The Toronto International Film Festival is thrilled to announce the 2023 Discovery and Midnight Madness program selections. The infamous Midnight Madness lineup features 10 titles, 7 of which are World Premieres. The Discovery lineup primarily boasts World and International Premieres and includes 26 titles. Notably, 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total program are featured in this year’s Discovery program.
Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favorite, iconoclastic program highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery program offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness programs for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.”
MIDNIGHT MADNESS PROGRAMME 2023
AGGRO DR1FT Harmony Korine | USA
North American Premiere
Boy Kills World Moritz Mohr | Germany/South Africa/USA
World Premiere
OPENING FILM
Dicks: The Musical Larry Charles | USA
World Premiere
Hell of a Summer Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk | USA/Canada
World Premiere
KILL Nikhil Nagesh Bhat | India
World Premiere
NAGA Meshal Aljaser | Saudi Arabia
World Premiere
CLOSING FILM
Riddle of Fire Weston Razooli | USA
North American Premiere
Sleep Jason Yu | South Korea
North American Premiere
When Evil Lurks Demián Rugna | Argentina
World Premiere
Working Class Goes to Hell Mladen Đorđević | Serbia
World Premiere
DISCOVERY PROGRAMME 2023
“The Discovery section, which is curated by a brilliant team of international programmers, is an integral part of TIFF,” stated Dorota Lech, TIFF Lead Programmer, Discovery, & International Programmer for Central, Eastern, & Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Iran, & Turkey. “It is a bold and exciting showcase of cinema and emerging talent from around the world, and we are honored to highlight new and distinctive voices from artists creating their first or second feature on our global stage. This year’s program of 26 titles includes films from 25 countries, accounting for international co-productions and local talent.”
Achilles Farhad Delaram | Iran/Germany/France
World Premiere
After the fire Mehdi Fikri | France
World Premiere
A Match (Sthal) Jayant Digambar Somalkar | India
World Premiere
Andragogy Wregas Bhanuteja | Indonesia/Singapore
World Premiere
An Endless Sunday Alain Parroni | Italy/Germany/Ireland
International Premiere
Arthur&Diana Sara Summa | Germany
World Premiere
Backspot D.W. Waterson | Canada
World Premiere
Frybread Face and Me Billy Luther | USA
International Premiere
OPENING FILM
Gonzo Girl Patricia Arquette | USA
World Premiere
Hajjan Abu Bakr Shawky | Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Jordan
World Premiere
How to Have Sex Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom
North American Premiere
I Don’t Know Who You Are M. H. Murray | Canada
World Premiere
La Suprema Felipe Holguín Caro | Colombia
World Premiere
Mandoob Ali Kalthami | Saudi Arabia
World Premiere
Mimang Kim Taeyang | South Korea
World Premiere
Seagrass Meredith Hama-Brown | Canada
World Premiere
Solitude Ninna Pálmadóttir | Iceland/Slovakia/France
World Premiere
Tautuktavuk (What We See) Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk | Canada
World Premiere
The Teacher Farah Nabulsi | United Kingdom/Palestine/Qatar
World Premiere
The Tundra Within Me (Eallugierdi) Sara Margrethe Oskal | Norway
World Premiere
The Queen of My Dreams Fawzia Mirza | Canada
World Premiere
Valentina or the Serenity (Valentina o la serenidad) Ángeles Cruz | Mexico
World Premiere
Widow Clicquot Thomas Napper | France
World Premiere
Wild Woman Alán González | Cuba
World Premiere
Without Air Katalin Moldovai | Hungary
World Premiere
Yellow Bus Wendy Bednarz | United Arab Emirates
World Premiere
The Special Presentations & Gala lineup for TIFF 2023 can be read here along with the Documentary lineup here and the Platforms section here. More titles for TIFF 2023 will be announced in the coming days. The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 7th – 17th, 2023.
What do you think of the films announced so far? What other titles do you think will screen at this year’s TIFF? Are you planning on going? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.