10 bold and boundary-pushing films to see during TIFF Platform this month

Filmmakers, celebrities and movie lovers are making their way to Toronto this month for the 47th annual TIFF, and we’ve got the details on a highlight you definitely won’t want to miss.

The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, running from September 8 to 18, is hosting its seventh Platform competitive programme. The 10 films in this year’s lineup are eligible for the Platform Prize and an award of $20,000.

Platform champions bold directorial visions, and this year features a variety of genres, filmmakers and actors from around the world.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by TIFF (@tiff_net)

You might also like:
• Taylor Swift is coming to TIFF to screen "All Too Well: The Short Film"
• 15 buzzworthy films coming to TIFF 2022 that you can't miss
• You can enjoy FREE outdoor films at the TIFF street party in September

“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO, in a release. “Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise.”

Platform was named after Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking seminal 2000 feature and is curated by TIFF Chief Programming Officer Anita Lee; Director, Festival Programming Robyn Citizen; and Senior Manager, Festival Programming Ravi Srinivasan.

Tora’s Husband by Rima Das/TIFF

The programme’s opening film is Emily by Frances O’Connor. The film is described as a “boldly atmospheric portrait of Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë,” and like all 10 Platform films is a world premiere.

Platform 2022 also includes two highly-anticipated Canadian titles. Riceboy Sleeps by Anthony Shim tells the story of a South Korean mother and son struggling with their new life in 1990s Canada and shines a light on the growing rift between them.

Riceboy Sleeps by Anthony Shim/TIFF

Viking by Stéphane Lafleur uses absurdist humour and thoughtful reflection to explore the human condition as the film follows behavioural research subjects and the astronauts they emulate in the leadup to the first manned Mars mission to Mars.

“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas,” said Lee in a statement.”

This year’s in-person, international jury is made up of Jury Chair Patricia Rozema, writer, producer, and director of films such as I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing and When Night is Falling; Iram Haq Norwegian Pakistani filmmaker or Trofast and I Am Yours; and Chaitanya Tamhane, a Mumbai independent filmmaker of Court and The Disciple.

Viking by Stéphane Lafleur/TIFF

Here is the full list of 10 films competing in TIFF Platform this year:

• Charcoal (Carvão) by Carolina Markowicz (Brazil, Argentina)
• Emily by Frances O’Connor (UK)
• The Gravity (La Gravité) by Cédric Ido (France)
• Hawa by Maïmouna Doucouré (France)
• How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Daniel Goldhaber (USA)
• Riceboy Sleeps by Anthony Shim (Canada)
• Subtraction (Tafrigh) by Mani Haghighi (Iran, France)
• Thunder (Foudre) by Carmen Jaquier (Switzerland)
• Tora’s Husband by Rima Das (India)
• Viking by Stéphane Lafleur (Canada)

For more information on TIFF 2022, visit tiff.net.