24 Sep The Top Six Films From TIFF

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world, and one of the most internationally recognized festivals. With the spread of the pandemic, film festivals globally have shifted to virtual screenings and socially-distanced, in-person screenings. The 45th edition of TIFF combines both online and in-person events to keep the spirit of the festival alive. 

While the experience of the film festival has shifted, the quality of the films this year is better than ever. Many Academy Award hopefuls have premiered at TIFF this year. These are my top six films from TIFF.

One Night in Miami directed by Regina King

Award-winning actress Regina King’s directorial debut One Night in Miami portrays a fictional encounter between boxer Cassius Clay (known as Muhammad Ali), activist Malcolm X, soul singer Sam Cooke, and football star Jim Brown. The film is set in a Miami hotel room after Clay wins the “Heavyweight Champion of the World” title. Each man opens up about their vulnerabilities and encourages one another to grow. King masterfully directs powerful performances from the actors to provide a new depth and perspective on these important men’s legacies. One Night in Miami is a story of Black brotherhood and solidarity.

The film was the first runner up for the TIFF 2020 People’s Choice Award.

Amazon acquired One Night in Miami with plans to release the film later this year.

Nomadland directed by Chloé Zhao

Living by the “10 commandments of stealth parking,” Fern, played by Frances McDormand, joins a group of seniors living in their vans and traveling across the country for work. McDormand commands the screen through intimate moments of solitude building up her van and working minimum wage jobs. The film is a meditative examination of the increasing wage inequality, dwindling social security funds, and the lack of resources for senior citizens.

Nomadland is based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century written by Jessica Bruder. It is the first film to win both the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion Award and the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award.

It will be theatrically released in the U.S. on December 4, 2020 by Searchlight Pictures.

76 Days directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, and Anonymous

76 Days is a rare look inside a hospital in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and an anonymous filmmaker, the film documents the overcrowding of a hospital wing as nurses struggle to manage lines of dozens of sick patients desperate for help. The film also follows pregnant mothers delivering babies that tested positive with coronavirus. Through a vérité look at Wuhan, the film reveals the underlying humanity and need for human connection despite the pandemic. 76 Days proves that reality can be scarier than any horror movie!

Shiva Baby directed by Emma Seligman

Have you ever had an explosive secret? A secret so tangled full of lies that the pressure of keeping it makes you break down in the worst possible place, a Jewish funeral service? Shiva Baby, directed by Emma Seligman, masterfully portrays this high anxiety situation with a perfectly nerve-inducing soundtrack of piercing violin sounds. The story slowly unravels, secret, after secret, as actress Rachel Sennott has a complete breakdown throughout the shiva. The film is based on the award-winning short film of the same name.

Beans directed by Tracey Deer

Directed by Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Penelope Tekahentakwa Deer, Beans is a coming-of-age story about a young indigenous girl who grows to own her identity. The film is set in 1990 during the 78-day standoff between two of the Mohawk communities and the government of Quebec, Canada. Young Beans is an artistic middle schooler with aspirations to attend a prestigious high school, primarily composed of white students. The summer before going to high school, her world is shaken when the standoff directly affects her family. The film investigates racism, colonialism, and young womanhood.

Beans was the second runner up for the TIFF People’s Choice Award. Tracey Deer received the TIFF Emerging Talent Award at the 2020 TIFF Tribute Awards.

No Ordinary Man directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt

Jazz musician Billy Tipton was publicly and violently outed as a trans man by popular news and media after his death. He was portrayed as a liar and often misgendered. No Ordinary Man re-writes the inaccurate and traumatic stories told about Tipton. Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, the film provides a beautiful, transformative portrayal of Tipton through a cast of trans actors who re-imagine his life. No Ordinary Man brings honor to Tipton’s music, family, life, and legacy.

Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx freelance journalist, documentary filmmaker, and festival programmer based in Philadelphia. They serve as Programming Director for the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and Co-Founder of ¡Presente! Media Collective. Kristal has written for ITVS, WHYY, AL DÍA, and Documentary Magazine. Kristal attended TIFF 2020 as part of Press Inclusion Initiative.