The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled the 2024 selections for the Wavelengths program, and the TIFF Classics program, supported by Ontario Creates and the Canada Council for the Arts. The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will take place September 5โ15.
WAVELENGTHS
Highlighting visionary work from the worlds of international cinema and contemporary art, the Wavelengths program includes a selection of 11 features, three shorts program, and a special in-cinema looped presentation. Intergenerational and regionally diverse, with emerging talents screening alongside legendary peers, the films in this yearโs selection range from a two-minute animation to a gripping 14-hour documentary, offering a mix of dazzling formal work, subversive narratives, and boldly political perspectives.
The 2024 Wavelengths program is curated by sr. curator Andrรฉa Picard and associate curator Jesse Cumming, with contributions by Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, and June Kim.
Feature film highlights include a number by esteemed Wavelengths alumni, among them the North American premieres of Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes, The Damned by Roberto Minervini, and Pepe by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias.
Jessica Sarah Rinland also returns to the program with Collective Monologue, alongside the North American Premiere of the queer, controversial Viรชt and Nam, by first-time Wavelengths filmmaker Trฦฐฦกng Minh Quรฝ. The 14-hour, compulsively watchable exergue–on documenta 14 from Greek filmmaker Dimitris Athiridi will be presented over three screenings.
Short film highlights include the world premieres of Archipelago of Earthen Bones โ To Bunya by Malena Szlam, and A Black Screen Too by Sobey Prizeโnominated Rhayne Vermette, as well as the North American premiere of Lawrence Abu Hamdanโs The Diary of a Sky. A pairing of work by legendary filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and John Smith includes the formerโs final film Scรฉnarios, completed just before Godardโs death, and the world premiere of Smithโs wry, moving Being John Smith.
Presented as a rare and special presentation, the program is rounded out by celebrated Egyptian artist Wael Shawkyโs Drama 1882. A mesmerizing highlight of this yearโs Venice Biennale, the film (re)stages an anti-colonial uprising as a libretto across eight chapters and 45 hypnotic minutes. Drama 1882 will be presented looped in-cinema on Saturday, September 7, and admission will be free.
CLASSICS
TIFF Classics reunites audiences with iconic films from visionary filmmakers such as Srinivas Krishna, Raj Kapoor, and Atom Egoyan. Two newly restored international discoveries include Shahid Sohrab Salessโ Time of Maturity, and Lino Brockaโs Bona. In celebration of the centenary of auteur Raj Kapoor, known as The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema, TIFF Classics presents the world premiere 4K restoration of one of his most acclaimed films, Awฤra, which he directs and stars in.
Continuing TIFFโs year-long spotlight on Toronto New Wave filmmakers, Classics is screening the 4K restoration of Atom Egoyanโs The Sweet Hereafter; and Srinivas Krishnaโs Masala, a restoration that was made possible through Canadian Cinema โ Reignited, a Telefilm Canada initiative, in partnership with TIFF. Lastly, Classics is honored to present the world premiere of the new 4K restoration of legendary filmmaker Frederick Wisemanโs documentary Essene.
The 2024 Classics program is programmed by Robyn Citizen, TIFFโs director of programming, and Andrรฉa Picard.
Wavelengths Features 2024 (in alphabetical order):
Collective Monologue [Monรณlogo colectivo]
Jessica Sarah Rinland | Argentina/United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Sales Title
exergue – on documenta 14
Dimitris Athiridis | Greece
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Grand Tour
Miguel Gomes | Portugal/Italy/France/Germany/Japan/China
North American Premiere
Lรกzaro at Night [Lรกzaro de noche]
Nicolรกs Pereda | Canada/Mexico
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Pepe
Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias | Dominican Republic/Germany/France/Namibia
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Perfumed with Mint [Moattar binanaa]
Muhammed Hamdy | Egypt/France/Tunisia/Qatar
North American Premiere
Sales Title
The Ballad of Suzanne Cรฉsaire
Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich | USA
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
The Damned
Roberto Minervini | Italy/USA/Belgium
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Viรชt and Nam
Trฦฐฦกng Minh Quรฝ | Philippines/Singapore/France/Netherlands/Italy/Germany/Vietnam
North American Premiere
Youth (Hard Times) [Qing Chun (Ku)]
Wang Bing | France/Luxembourg/Netherlands
North American Premiere
Luminaries
Youth (Homecoming) [Qing Chun (Gui)]
Wang Bing | France/Luxembourg/Netherlands
North American Premiere
Luminaries
Wavelengths Special Presentation 2024:
Drama 1882 Wael Shawky | Egypt
Festival Premiere
Wavelengths Shorts 2024:
WAVELENGTHS 1: EYE & EAR CONTROL
Revolving Rounds Johann Lurf, Christina Jauernik | Austria
North American Premiere
The Diary of a Sky
Lawrence Abu Hamdan | Lebanon
North American Premiere
Sales Title
October Noon [Octubre al mediodรญa]
Francisco Rodrรญguez Teare | Chile/France
World Premiere
Sales Title
A Black Screen Too
Rhayne Vermette | Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title
Archipelago of Earthen Bones โ To Bunya
Malena Szlam | Canada/Australia/Chile
World Premiere
WAVELENGTHS 2: RIDE THE WAVE
Someplace in Your Mouth
Beatrice Gibson, Nick Gordon | Italy
International Premiere
Sales Title
Notes of a Crocodile
Daphne Xu | Cambodia/China/Canada
World Premiere
Sales Title
Adrift Potentials [Potenciais ร deriva]
Leonardo Pirondi | Brazil/USA
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Go Between
Chris Kennedy | Canada/Australia
World Premiere
Sales Title
The Sojourn
Tiffany Sia | USA
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
WAVELENGTHS 3: EXPOSร(S) – JEAN-LUC GODARD/JOHN SMITH
Scรฉnarios
Jean-Luc Godard | France/Japan
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Exposรฉ du film annonce du film โScรฉnarioโ
Jean-Luc Godard | France/Japan
North American Premiere
Sales Title
Being John Smith
John Smith | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sales Title
Classics Program 2024 (in alphabetical order):
Awฤra
Raj Kapoor | India
Bona
Lino Brocka | Philippines
Essene
Frederick Wiseman | USA
Masala
Srinivas Krishna | Canada
The Sweet Hereafter
Atom Egoyan | Canada
Time of Maturity [Reifezeit]
Sohrab Shahid Saless | Germany