Toronto International Film Festival 2023 unveiled this year’s Centrepiece (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) program featuring 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries. Films include Close Your Eyes by Víctor Erice, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Green Border by Agnieszka Holland, and Perfect Days by Wim Wenders.

“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF progra, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”

TIFF also announced the additional lineup of recently confirmed Galas, Special Presentations, and Documentaries.

CENTREPIECE PROGRAMME 2023

100 Yards
Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere

About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne)
Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Turkey/France/Germany/Sweden
North American Premiere
Luminaries

A Happy Day
Hisham Zaman | Norway/Denmark
World Premiere

A Ravaging Wind (El Viento Que Arrasa)
Paula Hernández | Argentina/Uruguay
World Premiere

A Road to A Village (गाउ आएको बाटो)
Nabin Subba | Nepal
World Premiere

Banel & Adama (Banel e Adama)
Ramata-Toulaye Sy | France/Senegal/Mali
North American Premiere

Chuck Chuck Baby
Janis Pugh | United Kingdom
International Premiere

City of Wind (сэр сэр салхи)
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir | France/Mongolia/Portugal/Netherlands/Qatar/Germany
North American Premiere

Close Your Eyes (Cerrar Los Ojos)
Víctor Erice | Spain/Argentina
North American Premiere
Luminaries

Death of a Whistleblower
Ian Gabriel | South Africa
World Premiere

Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet)
Aki Kaurismäki | Finland/Germany
Canadian Premiere
Luminaries

Fitting In
Molly McGlynn | Canada
Canadian Premiere
Sloan Science on Film Showcase, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Green Border (Zielona Granica)
Agnieszka Holland | Poland/Czech Republic/France/Belgium
North American Premiere
Luminaries

Hey, Viktor!
Cody Lightning | Canada
Canadian Premiere

Holiday
Edoardo Gabbriellini | Italy
World Premiere

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant)
Ariane Louis-Seize | Canada
North American Premiere

I Do Not Come To You By Chance
Ishaya Bako | Nigeria
World Premiere

In Flames
Zarrar Kahn | Canada/Pakistan
North American Premiere

Inshallah a Boy (Inshallah Walad)
Amjad Al Rasheed | Jordan/France/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/Egypt
North American Premiere

Irena’s Vow
Louise Archambault | Canada/Poland
World Premiere

Je’vida
Katja Gauriloff | Finland
Canadian Premiere

Kanaval
Henri Pardo | Canada/Luxembourg
World Premiere

Limbo
Ivan Sen | Australia
North American Premiere

Lost Ladies (Laapataa Ladies)
Kiran Rao | India
World Premiere

Mountains
Monica Sorelle | USA
International Premiere

National Anthem
Luke Gilford | USA
International Premiere

Perfect Days
Wim Wenders | Japan
Canadian Premiere

Robot Dreams “Pablo Berger | Spain/France
North American Premiere

Shadow of Fire
Shinya Tsukamoto | Japan
North American Premiere

Shayda
Noora Niasari | Australia
Canadian Premiere

Sira
Apolline Traoré | Burkina Faso/Senegal/France/Germany
North American Premiere

Snow Leopard (Xue Bao)
Pema Tseden | China
North American Premiere

Sweet Dreams
Ena Sendijarević | Netherlands/ Sweden/ Indonesia/France
North American Premiere

The Breaking Ice
Anthony Chen | China
North American Premiere

The Delinquents
Rodrigo Moreno | Argentina/Brazil/Luxembourg/Chile
North American Premiere

The Feeling That the Time for Something Has Passed
Joanna Arnow | USA
North American Premiere

The Monk and the Gun
Pawo Choyning Dorji | Bhutan/France/USA/Taiwan
International Premiere

The Nature of Love (Simple Comme Sylvain)
Monia Chokri | Canada/France
North American Premiere

The Reeds (Son Hasat)
Cemil Ağacıkoğlu | Turkey/Bulgaria
World Premiere

The Settlers (Los Colonos)
Felipe Gálvez Haberle | Chile/Argentina/France/Denmark/United Kingdom/Taiwan/Sweden/Germany
North American Premiere

The Teachers’ Lounge
Ilker Çatak | Germany
North American Premiere

They Shot the Piano Player (Dispararon Al Pianista)
Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal | Spain/France
Canadian Premiere

Toll (Pedágio)
Carolina Markowicz | Brazil/Portugal
World Premiere

Upon Open Sky (A Cielo Abierto)
Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriaga | Mexico/Spain
North American Premiere

We Grown Now
Minhal Baig | USA
World Premiere

Woodland (WALD)
Elisabeth Scharang | Austria
World Premiere

Your Mother’s Son (Anak Ka Ng Ina Mo)
Jun Robles Lana | Philippines
World Premiere

GALAS

A Normal Family
Hur Jin-ho | South Korea
World Premiere

Finestkind
Brian Helgeland | USA
World Premiere

Smugglers
Ryoo Seung-wan | South Korea
North American Premiere

Thank You For Coming
Karan Boolani | India
World Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Daddio
Christy Hall | United States
International Premiere

El Sabor de la Navidad
Alejandro Lozano | Mexico
World Premiere

Evil Does Not Exist
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi | Japan
North American Premiere

Quiz Lady
Jessica Yu | USA
World Premiere

Ru
Charles-Olivier Michaud | Canada
World Premiere

The Movie Teller
Lone Scherfig | Spain/France/Chile
World Premiere

The Promised Land
Nikolaj Arcel | Denmark/Germany/Sweden
Canadian Premiere

DOCUMENTARY

I am Sirat
A collaboration between Deepa Mehta and Sirat Taneja | Canada
World Premiere