The Toronto International Film Festival’s 2018 documentary program has unveiled its lineup of 27 feature-length non-fiction films, representing 19 countries. The TIFF Docs selection will open with the world premiere of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 , a radical and humorous look at the United States under Donald Trump. Other world premieres include Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks’ Quincy, profiling musical icon Quincy Jones; Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble’s The Elephant Queen, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, tracing the epic journey of an elephant herd; Billy Corben’s Screwball, a true-crime comedy on doping in Major League Baseball; and Maxim Pozdorovkin’s The Truth About Killer Robots, investigating the lethal consequences of automation.
The TIFF Docs program is made possible through the generous sponsorship of A&E IndieFilms.
“TIFF Docs contains multiple titles poised to become the next non-fiction hits after a summer of box-office breakouts,” said TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers. “Beyond the well-known directors in the lineup, look out for newer talents that will take audiences by surprise.”
One-third of this year’s doc features are directed or co-directed by female filmmakers including TIFF Docs closing film, Margarethe von Trotta’s Searching for Ingmar Bergman, which offers a multi-faceted look at the Swedish auteur’s life 100 years after his birth. Women creators, trailblazers, and the #MeToo movement are also examined within the lineup: Naziha Arebi’s Freedom Fields, about a Libyan women’s football team; Alex Holmes’ Maiden recounts the story of the first all-women sailing crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race), skippered by Tracy Edwards; and Tom Volf’s Maria by Callas, narrated by Joyce DiDonato, profiles one of the major icons of the 20th century. More highlights include Alexis Bloom’s Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes, covering the Fox News creator who was ousted for allegations of sexual harassment; and Tom Donahue’s This Changes Everything, an examination of gender dynamics in Hollywood, executive produced by Geena Davis. Mark Cousins’ Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema, narrated by Tilda Swinton, explores international cinema through the lens of women directors.
Global politics and leaders of modern society are put under the microscope with films such as Werner Herzog and André Singer’s Meeting Gorbachev, on the former Soviet leader; Vitaly Mansky’s Putin’s Witnesses, focusing on Russia’s president; and Errol Morris’ American Dharma , looking at controversial Trump strategist Steve Bannon.
Grand adventures are at the heart of several docs in the selection. E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Free Solo captures Alex Honnold’s unprecedented climb of El Capitan without safety ropes; Andrey Paounov’s Walking on Water documents the artist Christo’s project The Floating Piers; John Chester’s The Biggest Little Farm chronicles an eight-year struggle to run a family farm; and Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron’s Ghost Fleet captures a nail-biting rescue of fishermen enslaved at sea.
After directing last year’s Festival opener Borg vs McEnroe, Janus Metz teams with Sine Plambech for the world premiere of Heartbound, a longitudinal study 10 years in the making about the trend of Thai women marrying Danish men. And several documentaries represent eclectic perspectives told from around the world, including: Rithy Panh’s Graves Without a Name, on the legacy of Cambodia’s genocide; Jawad Rhalib’s When Arabs Danced, on Muslim performers pushing boundaries; James Longley’s Angels Are Made Of Light, about a group of Afghan children and their teachers; and Frederick Wiseman’s Monrovia, Indiana , about a small town in America’s Midwest.
The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6-16, 2018.
Films screening as part of the TIFF Docs program include:
American Dharma Errol Morris | USA/United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Angels Are Made Of Light James Longley | USA/Denmark/Norway
Canadian Premiere
The Biggest Little Farm John Chester | USA
International Premiere
Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes Alexis Bloom | USA
World Premiere
The Elephant Queen Victoria Stone, Mark Deeble | United Kingdom/Kenya
World Premiere
*TIFF Docs Opening Film*
Fahrenheit 11/9 Michael Moore | USA
World Premiere
Free Solo E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA
International Premiere
Freedom Fields Naziha Arebi | Libya/United Kingdom/Netherlands/USA/Qatar/Lebanon/Canada
World Premiere
Ghost Fleet Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron | USA
International Premiere
Graves Without a Name ( Les tombeaux sans noms) Rithy Panh | France/Cambodia
Canadian Premiere
Heartbound ( Hjertelandet) Janus Metz, Sine Plambech | Denmark/Netherlands/Sweden
World Premiere
Maiden Alex Holmes | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Maria by Callas Tom Volf | France
North American Premiere
Meeting Gorbachev Werner Herzog, André Singer | United Kingdom/USA/Germany
Canadian Premiere
This Changes Everything Tom Donahue | USA
World Premiere
Monrovia, Indiana Frederick Wiseman | USA
North American Premiere
Putin’s Witnesses ( Svideteli Putina) Vitaly Mansky | Latvia/Switzerland/Czech Republic
International Premiere
Quincy Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks | USA
World Premiere
Screwball Billy Corben | USA
World Premiere
*TIFF Docs Closing Film*
Searching for Ingmar Bergman Margarethe von Trotta | Germany/France
North American Premiere
The Truth About Killer Robots Maxim Pozdorovkin | USA
World Premiere
Walking on Water Andrey Paounov | Italy/USA
North American Premiere
When Arabs Danced ( Au temps où les Arabes dansaient) Jawad Rhalib | Belgium
North American Premiere
Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema Mark Cousins | United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Previously announced Canadian features at the Festival include Ron Mann’s Carmine Street Guitars, Barry Avrich’s Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, and Astra Taylor’s What is Democracy?
