Festival Favorites

Festival Favorites - TIFF Edition! Explore our curated collection of films played at the Toronto International Film Festival.

A beautiful adaptation of David Auburn's thrilling play, from Director John Madden
Proof
  • 2005
Karen Moncrieff's film "has the feel of a novel in which the characters linger in one's memory well after the book has been read."
Blue Car
  • 2002
"Revenge is a dish served again and again in the movies, and connoisseurs will note the special British flavor that Mike Hodges brings to the table.”
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
  • 2004
A brilliant tale of family, loyalty, and secrecy, from Director David Dobkin; starring Robert Downey Jr. & Robert Duvall
The Judge
  • 2013
Director/Writer Lee Chang-dong crafts a slow-burn that "sizzles with a cumulative power that will knock the wind out of you" (Rolling Stone)
Burning
  • 2018
Director Jin-ho Hur crafts "an immersively sensual experience" (Hollywood Reporter) based on the French novel
Dangerous Liaisons
  • 2012
A "sly comic parable" (Variety) constructed by Director Feng Xiaogang, bolstered by a standout performance from lead actress Fan Bingbing.
I Am Not Madame Bovary
  • 2016
Viggo Mortensen's directorial debut is "a beautifully controlled drama about age, memory and forgiveness" (The Wrap)
Falling
  • 2020
Majid Majidi's film "brings an irresistible blend of warmth and humor and a consistent embracing humanity in the face of life's harshness" (LA Times)
Baran
  • 2001
The Duplass brothers bring their signature charm to this tale of a slacker who just might discover his destiny when he spends a day with his brother.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home
  • 2012
From Director Mark Forster comes "an examination of modern atrocity and a rethinking of the burden/beauty of belief" (Detroit News).
Machine Gun Preacher
  • 2011
Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson in Terence Davies' exquisite, critically acclaimed biographical drama.
A Quiet Passion
  • 2016
Damien Chazelle's Oscar and Golden Globe winning original musical, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
La La Land
  • 2016
A Golden Globe nominee and Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize winner from Director Juho Kuosmanen
Compartment No. 6
  • 2022
Director Denis Villeneuve's 6-time Academy Award winner, featuring breathtaking cinematography and stellar performances.
Dune
  • 2019
Olivia Munn delivers "the most substantial work of her career" (Indiewire) in this TIFF and SXSW Official selection from director Justine Bateman.
Violet
  • 2021
"A scrumptious cinematic journey" (Variety) with unprecedented access to the elusive truffle hunters, from filmmakers Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw
The Truffle Hunters
  • 2020
Lili Horvát's sophomore work. "A delicious psychological noir. Intoxicating" (Variety)
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
  • 2020
Oscar winner from director Thomas Vinterberg, featuring a career-best performance by Mads Mikkelsen. Fun, moving, life-affirming & thought-provoking.
Another Round
  • 2020
"A gorgeous-looking, beautifully acted film noir with a richly detailed script and sensitive direction from its star" (Newsday).
Motherless Brooklyn
  • 2017
Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in this witty, stylish whodunit.
Knives Out
  • 2019
Todd Phillips delivers "the best social horror film since GET OUT... Joaquin Phoenix is magnetic" (Time Out)
Joker
  • 2018
Nadine Labaki's Oscar nominated film is "the kind of filmmaking miracle that boggles the mind" (The Wrap)
Capernaum
  • 2018
Berlin International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner. Director Alain Gomis' crafts a journey that transcends borders.
Félicité
  • 2017
The deliciously scandalous story of Scotty Bowers, who lands in Hollywood and becomes a legendary escort and sexual procurer to closeted celebrities
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
  • 2017
"Imagine Alfred Hitchcock directing Wuthering Heights," (Indiewire). William Oldroyd's film stars a sublime Florence Pugh in the title role.
Lady Macbeth
  • 2017
"A gripping and tension-packed spin through America's covert War on Drugs. Prepare to be haunted for a good long time." -Rolling Stone
Sicario
  • 2015
Animated marvel and Oscar nominee from directing duo Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman. "...one of those rare perfect films" (RogerEbert.com).
Anomalisa
  • 2015
Jason Reitman's provocative drama that looks at our world through five interconnected families in a small town, examining the question of technology.
Men, Women & Children
  • 2014
Based on the worldwide bestselling novel comes a rich, exhilarating, and hilarious tale from director Peter Chelsom, starring Simon Pegg.
Hector and the Search for Happiness
  • 2014
Adaptation of Nelson Mandela's autobiography, from director Justin Chadwick. Idris Elba gives "a towering performance" (Variety).
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
  • 2013
"An irresistible blend of mirth and malice" (Rolling Stone) from Director Joss Whedon.
Much Ado About Nothing
  • 2013
From Director/Writer Athina Rachel Tsangari (CHEVALIER) and featuring a performance by now-Oscar-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos.
Attenberg
  • 2010
Meticulously crafted by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. An "entrancing, original and hypnotic" (Little White Lies) Palme d'Or winner.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
  • 2010
Colin Firth gives a masterful performance as King George VI that earned him an Academy Award. From Oscar winning director Tom Hooper.
The King's Speech
  • 2010
A luminous Penélope Cruz stars in Pedro Almodóvar's Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated tale of sex, secrets and cinema.
Broken Embraces
  • 2009
A thrilling commentary on the Iraq War that earned Kathryn Bigelow the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming the first woman to do so.
The Hurt Locker
  • 2009
"A rhapsodic adaptation of a memoir, a visual marvel" (Chicago Tribune). Julian Schnabel's powerful take on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  • 2007
Oscar nominated Director/Writer Noah Baumbach brings his keen knack for depicting family stories on screen, along with an all-star cast.
Margot at the Wedding
  • 2007
Director/Writer Lars Von Trier's film stars Nicole Kidman, and was heralded by the LA Times as "intriguing," "provocative" and "beautifully luminous"
Dogville
  • 2003
Peter Sollett's coming-of-age tale is "divinely realized… like sunshine burning through a cloud bank" (New York Times)
Raising Victor Vargas
  • 2002
A delightfully sweet romantic comedy about the spark of a relationship between a beautician & a cook, directed by Danièle Thompson
Jet Lag
  • 2002
Director/Writer Julio Medem crafts "an intoxicating experience" (BBC.com) featuring a spectacular breakout performance from Paz Vega.
Sex and Lucia
  • 2001
Clare Peploe's sugar-sweet fairytale. A romantic comedy based on the play by Pierre de Marivaux of the same title.
Triumph of Love
  • 2002
An instant classic, Academy Award winning Cameron Crowe’s coming-of-age story featuring a masterful ensemble
Almost Famous
  • 2000
Lasse Halstrom's Academy Award winning drama based on the novel by John Irving
The Cider House Rules
  • 1999
Director Roberto Benigni crafts an earnest, charming, Oscar winning story that ultimately highlights the strength of the human spirit.
Life is Beautiful
  • 1997
Helena Bonham Carter shines in Iain Softley's Academy Award nominated masterpiece
The Wings of the Dove
  • 1997
"A reminder that sometimes films can venture into the realms of poetry and dreams" (Chicago Sun-Times)
Eve's Bayou
  • 1997
Gary Fleder delviers a thrilling crime-drama with an all-star cast including Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lloyd & Steve Buscemi
Things To Do in Denver When You're Dead
  • 1995
Jane Campion's award winning work "plays itself with such contrapuntal richness, it resonates in you forever" (Washington Post).
The Piano
  • 1993
Morgan Freeman directs "a handsomely crafted, potently played drama that brings the issue of apartheid down to a visceral human dimension" (Variety).
Bopha!
  • 1993
"[Keitel] keeps us watching his descent without wanting to look away. Only an actor with tremendous reserves of power could accomplish that."
Bad Lieutenant
  • 1992
Gus Van Sant's film "takes us so deeply into this shabby, transient world that we feel its texture -- both its scary thrills & its bleak uncertainty"
Drugstore Cowboy
  • 1989