Toronto International Film Festival revealed the 2023 selections for the Discovery and Midnight Madness programs.
The Midnight Madness lineup, highlighting the weird and the wicked, features 10 titles, 7 of which are World Premieres.
“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,” said Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness. “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!”
The Discovery lineup, offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers, and includes 26 titles. 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total program are featured in this year’s Discovery program.
“The Discovery section, which is curated by a brilliant team of international programmers, is an integral part of TIFF,” stated Dorota Lech, TIFF Lead Programmer, Discovery, & International Programmer for Central, Eastern, & Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Iran, & Turkey. “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 program of 26 titles includes films from 25 countries, accounting for international co-productions and local talent.”
MIDNIGHT MADNESS PROGRAM 2023
AGGRO DR1FT
Harmony Korine | USA
North American Premiere
Boy Kills World
Moritz Mohr | Germany/South Africa/USA
World Premiere
OPENING FILM
Dicks: The Musical
Larry Charles | USA
World Premiere
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
CLOSING FILM
Riddle of Fire
Weston Razooli | USA
North American Premiere
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
DISCOVERY PROGRAMME 2023
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
Arthur & Diana
Sara Summa | Germany
World Premiere
Backspot
D.W. Waterson | Canada
World Premiere
Frybread Face and Me
Billy Luther | USA
International Premiere
OPENING FILM
Gonzo Girl
Patricia Arquette | USA
World Premiere
Hajjan
Abu Bakr Shawky | Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Jordan
World Premiere
How to Have Sex
Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom
North American Premiere
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