend”
Why you should watch: Shot on 16mm film, Until the Branches Bend is a tense vision of what happens after one decision sets a chain reaction of events that no amount of preparedness could help you manage. A strong feature debut for director Sophie Jarvis’ Until the Branches Bend is a boiling experience worth seeing.
Synopsis: In writer-director Sophie Jarvis’ compelling debut, set in the seemingly peaceful Okanagan, a distraught cannery worker discovers an invasive insect that could threaten the livelihood of her entire town.
World Premiere. Discovery.
“Something You Said Last Night”
Why you should watch: Luis De Filippis made waves at Sundance in 2018 with the poignant short For Nonna Anna, winning a Special Jury Award. Check out their episode of FREE THE WORK’s “The Future, Through Our Eyes” podcast to get acquainted with Luis’s vision. “Something You Said Last Night,” is an exciting first feature from a star on the rise, keeping the scope of its storytelling in the intimate, family space where Luis’s precise touch shines. The film centers on Ren, a newly unemployed trans woman on vacation with her family.
“Something You Said Last Night” is also noteworthy for its production, which served as the debut of The Trans Film Mentorship, founded by Luis. This program aims to disrupt cycles of exclusion by empowering trans and non-binary creators with on-set experience. If you’re in attendance at the festival, make sure you stop by the first-ever Trans Film Summit at TIFF on September 11th at 2 pm ET. In addition to a Trans Creators Panel, featuring Luis in conversation with Bilal Baig and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, the Trans Film Mentorship will present the first annual Trans Barrier Breaker Award to TS Madison, who’s starring in Billy Eichner’s Bros.
Synopsis: An aspiring twentysomething writer hesitantly accompanies her equally reluctant younger sister on vacation with their deliriously happy parents, in Luis De Filippis’ resonant, cliché-free debut feature.
World Premiere. Discovery. TIFF Next Wave Selects.
“CARVÃO” (Charcoal)
Why you should watch: An unsettling and piercing look at the sacrifices we make to survive, Carolina Markowicz’s feature debut stands out from the Platform selections TIFF is offering this year. An extremely gifted director hailing from São Paulo, Brazil, Markowicz’s short films have been selected to more than 300 film festivals around the world.
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.
Content advisory: violence
World Premiere. Platform.
“Amor y matemáticas” (Love and Mathematics)
Why you should watch: Disconnected and out of touch, Billy (Roberto Quijano), a former boy band quasi–pop star, is now a dutiful stay-at-home dad struck by the monotony of his family life out of the spotlight. Director Claudia Sainte-Luce portrays a couple’s unraveling with skill and makes playful observations about modern couples and the existential prisons they feel trapped in.
Synopsis: A former boy-band pop star and an erstwhile fan struggle with social norms and expectations, in Claudia Sainte-Luce’s nuanced comedy about longing and disconnection.
World Premiere. Contemporary World Cinema
“Amanda”
Why you should watch: We all know what it’s like to struggle to connect with people our age. Writer-director Carolina Cavalli’s feature debut is a lighthearted look at the modern-day misfit and their quest to fit in a world where the norms just don’t seem that important to aspire to any more.
Synopsis: An eccentric 20-something tries to make friends.
International Premiere. Contemporary World Cinema.
“Fixation”
Why you should watch: With experience across the commercial and episodic realm, Mercedes Bryce Morgan arrives at TIFF with a promising feature film debut, Fixation. Tense, claustrophobic, and terrifying Fixation slithers through the halls of an antiseptic psychiatric ward to tell a captivating story about the fragility of reality.
Synopsis: In Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s stylish feature debut, Maddie Hasson (Malignant) plays a young woman committed to an unorthodox institution by a pair of enigmatic doctors (Genesis Rodriguez and Stephen McHattie).
Content advisory: themes of self-harm, violence
World Premiere. Contemporary World Cinema.
“Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago” (Leonor Will Never Die)
Why you should watch: Winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize in recognition of Innovative Spirit, Leonor Will Never Die is a gleefully twisted meta-film honoring the Filipino action movies of yesteryear. It’s an auspicious movie unlike anything you’ve ever seen and should be seen to be believed.
Synopsis: Martika Ramirez Escobar’s surreal, award-winning first feature transports a retired screenwriter of Filipino action films into the story of one of her own unfinished scripts.
Canadian Premiere. Midnight Madness.
“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”
Why you should watch: It all started with a book and a DM to Lin-Manuel Miranda. In her feature film debut, director Aitch Alberto brings the original novel to life with a thoughtful touch. Loving and gentle in its portrayal of two kids who exist in a world that isn’t ready for them, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe can’t be missed.
Synopsis: Two Mexican American teenagers find an instant connection in 1987 El Paso, in Aitch Alberto’s clear-eyed coming-of-age tale based on the bestselling novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
World Premiere. Discovery.
“Rest Stop”, Short Cuts Program 1
Why you should watch: We love to see FTW creator collabs. Director Crystal Kayiza and DP Kris Kouke teamed up to create the stunning Rest Stop. With a combined resume full of incredible projects, these FTW creators are ready for their close up.
Synopsis: A young Ugandan-American girl gains a new understanding of her family and her place in the world as she travels with her mother and brother from New York to Oklahoma, in this richly textured drama by Crystal Kayiza.
“Baba”, Short Cuts Program 2
Why you should watch: No stranger to the festival circuit, Mbithi Masya returns to TIFF with Baba. A seasoned creator in the advertising and film space, Mbuthi is an exciting voice in the TIFF short cuts program.
Synopsis: A six-year-old boy living on the outskirts of Nairobi uses an unusual ability to escape a harsh reality, in this wildly imaginative and emotionally affecting tale of childhood by Kenyan director Mbithi Masya.
“Mirror Mirror”, Short Cuts Program 4
Why you should watch: Sandulela Asanda is a talent to watch. With signature irreverence, Asanda discusses subjects that are sensitive but long overdue for the mainstream discourse. Her critical look at identity is a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre.
Synopsis: In this comedic coming-of-age story by South Africa’s Sandulela Asanda, an adorkable 16-year-old and her loyal BFF rely on each other as they navigate the mechanics of self-pleasure and decide for themselves what it means to be a woman.
“Scaring Women At Night”, Short Cuts Program 6
Why you should watch: FTW creator Karimah Zakia Issa crafts stories that dive into themes of overcoming or succumbing to social expectations, how self-worth is built and broken, and the dark truths that live within us all. Scaring Women At Night is a keen portrayal that sometimes things are not what they seem.
Synopsis: In this surprising and perceptive drama directed by Karimah Zakia Issa and adapted from a short story by Ace Clamber, two strangers on a late walk home must contend not only with familiar fears but also with realizations that force complex truths out of the dark and into the light.
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