Frontmezzjunkies reports: #TIFF50 PROGRAMMING ALERT
TIFF’s 2025 Centrepiece programme celebrates the best of international cinema
Presenting works from celebrated filmmakers, including Mathieu Denis’ “Cost of Heaven“, Hasan Hadi’s “The President’s Cake“, Jan Komasa’s “Good Boy“, Anders Thomas Jensen’s “The Last Viking“, Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon“, Pietro Marcello’s “Duse“, Christian Petzold’s “Miroirs No. 3“, and Álvaro Olmos Torrico’s “The Condor Daughter“
TORONTO — TIFF is proud to announce this year’s Centrepiece programme, the Festival’s global showcase of compelling cinema from around the world. This year, there are 55 titles from filmmakers representing nearly fifty countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, reflecting TIFF’s commitment to global cinema. Centrepiece provides a platform for internationally recognized films, acclaimed titles from other festivals around the globe, and highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents.
This year’s slate includes the latest work from influential filmmakers Hubert Davis, Mathieu Denis, Hasan Hadi, Chie Hayakawa, Anders Thomas Jensen, Jan Komasa, Richard Linklater, Sergei Loznitsa, Pietro Marcello, Christian Petzold, Potsy Poncirol and Álvaro Olmos Torrico.
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will take place September 4–14, 2025.
Centrepiece has 19 world premieres including:
- “Blood Lines“, Gail Maurice’s sophomore feature, a pastoral drama of family and reconnection Carolina Caroline, directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, an outlaw romance starring Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner
- “Erupcja“, directed by Pete Ohs, features a combustible chemistry between a Polish florist (LenaGóra) and a British tourist (Charli xcx)
- “Good Boy“, by Jan Komasa, a twisted thriller about freedom and identity, starring Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Anson Boon
- “I Swear“, from Kirk Jones, the inspirational true story of John Davidson, a trailblazer whose honesty and humour helped the world better understand what it means to live with Tourette Syndrome
- “Nomad Shadow“, Eimi Imanishi’s poignant debut feature about a refugee to Spain who’s forced to return to Western Sahara
- “Palimpsest: the Story of a Name“, from Mary Stephen (Shades of Silk), a deeply personal story about her family’s complicated history and their Western surname
- “Saipan“, from filmmakers Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, about a rift between star player Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy on the eve of the 2002 World Cup, starring Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan
- “The Condor Daughter“, from Álvaro Olmos Torrico, about a young woman who inherits the sacred art of midwifery but dreams of conquering the city with her voice
- “The Cost of Heaven“, a film from Quebec’s Mathieu Denis (whose TIFF ’16 film “Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Dig Their Own Graves” was awarded that year’s Best Canadian Feature), starring French actor Samir Guesmi
- “The President’s Cake“, from a multiple award winner at Cannes, Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, a heartbreaking and unforgettable look at a country crushed by poverty and international sanctions — and ruled by a sadistic, greedy, and vain tyrant
- “Unidentified“, the latest from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda), an iconoclastic crime thriller that questions our collective fascination with tales of femicide
- “Wasteman“, Cal McMau’s debut feature, which peels back the conventions of the prison drama, featuring rising star David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus)
- “Whitetail“, from Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, a slow-burn thriller with a haunting performance from Natasha O’Keeffe (Peaky Blinders)
- “Youngblood“, directed by Hubert Davis, starring Blair Underwood and Shawn Doyle, and co-written by the late Charles Officer, is a powerful tribute to the Toronto filmmaker, and a reimagining of the original 1986 film
Notable North American premieres include:
French animation director Ugo Bienvenu’s “Arco“, Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s “A Useful Ghost, Barrio Triste“, from music video director STILLZ, Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon“, Chadian director Achille Ronaimou’s surprising debut feature Diya, Genki Kawamura’s “Exit 8“, Quebec screenwriter, actor and director Eric K. Boulianne’s “Follies“, Taiwanese actor and director Shu Qi’s “Girl“, Iraqi filmmaker’s Mohamed Jabarah’s “Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream“, Shih-Ching Tsou’s “Left-Handed Girl“, co-written by Sean Baker, “Lucky Lu“ by Korean-Canadian writer-director and 2025 TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award recipient Lloyd Lee Choi, German auteur Christian Petzold’s “Miroirs No. 3“, Italian filmmaker Francesco Sossai’s “The Last One for The Road“, Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen’s “The Last Viking“, Diego Céspedes’ “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo“. Hafsia Herzi’s “The Little Sister“, and other Centrepiece standout selections are: “Duse“, an International Premiere from visionary Italian auteur Pietro Marcello (whose “Martin Eden” won TIFF’s 2019 Platform prize), and “Hamlet“, a Canadian Premiere from director Aneil Karia.
Centrepiece is programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Claire Diao, Giovanna Fulvi, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Anita Lee, Peter Kuplowsky, Andréa Picard, and Jason Ryle.
2025 CENTREPIECE PROGRAMME (in alphabetical order)
A Useful Ghost | Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke | Thailand/France/Singapore/Germany
North American Premiere
Arco | Ugo Bienvenu | France
North American Premiere
Barrio Triste | STILLZ | Colombia/USA
North American Premiere
Blood Lines | Gail Maurice | Canada
World Premiere
Blue Heron | Sophy Romvari | Canada/Hungary
North American Premiere
Blue Moon | Richard Linklater | USA/Ireland
North American Premiere
Carolina Caroline | Adam Carter Rehmeier | USA
World Premiere
Dandelion’s Odyssey | Momoko Seto | France/Belgium
North American Premiere
Diya | Achille Ronaimou | Chad/France/Germany/Côte d’Ivoire
North American Premiere
Duse | Pietro Marcello | France/Italy
International Premiere
Eagles of the Republic | Tarik Saleh | Sweden/France/Denmark/Finland/Germany
North American Premiere
Erupcja | Pete Ohs | USA/Poland
World Premiere
Exit 8 | Genki Kawamura | Japan
North American Premiere
Follies | Eric K. Boulianne | Canada
North American Premiere
Girl | Shu Qi | Taiwan
North American Premiere
Good Boy | Jan Komasa | Poland/UK
World Premiere
Hamlet | Aneil Karia | UK
Canadian Premiere
Honey Bunch | Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli | Canada
North American Premiere
I Swear | Kirk Jones | UK
World Premiere
In Search of The Sky | Jitank Singh Gurjar | India
World Premiere
Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream | Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji | Iraq/United Arab Emirates/France/UK/Qatar/Saudi Arabia
North American Premiere
Left-Handed Girl | Shih-Ching Tsou | Taiwan/France/USA/UK
North American Premiere
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain | Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han | France
North American Premiere
Lucky Lu | Lloyd Lee Choi | USA
North American Premiere
Mama | Or Sinai | Israel/Poland/Italy
North American Premiere
Memory of Princess Mumbi | Damien Hauser | Kenya/Switzerland/Saudi Arabia
North American Premiere
Milk Teeth | Mihai Mincan | Romania/France/Denmark/Greece/Bulgaria
North American Premiere
Miroirs No. 3 | Christian Petzold | Germany
North American Premiere
Motor City | Potsy Ponciroli | USA
North American Premiere
My Father’s Shadow | Akinola Davies Jr. | UK/Nigeria
North American Premiere
New Years Rev | Lee Kirk | USA
World Premiere
Nomad Shadow | Eimi Imanishi | USA/Spain/France
World Premiere
Olmo | Fernando Eimbcke | USA/Mexico
North American Premiere
Orphan | László Nemes | Hungary/France/Germany/UK
North American Premiere
Palimpsest: the Story of a Name | Mary Stephen | France/Hong Kong/Taiwan
World Premiere
Renoir | Chie Hayakawa | Japan/France/Singapore/Philippines/Indonesia/Qatar
North American Premiere
Saipan | Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn | Ireland/UK
World Premiere
Space Cadet | Kid Koala | Canada
North American Premiere
The Blue Trail | Gabriel Mascaro | Brazil/Mexico/Chile/Netherlands
North American Premiere
The Condor Daughter | Álvaro Olmos Torrico | Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay
World Premiere
The Cost of Heaven | Mathieu Denis | Canada
World Premiere
The Fox King | Woo Ming Jin | Malaysia/Indonesia
World Premiere
The Last One for The Road | Francesco Sossai | Italy/Germany
North American Premiere
The Last Viking | Anders Thomas Jensen | Denmark/Sweden
North American Premiere
The Little Sister | Hafsia Herzi | France/Germany
North American Premiere
The Love That Remains | Hlynur Pálmason | Iceland/Denmark/Sweden/France
North American Premiere
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Diego Céspedes | Chile/France
North American Premiere
The President’s Cake | Hasan Hadi | Iraq/USA/Qatar
North American Premiere
The Sun Rises On Us All | Cai Shangjun | China
North American Premiere
Two Prosecutors | Sergei Loznitsa | France/Germany/Netherlands/Latvia/Romania/Lithuania
North American Premiere
Under The Same Sun | Ulises Porra | Dominican Republic/Spain
World Premiere
Unidentified | Haifaa Al Mansour | Saudi Arabia
World Premiere
Wasteman | Cal McMau | UK
World Premiere
Whitetail | Nanouk Leopold | Netherlands/Belgium/Ireland
World Premiere
Youngblood | Hubert Davis | Canada
World Premiere
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025. For more information, click here.
