The Toronto International Film Festival is rounding out its slate. Last week the Galas and Special Presentations were revealed and yesterday the competitive Platform program was announced. Today, the Midnight Madness and Discovery sections have their moment in the sun with new films from Larry Charles, Harmony Korine, and, with their individual feature directorial debuts, Finn Wolfhard, and Patricia Arquette.
READ MORE: A24’s “Dream Scenario” with Nicolas Cage tops TIFF’s 2023 Platform slate
The once mighty Midnight Madness program includes seven World Premieres. The Discovery lineup includes 26 titles from over 20 countries. Additionally, half of the Discovery program selections are from female filmmakers.
Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness, enthusiastically remarked, “Sides will be split — both figuratively and literally (on screen) — as Midnight Madness returns to the Royal Alexandra Theatre with another stimulating concoction of unpredictable shock and ‘y’arr!’ cinema. Featuring two timely satiric provocations from Saudi Arabia (NAGA) and Serbia (Working Class Goes to Hell) — nations that are making their section debut — this year’s madness infectiously ignites with 11 o’clock numbers that go all the way to midnight courtesy of Larry Charles’ bonkers and bawdy Dicks: The Musical. A menagerie of tastes will be sated, so bottoms up!”
This year’s Midnight titles are as follows:
AGGRO DR1FT Harmony Korine | USA North American Premiere (Debuting at the Venice Film Festival)
Boy Kills World Moritz Mohr | Germany/South Africa/USA World Premiere
Dicks: The Musical Larry Charles | USA World Premiere – *Opening Film
Hell of a Summer Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk | USA/Canada World Premiere
KILL Nikhil Nagesh Bhat | India World Premiere
NAGA Meshal Aljaser | Saudi Arabia World Premiere
Riddle of Fire Weston Razooli | USA North American Premiere (Debuted at Cannes) – *Closing Film
Sleep Jason Yu | South Korea North American Premiere
When Evil Lurks Demián Rugna | Argentina World Premiere
Working Class Goes to Hell Mladen Đorđević | Serbia World Premiere
Dorota Lech, TIFF Lead Programmer, Discovery, & International Programmer for Central, Eastern, & Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Iran, & Turkey noted, “The Discovery section, which is curated by a brilliant team of international programmers, is an integral part of TIFF. It is a bold and exciting showcase of cinema and emerging talent from around the world, and we are honored to highlight new and distinctive voices from artists creating their first or second feature on our global stage. This year’s programme of 26 titles includes films from 25 countries, accounting for international co-productions and local talent.”
This year’s Discovery program is as follows:
Achilles Farhad Delaram | Iran/Germany/France World Premiere
After the fire Mehdi Fikri | France World Premiere
A Match (Sthal) Jayant Digambar Somalkar | India World Premiere
Andragogy Wregas Bhanuteja | Indonesia/Singapore World Premiere
An Endless Sunday Alain Parroni | Italy/Germany/Ireland International Premiere (Debuting at Venice)
Arthur&Diana Sara Summa | Germany World Premiere
Backspot D.W. Waterson | Canada World Premiere
Frybread Face and Me Billy Luther | USA International Premiere (Debuted at SXSW)
Gonzo Girl Patricia Arquette | USA World Premiere – *Opening Film
Hajjan Abu Bakr Shawky | Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Jordan World Premiere
How to Have Sex Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom North American Premiere (Debuted at Cannes)
I Don’t Know Who You Are M. H. Murray | Canada World Premiere
La Suprema Felipe Holguín Caro | Colombia World Premiere
Mandoob Ali Kalthami | Saudi Arabia World Premiere
Mimang Kim Taeyang | South Korea World Premiere
Seagrass Meredith Hama-Brown | Canada World Premiere
Solitude Ninna Pálmadóttir | Iceland/Slovakia/France World Premiere
Tautuktavuk (What We See) Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk | Canada World Premiere
The Teacher Farah Nabulsi | United Kingdom/Palestine/Qatar World Premiere
The Tundra Within Me (Eallugierdi) Sara Margrethe Oskal | Norway World Premiere
The Queen of My Dreams Fawzia Mirza | Canada World Premiere
Valentina or the Serenity (Valentina o la serenidad) Ángeles Cruz | Mexico World Premiere
Widow Clicquot Thomas Napper | France World Premiere
Wild Woman Alán González | Cuba World Premiere
Without Air Katalin Moldovai | Hungary World Premiere
Yellow Bus Wendy Bednarz | United Arab Emirates World Premiere
The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival will be held from Sept. 7 through Sept. 17.