The Toronto International Film Festival did not forget the kids with the TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave selections, guaranteeing something for film lovers of all ages. This year’s selection includes The Elephant Queen, a fascinating documentary following the elephant Athena and her herd, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor; Icebox, based on an award-winning short of the same name that follows a twelve-year-old Honduran, Oscar, who faces the harsh reality of navigating immigration after fleeing gang violence in his hometown; Minuscule – Mandibles From Far Away, a story of a young ladybug who works to save the rainforest after being swept away on a grand adventure; and the stunningly animated Tito and the Birds, which follows ten-year-old Tito on his quest to learn more about birds as his town faces a strange new affliction that makes people sick when they get scared.
This year’s TIFF Next Wave lineup features 11 titles selected by the TIFF Next Wave committee, a group of young film aficionados responsible for picking the films they believe their peers would most enjoy. From the Ethiopian civil war ( Fig Tree) to the Closing Night Film of Midnight Madness ( Diamantino), Next Wave champions new and diverse voices. This year’s lineup boasts five films helmed by women and eight feature filmmaking debuts, including the world premieres of Jonah Hill’s nostalgic coming of age film, Mid90s, and Jasmin Mozaffari’s skillfully tenacious Firecrackers, made by an almost entirely female key crew.
The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.
TIFF Kids
The Elephant Queen Victoria Stone, Mark Deeble | United Kingdom/Kenya
World Premiere (TIFF Docs)
Recommended for ages 7+
Icebox Daniel Sawka | USA
World Premiere (Discovery)
Recommended for ages 11+
Minuscule – Mandibles From Far Away ( Minuscule – Les Mandibules du Bout du Monde) Thomas Szabo, Hélène Giraud | France
World Premiere (Contemporary World Cinema)
Recommended for ages 6+
Tito and the Birds ( Tito e os Pássaros) Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto | Brazil
North American Premiere (Discovery)
Recommended for ages 8+
TIFF Next Wave selection
Diamantino Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt | Portugal/France/Brazil
North American Premiere (Midnight Madness)
Fig Tree Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian | Israel/Germany/France/Ethiopia
World Premiere (Discovery)
Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari | Canada
World Premiere (Discovery)
Giant Little Ones Keith Behrman | Canada
World Premiere (Special Presentations)
Girl Lukas Dhont | Belgium
Canadian Premiere (Discovery)
The Grizzlies Miranda de Pencier | Canada
World Premiere (Special Presentations)
The Hate U Give George Tillman, Jr. | USA
World Premiere (Gala Presentations)
Mid90s Jonah Hill | USA
World Premiere (Special Presentations)
Phoenix ( Føniks) Camilla Strøm Henriksen | Norway/Sweden
World Premiere (Discovery)
Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya/South Africa/France/Lebanon/Norway/Netherlands/Germany/USA
North American Premiere (Discovery)
Teen Spirit Max Minghella | United Kingdom
World Premiere (Special Presentations)