Today, the Toronto International Film Festival announced this year’s Short Cuts lineup, supported by the Ontario Arts Council, showcasing 42 live-action narratives, documentaries, and animated shorts by a groundbreaking group of filmmakers representing 23 countries. More than half of this year’s selections are directed or co-directed by female and female-identifying filmmakers. TIFF alumni directors with new films at Short Cuts include Yann Demange, Jasmin Mozaffari, Miryam Charles, Farnoosh Samadi, Halima Ouardiri, Renee Zhan, Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, and the team of Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan. Among the directors with short films at the Festival for the first time are Malia Ann and Canadian actor Mackenzie Davis. Among the notable performers in this year’s slate of new shorts are Riz Ahmed (“DAMMI”) and Kaniehtiio Horn (“Redlights”).
A robust selection of new animated short films will be showcased in the program this year. Animated films in Short Cuts include the North American Premieres of 27, recipient of the Short Film Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and Electra, director Daria Kashcheeva’s stunning follow-up to Daughter, an academy award nominee for Best Animated Short and a Short Cuts selection in 2019. Three animated shorts at this year’s Festival are This is TMI by India’s Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta, Mboa Matanda by Cameroon’s Jules Kalla Eyango, and Aphasia by Canada’s Marielle Dalpé.
Along with remarkable new works by international filmmakers, Short Cuts includes 19 selections by Canadian filmmakers, including World Premieres of films by Marni Van Dyk (“This is Not About Swimming”), Eva Thomas (“Redlights”), Karsten Wall (“Modern Goose”), and Ivan D. Ossa (“Express”).
“We are thrilled to be able to present such a diverse array of incredible new works by emergent and established film talents from all over the world,” said Short Cuts lead programmer Jason Anderson. “We were knocked out by the level of craft and ingenuity in these films, as well as the boldness displayed by so many filmmakers as they explore subjects and themes that couldn’t be timelier or more personal. That’s especially true of the films we’re grateful to present that are by female and female-identifying filmmakers, which comprise nearly 60 percent of this year’s selection.”
Short Cuts is also the first place where TIFF audiences discovered many of world cinema’s most acclaimed filmmakers, including such recent breakout talents as Charlotte Wells (“Aftersun“), Saim Sadiq (“Joyland“), and Luis De Filippis (“Something You Said Last Night”). Short Cuts alumni directors with first features at this year’s Festival include Fawzia Mirza (“The Queen of My Dreams”) and Nora El Hourch (“Sisterhood”).
The 2023 Short Cuts lineup includes 21 World Premieres, 13 North American Premieres, and 5 International Premieres presented in 19 different languages, with a breadth of new and unique perspectives.
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 1
DAMMI Yann Mounir Demange | France North American Premiere
La Perra Carla Melo Gampert | Colombia/France North American Premiere
Been There Corina Schwingruber Ilić | Switzerland International Premiere
Primetime Mother Sonny Calvento | Philippines/Singapore World Premiere
Meteor Atefeh Khademolreza | Canada World Premiere
Nun or Never! Heta Jäälinoja | Finland North American Premiere
Gaby’s Hills Zoé Pelchat | Canada North American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 2
Fár Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter | Iceland North American Premiere
The Skates Halima Ouardiri | Canada World Premiere
Bloom Kasey Lum | Canada World Premiere
Nada de todo esto Francisco Cantón, Patricio Martínez | Argentina/Spain/USA North American Premiere
1001 Nights Rea Rajčić | Croatia World Premiere
Redlights Eva Thomas | Canada World Premiere
Electra Daria Kashcheeva | Czech Republic/France/Slovakia North American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 3
This is TMI Subarna Dash, Vidushi Gupta | India International Premiere
Titanic, Suitable Version for Iranian Families Farnoosh Samadi | Iran/France World Premiere
All the Days of May Miryam Charles | Canada Canadian Premiere
Bird Ana Cristina Barragán | Ecuador/Spain World Premiere
Aftercare Anubha Momin | Canada World Premiere
Shé (Snake) Renee Zhan | United Kingdom World Premiere
Human Resources Trinidad Plass Caussade, Titouan Tillier, Isaac Wenzek | France Canadian Premiere
Making Babies Eric K. Boulianne | Canada North American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 4
Alberto and the Beast John Paul Lopez-Ali | USA World Premiere
Mboa Matanda Jules Kalla Eyango | Cameroon World Premiere
Mothers and Monsters Edith Jorisch | Canada World Premiere
Express Ivan D. Ossa | Canada World Premiere
Baigal Nuur – Lake Baikal Alisi Telengut | Germany/Canada North American Premiere
The Passing Ivete Lucas, Patrick Xavier Bresnan | USA North American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 5
WOACA Mackenzie Davis | United Kingdom World Premiere
A Bird Called Memory Leonardo Martinelli | Brazil/United Kingdom North American Premiere
Sawo Matang Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto | Canada/Indonesia/USA World Premiere
Aphasia Marielle Dalpé | Canada World Premiere
Ever Since I Have Been Flying Aylin Gökmen | Switzerland International Premiere
I Used to Live There Ryan McKenna | Canada North American Premiere
This is Not About Swimming Marni Van Dyk | Canada World Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 6
27 Flóra Anna Buda | France/Hungary North American Premiere
Xie Xie, Ollie James Michael Chiang | Canada World Premiere
The Heart Malia Ann | USA International Premiere
6 Minutes Per Kilometer Catherine Boivin | Canada Toronto Premiere
Modern Goose Karsten Wall | Canada World Premiere
Sheephead Spencer Creigh | USA International Premiere
Motherland Jasmin Mozaffari | Canada World Premiere
The 48th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7th – 17th. The Special Presentations & Gala lineup for TIFF 2023 can be read here, along with the Documentary lineup here, the Platform programming here, and the Discovery & Midnight Madness programming here.
What do you think of this announcement? Are you excited to see any of these shorts? 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.
