tiff 2022

TIFF 2022 Goes ‘White & Nerdy,’ Adds Weird: The Al Yankovic Story to Lineup

Photo: Rotten Tomatoes Trailers/YouTube

Much of the official festival lineup is in place for the 2022 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Gala Presentations and Special Feature Presentations were announced July 28, with exciting titles such as My Policeman, starring Harry Styles, and The Woman King, starring Viola Davis and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. “With stories that span six continents and feature performances you just have to see, this lineup delivers the rich experiences we wait all year for,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a statement. The 47th edition of TIFF runs from September 8 to 18, featuring 18 Gala films and 45 Special Presentations. Dalíland, a Salvador Dalí biopic directed by Mary Harron, will close the festival; it stars Ben Kingsley in the titular role. Notably not on TIFF’s August 9 casting announcement? Ezra Miller, who has been embroiled in controversy for months now but, per The Hollywood Reporter, still appears as young Dalí in the film.

Among the most exciting films to debut at the festival is the Harry Styles–starring romantic drama with “sculptural gay lovemaking.” Steven Spielberg will present The Fabelmans, “a deeply personal portrait of 20th-century American childhood.” And in exciting franchise developments, the sequel to Knives Out, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, will be there, starring the half of Hollywood that wasn’t in the first one. Billy Eichner’s Bros will also have a special presentation before premiering in theaters in the United States on September 30. No word yet if the gay lovemaking in that one is at all sculptural.

TIFF announced its Discovery, Midnight Madness, and Wavelengths programming on August 4. Discovery is designed for finding early and interesting filmmakers and has unearthed such directors as Yorgos Lanthimos and Steve McQueen early in their careers. Midnight Madness is for the “weird and wicked” films of the festival and includes Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al, as the opening-night film. Wavelengths, meanwhile, is the real artsy stuff. “The programme itself continues to champion film as art in a climate increasingly challenging for non-commercial and non-conforming work,” said the Wavelengths press release. Find the full list of films below.

Gala Film Presentations
AliceDarling, directed by Mary Nighy
Black Ice, directed by Hubert Davis
Butcher’s Crossing, directed by Gabe Polsky
The Greatest Beer Run Ever, directed by Peter Farrelly
The Hummingbird, directed by Francesca Archibugi
Hunt, directed by Lee Jung-jae
A Jazzman’s Blues, directed by Tyler Perry
Kacchey Limbu, directed by Shubham Yogi
Moving On, directed by Paul Weitz
Paris Memories, directed by Alice Winocour
Prisoner’s Daughter, directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Raymond & Ray, directed by Rodrigo García
Roost, directed by Amy Redford
Sidney, directed by Reginald Hudlin
The Son, directed by Florian Zeller
The Swimmers, directed by Sally El Hosaini
What’s Love Got To Do With It?, directed by Shekhar Kapur
The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

Special Presentations
Allelujah, directed by Sir Richard Eyre
All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Edward Berger
The Banshees Of Inisherin, directed by Martin McDonagh
Blueback, directed by Robert Connolly
The Blue Caftan, directed by Maryam Touzani
Broker, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Brother, directed by Clement Virgo
Bros, directed by Nicholas Stoller
Catherine Called Birdy, directed by Lena Dunham
Causeway, directed by Lila Neugebauer
Chevalier, directed by Stephen Williams
Corsage, directed by Marie Kreutzer
Decision to Leave, directed by Park Chan-wook
Devotion, directed by JD Dillard
Driving Madeleine, directed by Christian Carion
El Suplente, directed by Diego Lerman
Empire of Light, directed by Sam Mendes
The Eternal Daughter, directed by Joanna Hogg
The Fabelmans, directed by Steven Spielberg
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, directed by Rian Johnson
Good Night Oppy, directed by Ryan White
The Good Nurse, directed by Tobias Lindholm
Holy Spider, directed by Ali Abbasi
Joyland, directed by Saim Sadiq
The King’s Horseman, directed by Biyi Bandele
The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears
A Man of Reason, directed by Jung Woo-sung
The Menu, directed by Mark Mylod
On the Come Up, directed by Sanaa Lathan
One Fine Morning, directed by Mia Hansen-Løve
Other People’s Children, directed by Rebecca Zlotowski
Moonage Daydream, directed by Brett Morgen
My Policeman, directed by Michael Grandage
Nanny, directed by Nikyatu Jusu
No Bears, directed by Jafar Panahi
The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile, directed by Kathlyn Horan
Saint Omer, directed by Alice Diop
Sanctuary, directed by Zachary Wigon
Stories Not to be Told, directed by Cesc Gay
Triangle of Sadness, directed by Ruben Östlund
Walk Up, directed by Hong Sangsoo
Wendell & Wild, directed by Henry Selick
The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky
Women Talking, directed by Sarah Polley
The Wonder, directed by Sebastián Lelio

Discovery
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, directed by Aitch Alberto
Baby Ruby, directed by Bess Wohl
Carmen, directed by Benjamin Millepied
Daughter of Rage (La Hija de todas las Rabias), directed by Laura Baumeister
A Gaza Weekend, directed by Basil Khalil
I Like Movies, directed by Chandler Levack
The Inspection, directed by Elegance Bratton
A Long Break, directed by Davit Pirtskhalava
Pussy Joseph, directed by Amenta
Return to Seoul, directed by Davy Chou
ROSIE, directed by Gail Maurice
Runner, directed by Marian Mathias
SHIMONI, directed by Angela Wanjiku Wamai
Snow and the Bear, directed by Selcen Ergun
Something You Said Last Night, directed by Luis De Filippis
Susie Searches, directed by Sophie Kargman
Sweet As, directed by Jub Clerc
The Taste of Apples is Red, directed by Ehab Tarabieh
This Place, directed by V.T. Nayani
Unruly (Ustyrlig), directed by Malou Reymann
Until Branches Bend, directed by Sophie Jarvis
When Morning Comes, directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall
The Young Arsonists, directed by Sheila Pye

Midnight Madness
The Blackening, directed by Tim Story
Leonor Will Never Die, directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar
Pearl, directed by Ti West
The People’s Joker, directed by Vera Drew
Project Wolf Hunting, directed by Kim Hongsun
Sick, directed by John Hyams
Sisu, directed by Jalmari Helander
Venus, directed by Jaume Balagueró
V/H/S 99, directed by Flying Lotus, Johannes Roberts, Maggie Levin, Tyler MacIntyre, Vanessa & Joseph Winter
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, directed by Eric Appel

Wavelengths: Features
Concrete Valley, directed by Antoine Bourges
De Humani Corporis Fabrica, directed by Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Dry Ground Burning (Mato Seco em Chamas), directed by Joana Pimenta, Adirley Queirós
Horse Opera, directed by Moyra Davey
Pacifiction, directed byAlbert Serra
Queens of the Qing Dynasty, directed by Ashley McKenzie
Unrest (Unrueh), directed by Cyril Schäublin
Will-o’-the-Wisp (Fogo-Fátuo), directed by João Pedro Rodrigues

Wavelengths: Shorts
After Work, directed by Céline Condorelli, Ben Rivers
Bigger on the Inside, directed by Angelo Madsen Minax
EVENTIDE, directed by Sharon Lockhart
F1ghting Looks Different 2 Me Now, directed by Fox Maxy
Fata Morgana, directed by Tacita Dean
Hors-titre, directed by Wiame Haddad
I Thought the World of You, directed by Kurt Walker
Moonrise, directed byVincent Grenier
The Newest Olds, directed by Pablo Mazzolo
Puerta a Puerta, directed by Jessica Sarah Rinland, Luis Arnías
The Time That Separates Us, directed by Parastoo Anoushahpour
What Rules the Invisible, directed by Tiffany Sia

TIFF 2022 Lineup Adds Weird: The Al Yankovic Story