Nearly fifty French-produced or co-produced films, both shorts and features, will be screened across all strands during the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), North America's largest film festival and film market, which will take place in the Canadian city from September 4 to 14.
For its 50th edition, the major international film event that is TIFF will present several French films in world premieres including the highly anticipated Couture, the new film by Alice Winocour, starring Angelina Jolie and Ella Rumpf, Two Pianos by Arnaud Desplechin, The Fence by Claire Denis, starring Matt Dillon and Isaach De Bankolé, and Palimpsest: the Story of a Name by Mary Stephen, with all of the above-mentioned individuals in attendance.
As is the case every year, this will also an opportunity to see numerous North American premieres of films presented at the latest Cannes Film Festival (It Was Just an Accident, The Little Sister, Nouvelle Vague, A Private Life, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Nino, Dandelion's Odyssey, Two Prosecutors, Arco, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, Mare's Nest) or more recently at Venice (Dog 51, The Wizard of the Kremlin, The Voice of Hind Rajab, Calle Malaga).
The artistic delegation
A large delegation of artists associated with French cinema will be attending this year. Below is a list of all the artists already announced for majority-French films (this list is not exhaustive and is subject to change):
- The Wizard of the Kremlin: Olivier Assayas & Paul Dano
- Couture: Alice Winocour, Angelina Jolie, Ella Rumpf, & Anyier Anei
- Dandelion's Odyssey: Momoko Seto
- It Was Just an Accident: Jafar Panahi
- Dog 51: Cédric Jimenez & Gilles Lellouche
- The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo: Diego Céspedes
- The Fence: Claire Denis, Matt Dillon, Isaach De Bankolé, Mia Mckenna-Bruce, & Tom Blyth
- A Private Life: Rebecca Zlotowski & Jodie Foster
- The Little Sister: Nadia Melliti
- The Voice of Hind Rajab: Kaouther Ben Hania
- Two Pianos: Arnaud Desplechin & François Civil
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain: Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han
- Nino: Pauline Loquès & Théodore Pellerin
- Nouvelle Vague: Richard Linklater & Guillaume Marbeck
- Palimpsest: the Story of a Name: Mary Stephen
- Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk: Sepideh Farsi
- Calle Malaga: Maryam Touzani & Carmen Maura
- Water Girl: Sandra Desmazières
Filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose film It Was Just an Accident, winner of the 2025 Palme d'Or, is a French film, will receive the TIFF Special Tribute Award on 7 September, as part of the TIFF Tribute Awards Gala.
As part of Ontario Creates IFF (International Co-Production Forum), two French companies will be present: Almano Films, whose Pierre Filmon will come to present the Barbarigo, Father & Sons project, and Other Angle Pictures, for The Gummy Bear project, presented by Olivier Albou.
Unifrance at TIFF
This year, Unifrance will once again take over the Fifth Social Club on the evening of Saturday, September 6, for its traditional French Night, an event bringing together the teams behind the French films in selection, as well as producers, exporters, distributors, and international professionals, organized in partnership with BNP Paribas.
Unifrance will also host a dinner with French artists to encourage networking with North American professionals.
A masterclass with filmmaker Momoko Seto will take place on Saturday, September 6, organized by the Consulat Général de France in Toronto, Directors Guild of Canada, and Unifrance, in collaboration with OCAD University.
The French-Japanese filmmaker will also take part in a talk on Tuesday, September 9, entitled “Creative Visions in Animated Feature Films,” as part of the Industry Programming Dialogue Sessions. She will be joined by Japanese director Mamoru Hosada and Chinese director Domee Shi.
Unifrance's presence at TIFF is supported by the République Française, CNC, PROCIREP, and BNP Paribas.
All the French films at the 50th TIFF
Gala
- A Private Life by Rebecca Zlotowski
- Two Pianos by Arnaud Desplechin
- Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir (minority-French co-production)
Special Presentations
- The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier Assayas
- It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi
- The Fence by Claire Denis
- The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania
- Dog 51 by Cédric Jimenez
- Couture by Alice Winocour
- Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater
- Calle Malaga by Maryam Touzani
- Silent Friend by Ildiko Enyedi (minority-French co-production)
- Sirât by Oliver Laxe (minority-French co-production)
- Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier (minority-French co-production)
- The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho (minority-French co-production)
- Vivaldi et moi by Damiano Michieletto (minority-French co-production)
Discovery
- Sink by Zain Duraie (minority-French co-production)
- Amoeba by Siyou Tan (minority-French co-production)
Wavelengths
- Mare's Nest by Ben Rivers
- Les Saisons by Maureen Fazendeiro (minority-French co-production)
- Magellan by Lav Diaz (minority-French co-production)
- With Hasan in Gaza by Kamal Aljafari
Platform
TIFF Docs
- Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi
- Orwell: 2+2=5 by Raoul Peck (minority-French co-production)
- Flana by Zahraa Ghandour (minority-French co-production)
- Landmarks by Lucrecia Martel (minority-French co-production)
Centrepiece
- The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi
- Palimpsest: the Story of a Name by Mary Stephen
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain by Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han
- Arco by Ugo Bienvenu
- Dandelion's Odyssey by Momoko Seto
- Two Prosecutors by Sergei Loznitsa
- Milk Teeth by Mihai Mincan (minority-French co-production)
- Diya by Achille Ronaimou (minority-French co-production)
- A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (minority-French co-production)
- Irkalla - Gilgamesh's Dream by Mohamed Jabarah Al Daradji (minority-French co-production)
- The Love That Remains by Hlynur Pálmason (minority-French co-production)
- The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes
- Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou (minority-French co-production)
- Eagles of the Republic by Tarik Saleh (minority-French co-production)
- Orphan by László Nemes (minority-French co-production)
- Renoir by Chie Hayakawa (minority-French co-production)
- Nomad Shadow by Eimi Imanishi (minority-French co-production)
Short films - Short Cuts
- Death of the Fish by Éva Lusbaronian
- I'm Glad You're Dead Now by Tawfeek Barhom
- To the Woods by Agnès Patron
- A South Facing Window by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
- Water Girl by Sandra Desmazières
- UM by Nieto
