TIFF has announced their Discovery and Midnight Madness lineups ahead of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
The Toronto International Film Festival is thrilled to announce the 2023 selections for the Discovery and Midnight Madness programs. The infamous Midnight Madness lineup features 10 titles, 7 of which are World Premieres. The Discovery lineup, which primarily boasts World and International Premieres, includes 26 titles. Notably, 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total program are featured in this year’s Discovery program.
Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favorite, iconoclastic program highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery program offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness programs for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.”
MIDNIGHT MADNESS 2023
“Sides will be split — both figuratively and literally (on screen) — as Midnight Madness returns to the Royal Alexandra Theatre with another stimulating concoction of unpredictable shock and ‘y’arr!’ cinema,” said Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness. “Featuring two timely satiric provocations from Saudi Arabia (NAGA) and Serbia (Working Class Goes to Hell) — nations that are making their section debut — this year’s madness infectiously ignites with 11 o’clock numbers that go all the way to midnight courtesy of Larry Charles’ bonkers and bawdy Dicks: The Musical. A menagerie of tastes will be sated, so bottoms up!”
- AGGRO DR1FT Harmony Korine | USA, North American Premiere
- Boy Kills World Moritz Mohr | Germany/South Africa/USA, World Premiere
- Dicks: The Musical Larry Charles | USA, World Premiere – OPENING FILM
- Hell of a Summer Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk | USA/Canada, World Premiere
- KILL Nikhil Nagesh Bhat | India, World Premiere
- NAGA Meshal Aljaser | Saudi Arabia, World Premiere
- Riddle of Fire Weston Razooli | USA, North American Premiere – CLOSING FILM
- Sleep Jason Yu | South Korea, North American Premiere
- When Evil Lurks Demián Rugna | Argentina, World Premiere
- Working Class Goes to Hell Mladen Đorđević | Serbia, World Premiere
DISCOVERY 2023
“The Discovery section, which is curated by a brilliant team of international programmers, is an integral part of TIFF,” stated Dorota Lech, TIFF Lead Programmer, Discovery, & International Programmer for Central, Eastern, & Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Iran, & Turkey. “It is a bold and exciting showcase of cinema and emerging talent from around the world, and we are honored to highlight new and distinctive voices from artists creating their first or second feature on our global stage. This year’s program of 26 titles includes films from 25 countries, accounting for international co-productions and local talent.”
- Achilles Farhad Delaram | Iran/Germany/France, World Premiere
- After the fire Mehdi Fikri | France, World Premiere
- A Match (Sthal) Jayant Digambar Somalkar | India, World Premiere
- Andragogy Wregas Bhanuteja | Indonesia/Singapore, World Premiere
- An Endless Sunday Alain Parroni | Italy/Germany/Ireland, International Premiere
- Arthur&Diana Sara Summa | Germany, World Premiere
- Backspot D.W. Waterson | Canada, World Premiere
- Frybread Face and Me Billy Luther | USA, International Premiere
- Gonzo Girl Patricia Arquette | USA, World Premiere – OPENING FILM
- Hajjan Abu Bakr Shawky | Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Jordan, World Premiere
- How to Have Sex Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom, North American Premiere
- I Don’t Know Who You Are M. H. Murray | Canada, World Premiere
- La Suprema Felipe Holguín Caro | Colombia, World Premiere
- Mandoob Ali Kalthami | Saudi Arabia, World Premiere
- Mimang Kim Taeyang | South Korea, World Premiere
- Seagrass Meredith Hama-Brown | Canada, World Premiere
- Solitude Ninna Pálmadóttir | Iceland/Slovakia/France, World Premiere
- Tautuktavuk (What We See) Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk | Canada, World Premiere
- The Teacher Farah Nabulsi | United Kingdom/Palestine/Qatar, World Premiere
- The Tundra Within Me (Eallugierdi) Sara Margrethe Oskal | Norway, World Premiere
- The Queen of My Dreams Fawzia Mirza | Canada, World Premiere
- Valentina or the Serenity (Valentina o la serenidad) Ángeles Cruz | Mexico, World Premiere
- Widow Clicquot Thomas Napper | France, World Premiere
- Wild Woman Alán González | Cuba, World Premiere
- Without Air Katalin Moldovai | Hungary, World Premiere
- Yellow Bus Wendy Bednarz | United Arab Emirates, World Premiere
The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7-17, 2023.
Please subscribe to Dugout Dirt and Solzy at the Movies on Substack.
