Guess who’s coming to TIFF: Festival releases 47-film menu

The Toronto International Film Festival announced its first look at upcoming films for the 42nd edition of the festival ( taking place Sept. 7 th to 17 th) in its Special Presentation and Gala programs.

Among the 47 movies that were announced, a few notable titles include Guillermo del Toro’s Cold War-era fairy tale The Shape of Water, starring Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon and Sally Hawkins, and t he Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle Stronger, co- starring Tatiana Maslany and directed by David Gordon Green.

Special Presentation titles include the international première of the sports comedy/ biopic Battle of t he Sexes (starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell); the Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky collaboration, mother!; the Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya, starring Margot Robbie; and The Mountain Between Us, starring Idris Elba and Kate Winslet as two strangers stranded on a mountain.

Other famous actors have returned to the director’s chair for TIFF 2017: George Clooney’s Suburbicon and Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father will also play as part of the Special Presentations program, which will open with Lady Bird, the directorial debut from writer/actress and indie darling Greta Gerwig.

Special Presentations will close with the world première of Sheikh Jackson, an Egyptian movie about an imam obsessed with Michael Jackson. This first lineup of announced titles at TIFF features 25 world premières, which also i nclude Wim Wenders’ Submergence (starring James McAvoy) and the Gala closing night film, C’est la vie!, directed by The In- touchables directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano.

Other notable titles in the announced lineup include the Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman and directed by Joe Wright; the Judi-Denchstarring Victoria and Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears; and Alexander Payne’s starstudded Downsizing, featuring Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Alec Baldwin, Christoph Waltz, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Sudeikis.

With several options already to choose from, TIFF’s opening night film has yet to be announced.