Not long after its Lead Sponsor of 28 years had yelled ‘Cut!’ last year, another rival Telco (one of Canada’s largest) gamely stepped in to become the Toronto International Film Festival’s new Presenting Sponsor for its upcoming 49th edition (5-15 September 2024). TIFF’s recent press release had celebrated a record number of sponsors this year, but not stated were details of the total value of its partnerships until now, which may indicate how the festival will manage its evolution when it celebrates five decades next year. The branding that TIFF has built up from positioning itself as an American awards season prognosticator has lately been more rigorously challenged by the Venice (Italy) and Telluride (USA) Film Festivals, which happen at the same time, but yet have managed to consistently attract more valuable titles and celebrities for a while now. In response, TIFF’s announcement in May that it will be launching an official content market during its 2026 edition is proof that it is stepping up its game in response.
Official selections this year appear to be modestly curated across the board, with a balanced coverage of titles across East and Southeast Asia, padded with a handful of interesting cultural hybrid and non-native entries, as is usually the case. Notably, the Midnight Madness section will see an unusually high number of Asian titles in it: two from China and one each from Indonesia and Japan. Elsewhere, highlights include Wang Bing’s second and third entries in his Youth documentary trilogy about young textile workers in China’s hinterlands, which follow last year’s screening of his first entry subtitled Spring. Also of interest is Happyend, the debut feature of documentary and music filmmaker Sora Neo, who is the son of the late Japanese composer Sakamoto Ryuichi. Anniversary and retrospective screenings include Mina Shum’s landmark Double Happiness (1994) on its 30th anniversary, and a 4K digital restoration screening of the late Lino Brocka’s celebrated Bona (1980), starring Nora Aunor and Phillip Salvador.
Solid programming is also apparent on the industry side of the ledger. TIFF’s regular Dialogues conference will profile filmmaking currents in Southeast Asia with an event titled Southeast Asian Cinema: Voyage Beyond Borders, a moderated panel involving most of the directors behind this year’s official selections from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Next, a newly crafted mentoring program called Play the Part will matchmake experienced and novice filmmakers in a dialogue; this year’s inaugural event pairs Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke with Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel on stage. And for the third year running, TIFF will host a pair of Korean actors for its popular In Conversation With… series: actors Lee Dong-wook and Hyun Bin, who are gracing the world premiere of Woo Min-ho’s Harbin, will be on hand to discuss their careers in film and television. Rounding off, the festival will bestow Chinese actress Zhao Tao (wife and frequent collaborator of Jia Zhangke) with its TIFF Special Tribute Award.
This year’s Asian and Asian-interest feature films are:
Australia
The Wolves Always Come at Night (Gabrielle Brady, Australia/Germany/Mongolia 2024) – Platform
Belgium
A Missing Part (Guillaume Senez, Belgium/France 2024) – Centrepiece
Canada
Can I Get A Witness? (Ann Marie Fleming, Canada 2024) – Special Presentations
Double Happiness (Mina Shum, Canada 1994) – Special Anniversary Screening
The Mother and the Bear (Johnny Ma, Canada/Chile 2024) – Centrepiece
China
Bound in Heaven (Huo Xin, China 2024) – Centrepiece
Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke, China 2024) – Special Presentations
Daughter’s Daughter (Huang Xi, Taiwan 2024) – Platform
Dead Talents Society (John Hsu, Taiwan 2024) – Midnight Madness
Escape from the 21st Century (Li Yang, China 2024) – Midnight Madness
Mistress Dispeller (Elizabeth Lo, China/USA 2024) – TIFF Docs
France
Winter in Sokcho (Koya Kamura, France 2024) – Platform
Youth [Hard Times] (Wang Bing, France/Luxembourg/Netherlands 2024) – Wavelengths
Youth [Homecoming] (Wang Bing, France/Luxembourg/Netherlands 2024) – Wavelengths
Indonesia
Crocodile Tears (Tumpal Tampubolon, Indonesia/France/Germany/Singapore 2024) – Centrepiece
The Shadow Strays (Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia 2024) – Midnight Madness
Japan
Cloud (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Japan 2024) – Centrepiece
The Gesuidouz (Ugana Kenichi, Japan 2024) – Midnight Madness
Happyend (Sora Neo, Japan/USA 2024) – Centrepiece
My Sunshine (Okuyama Hiroshi, Japan/France 2024) – Centrepiece
Philippines
Sunshine (Antoinette Jadaone, Philippines 2024) – Centrepiece
Bona (Lino Brocka, Philippines 1980) – TIFF Classics
Portugal
Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes, Portugal/China/France/Germany/Italy/Japan 2024) – Wavelengths
Singapore
An Unfinished Film (Lou Ye, Singapore/Germany 2024) – Centrepiece
South Korea
By the Stream (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea 2024) – Centrepiece
Harbin (Woo Min-ho, South Korea 2024) – Gala
I, the Executioner (Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korea 2024) – Special Presentations
Love in the Big City (E.oni, South Korea 2024) – Special Presentations
Thailand
The Paradise of Thorns (Boss Kuno, Thailand 2024) – Discovery
USA
K-Pops! (Anderson .Paak, USA 2024) – Special Presentations
The Last of the Sea Women (Sue Kim, USA 2024) – TIFF Docs
Vietnam
Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Dương Diệu Linh, Vietnam/Indonesia/Philippines/Singapore 2024) – Centrepiece
Viêt and Nam (Trương Minh Quý, Vietnam/France/Germany/Italy/Netherlands/Philippines/Singapore 2024) – Wavelengths
Brandon Wee