TIFF Adds Guy Nattiv’s ‘The Liberation’ To Lineup
- 14 hours ago
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Clients: Guy Nattiv – Writer, Director; Jaime Ray Newman – Producer
The 51st edition of the Toronto Film Festival rounded out its schedule Tuesday with 11 more films. bringing this year’s count to 293 titles.
Of note, following the world premieres at Venice, Searchlight’s Martin McDonagh film Wild Horse Nine, Werner Herzog’s Rooney and Kate Mara movie Bucking Fastard, and Nanni Moretti’s It Will Happen One Night will find their way to Toronto for the fest, set to run September 10-20.
Wild Horse Nine stars John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Parker Posey, Steve Buscemi and Tom Waits in a story about two CIA agents who are facing a trust-testing mission from Santiago, Chile to Easter Island during 1973.
In Bucking Fastard, the Maras star as sisters Jean and Joan Holbrooke, who are so close that they speak in unison, love the same man, have the same dreams and even make the same slips of the tongue. Pic is based on a true story. Given the designation of Canadian premiere for both Bucking Fastard and Wild Horse Nine. it wouldn’t be shocking if we find these films showing up in the Telluride Film Festival lineup, which will be unveiled shortly before that fest starts September 4.
It Will Happen One Night, Moretti’s latest dramedy, revolved around four tenants who live in the same building in an Israeli city. Each faces personal problems and emotional voids. Their lives intertwine as they search for fulfillment, connection, and redemption.
The Idiot(s) stars The White Lotus’ Aimee Lou Wood, Johnny Flynn, Vicky Krieps and Christian Friedel in a story about a newlywed couple’s European honeymoon that leads them to Baden, which turns into an unexpected and explosive years-long stay as they struggle and overcome obstacles in pursuit of one of them, Fyodor, writing his to-be masterpiece The Idiot. With a Canadian premiere label here, we can figure it’s also going to Telluride.
Oscar winner Guy Nattiv arrives at TIFF with The Liberation, also having a Canadian premiere. Pic stars Carrie Coon, Lily James, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young, Tracy Letts and Jaime Ray Newman. Coon plays Rita, a woman in midlife haunted by the weight of her past, who encounters magnetic young spiritual leader Ricki (James) and leaves her family to follow her to an all-female commune. But when her daughters Ella (Ramsey) and Jo (Young) arrive unexpectedly and become drawn into the group’s seductive world, Rita is forced to choose between the family she left behind and the life she believes can save her.
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh stars in Bai Xue’s It’s My Time, receiving a North American premiere. The movie tells the story of a woman who always makes trouble in the nursing home, using her “nonsense” to fight against aging and prejudice. Unexpectedly, a small Rubik’s Cube becomes the fulcrum for her to pry open the future.
Getting a world premiere is actor Cody Fern’s directorial debut Closing Night starring Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson and Odessa A’zion. The family drama follows a renowned actress who faces mounting pressure during show rehearsals when her estranged sister suddenly reappears after three decades.
Peter Ho-Sun Chan was previously at a festival, specifically Cannes, in 2024 with She’s Got No Name, and he’s coming to TIFF with the world premiere of The Road Not Taken.
Below are the films announced today (in alphabetical order).
The Liberation | Guy Nattiv | USACanadian Premiere | Special Presentations