TIFF 2018 Announces First Slate of Buzzworthy Films

Toronto International Film Festival started rolling out their 2018 lineup today. Although not every TIFF selection is a world premiere, it is often the first time the press and the public get eyes and ears on award hopefuls. The immediate standouts include Beautiful Boy, A Star is Born, First Man, and The Hate U Give.

TIFF boasted, “The selection announced today includes 13 features directed by women.” Among them are major players like Amma Asante (A United Kingdom) and Claire Denis (Let the Sunshine In). Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), and Damien Chazelle (La La Land) are also featured.

If you have never been and want to get your feet wet, these are the films that impressed us the most last year. TIFF 2017 featured a few films that may sound familiar including Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, and The Shape of Water. Notice anything in common here? Yes, they all captured Oscar nominations with The Shape of Water taking home the big prize. Additionally, Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, and Spotlight all launched at TIFF in previous years.

Here is the full list. ‘Galas’ are shorthand for the biggest buzz with red carpet premieres. Special Presentations is one tier down with major talent or directors. We will, of course, be heading up to the Great White North for all the action. Keep an eye out for updates on the films that generate the biggest buzz September 6-16.

GALAS

Beautiful Boy | Felix van Groeningen, USA
World Premiere

Everybody Knows | Asghar Farhadi, Spain/France/Italy
North American Premiere

First Man | Damien Chazelle, USA
Canadian Premiere

Galveston | Mélanie Laurent, USA
Canadian Premiere

The Hate U Give | George Tillman, Jr., USA
World Premiere

Hidden Man | Jiang Wen, China
International Premiere

High Life | Claire Denis, Germany/France/Poland/United Kingdom
World Premiere

Husband Material | Anurag Kashyap, India
World Premiere

The Kindergarten Teacher | Sara Colangelo, USA
Canadian Premiere

The Land of Steady Habits | Nicole Holofcener, USA
World Premiere

Life Itself | Dan Fogelman, USA
World Premiere

The Public | Emilio Estevez, USA
World Premiere

Red Joan | Sir Trevor Nunn, United Kingdom
World Premiere

Shadow | Zhang Yimou , China
North American Premiere

A Star is Born | Bradley Cooper, USA
North American Premiere

What They Had | Elizabeth Chomko, USA
International Premiere

Widows | Steve McQueen, United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Ben is Back | Peter Hedges, USA
World Premiere

Burning | Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
North American Premiere

Can You Ever Forgive Me? | Marielle Heller, USA
International Premiere

Capernaum | Nadine Labaki, Lebanon
North American Premiere

Cold War | Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland/United Kingdom/France
Canadian Premiere

Colette | Wash Westmoreland, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere

Dogman | Matteo Garrone, Italy/France
Canadian Premiere

The Front Runner | Jason Reitman, USA
International Premiere

The Land of Steady Habits

Giant Little Ones | Keith Behrman, Canada
World Premiere

Girls of the Sun | Eva Husson, France
International Premiere

Hotel Mumbai | Anthony Maras, Australia
World Premiere

The Hummingbird Project | Kim Nguyen, Canada
World Premiere

If Beale Street Could Talk | Barry Jenkins, USA
World Premiere

Manto | Nandita Das, India
North American Premiere

Maya | Mia Hansen-Løve, France
World Premiere

Monsters and Men | Reinaldo Marcus Green, USA
Canadian Premiere

Special Presentations Opening Film
MOUTHPIECE | Patricia Rozema, Canada
World Premiere

Non-Fiction | Olivier Assayas, France
Canadian Premiere

Hidden Man

Old Man & the Gun | David Lowery, USA
International Premiere

Papi Chulo | John Butler, Ireland
World Premiere

Roma | Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico/USA
Canadian Premiere

Special Presentations Closing Film
Shoplifters | Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
Canadian Premiere

The Sisters Brothers | Jacques Audiard, USA/France/Romania/Spain
North American Premiere

Sunset | László Nemes, Hungary/France
North American Premiere

Through Black Spruce | Don McKellar, Canada
World Premiere

The Wedding Guest | Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Weekend | Stella Meghie, USA
World Premiere

Where Hands Touch | Amma Asante, United Kingdom
World Premiere

White Boy Rick | Yann Demange, USA
International Premiere

Wildlife | Paul Dano, USA
Canadian Premiere

Featured Image: (L-R) Algee Smith as Khalil and Amandla Stenberg as Starr in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE HATE U GIVE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelle Long

Kelle has written about film and TV for The Credits since 2016. Follow her on Twitter @molaitdc for interviews with really cool film and TV artists and only occasional outbursts about Broadway, tennis, and country music. Please no talking or texting during the movie. Unless it is a musical, then sing along loudly.