TIFF 2022: Short Cuts Lineup

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced live-action, narrative, documentary and animated films in the Short Cuts lineup.

TIFF’s Short Cuts lineup, presented by TikTok, will showcase 39 live-action narrative, documentary, and animated shorts by a groundbreaking group of filmmakers representing 18 countries. With thought-provoking works from emerging Canadian and international talent, the lineup also includes new films by TIFF alumni such as Alice Rohrwacher, Sarah McCarthy, Mbithi Masya, Matthew Rankin, Carol Nguyen, Karen Chapman, and Sophy Romvari.

The diverse lineup of shorts includes 21 World Premieres and 15 North American Premieres presented in 20 different languages, with a breadth of new and unique perspectives. Among this group of storytellers are 21 filmmakers from countries such as Portugal, China, Colombia, Mongolia, Kenya, Ukraine, the US, and the UK, as well as 18 filmmaking teams from across Canada.

“We’re thrilled to be returning with one of our strongest ever selections of short films by directors from all over the world,” says Jason Anderson, International Programmer for Short Cuts. “We’re always amazed by the breadth, depth, and diversity of the talents working in short-form cinema, whether they’re filmmakers who we’ve already had the privilege of presenting at TIFF or emerging storytellers who we can’t wait to introduce to our audiences. And however different these new works may be, what they share is an incredible sense of clarity and economy – these are films that don’t waste a second no matter what they’re out to achieve.”

That description applies to the wide array of cinematic visions contained within the Short Cuts program. Festival favorite Rohrwacher returns with Le Pupille, a holiday tale set in Italy during the Second World War that stars Alba Rohrwacher and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and was co-produced by Alfonso Cuarón. More new live-action shorts with performers familiar to Festival audiences include Hazel McKibbin’s She Always Wins, starring Honor Swinton Byrne of Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir, and Asia Youngman’s N’xaxaitkw, featuring Kiawentiio of Tracey Deer’s TIFF 2020 award-winner Beans.

Among the standout animations in this year’s Short Cuts are The Flying Sailor, a National Film Board of Canada production by the Oscar-nominated team of Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, and Ice Merchants by João Gonzalez, recent winner of Leitz Cine Discovery prize for best short film at the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes. The lineup also features extraordinary documentaries such as Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles by Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, Anastasia by Sarah McCarthy of the U.K., and Quiet Minds Silent Streets by Toronto’s Karen Chapman.

Films programmed in this year’s Short Cuts selection are eligible for three jury-selected IMDbPro Short Cuts Awards (Best Film, Best Canadian Film, and the Share Her Journey Award for best film by a woman) as well as the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award.

The first program to showcase films at the Festival by such directors as Sarah Polley and Clement Virgo, Short Cuts has a long tradition of introducing astounding new talents to Toronto audiences. The Short Cuts alumni directors bringing first features to the Festival this year are Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Carolina Markowicz, Charlotte Wells, Saim Sadiq, Luis De Filippis, Chandler Levack, Andrés Ramírez Pulido, Joseph Amenta, Sheila Pye, Graham Foy, and Sophie Jarvis.

In addition to the films included in Short Cuts lineup, there are 11 films in the Wavelengths shorts program, previously announced on August 4.

SHORT CUTS

Presented by TikTok

À la vie à l’amor Emilie Mannering | Canada, World Premiere
Against Reality Olivia Peace | United States of America, World Premiere
Airhostess-737 Thanasis Neofotistos | Greece, North American Premiere
All-inclusive (Todo incluido) Duván Duque Vargas | Colombia, France, World Premiere
Anastasia (Анастасия) Sarah McCarthy | UK, Canadian Premiere
Baba Mbithi Masya | Kenya, World Premiere
backflip Nikita Diakur | Germany, France, North American Premiere
CANARY Pierre-Hugues Dallaire, Benoit Therriault | Canada, North American Premiere
Diaspora Tyler Mckenzie Evans | Canada, World Premiere
Gary Screams For You Cody McGlashan, Nolan Sordyl | United States of America, World Premiere
Hills and Mountains (Koha wa Tapaha) Salar Pashtoonyar | Afghanistan, Canada, World Premiere
I’m On Fire Michael Spiccia | United States of America, Australia, World Premiere
Ice Merchants João Gonzalez | Portugal, France, United Kingdom, North American Premiere
It’s What Each Person Needs Sophy Romvari | Canada, World Premiere
Lay Me by the Shore David Findlay | Canada, North American Premiere
Le Pupille Alice Rohrwacher | Italy, United States of America, Canadian Premiere
Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles (Літургія протитанкових перешкод) Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk | Ukraine, United States of America, North American Premiere
Mirror Mirror Sandulela Asanda | South Africa, World Premiere
Municipal Relaxation Module Matthew Rankin | Canada, World Premiere
N’xaxaitkw Asia Youngman | Canada, World Premiere
Nanitic Carol Nguyen | Canada, World Premiere
No Ghost in the Morgue (Pas de fantôme à la morgue) Marilyn Cooke | Canada, Canadian Premiere
Pleasure Garden Rita Ferrando | Canada, World Premiere
Quiet Minds Silent Streets Karen Chapman | Canada, World Premiere
Rest Stop Crystal Kayiza | United States of America, World Premiere
Same Old Lloyd Lee Choi | United States of America, Canada, North American Premiere
Scaring Women At Night Karimah Zakia Issa | Canada, World Premiere
Shadow of the Butterflies (خيال الفراشات) Sofia El Khyari | France, Qatar, Portugal, North American Premiere
She Always Wins Hazel McKibbin | United States of America, United Kingdom, World Premiere
Simo (سيمو) Aziz Zoromba | Canada, World Premiere
Snow in September (9-р Сарын Цас) Lkhagvadulam (Dulmaa) Purev-Ochir | Mongolia, France, North American Premiere
The Chase Gurjeet Kaur Bassi | Canada, World Premiere
The Flying Sailor Wendy Tilby, Amanda Forbis | Canada, North American Premiere
The Garbage Man (O Homem do Lixo) Laura Gonçalves | Portugal, North American Premiere
The Melting Creatures (Las criaturas que se derriten bajo el sol) Diego Céspedes | Chile, France, International Premiere
The Pass Pepi Ginsberg | United States of America, North American Premiere
The Water Murmurs (海边升起一座悬崖 HAI BIAN SHENG QI YI ZUO XUAN YA) Jianying (Story) Chen | China, North American Premiere
Tremor (Beben) Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard | Germany, North American Premiere
Untold Hours Daniel Warth | Canada, World Premiere