TIFF

Train Dreams

Or, the Roger’s experience of America’s making Train Dreams a film directed by Clint Bentley and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 4–14, 2025 Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams—an adaptation of Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella of the same title—has the same sentimentality and prodigious lens flare as an Ozempic advertisement. It’s important to establish […]

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Vaulting ambition o’erleaps itself in del Toro’s Frankenstein

Frankenstein a film directed by Guillermo del Toro and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 4–14, 2025 In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor’s ambitions lead him astray. How ironic, then, that Guillermo del Toro’s lofty aspirations to vivify this classic novel end in disaster. With any literary adaptation, fans will naively point to

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Sometimes spectacle isn’t quite spectacular

Egghead Republic is a multifaceted film about many things. Possibly, a bit too much. Egghead Republic a film written and directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 4–14, 2025. Speculative art often has a way of being quite . . . lacklustre. The ground mandatory to

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Luca Guadagnino on explorations of queerness in his films

“The ‘why’ is that I love these characters and I love this world,” Guadagnino told The Strand at a recent press conference At a recent press conference for Queer, Luca Guadagnino’s latest cinematic endeavor, the celebrated director shed light on his approach to identity, storytelling, and queerness in his filmography. Known for acclaimed works with

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Independent producing, protecting a set, and the future of the Canadian film industry

An Interview with Enrique Baniqued, Executive Producer of the TIFF standout film Village Keeper Village Keeper is the debut narrative feature film from documentarian Karen Chapman. It tells the story of a Toronto mother learning to process grief, enact self-love, and uplift her community. Enrique Baniqued was nominated alongside Chapman for the Canadian Media Producers

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Anora – TIFF Review

The rise and fall of a northeast princess In a cinematic environment where many audiences feel they can only be entertained by big-budget blockbusters, Anora explodes into the landscape reminding viewers of the medium’s power to make individual stories into large-scale epics.  Anora was written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker (whose previous works include

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Riff Raff, The Last Showgirl, and Saturday Night – TIFF Reviews

Families forged out of ensembles Riff Raff: Families are… complicated. The messiness which arises from poor communication has produced numerous comedies through time. However, the experience you get when combining family comedy with a bunch of assassins is uniquely felt in Dito Montiel’s new film Riff Raff.  The film features an all-star ensemble with Jennifer

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