TIFF Unveils Discovery Programme Lineup

At this year's Toronto International Film Festival​®​, the revamped Discovery programme features a robust lineup of 37 films from emerging filmmakers representing 35 countries, including 33 World Premieres and four films making international debuts.

"This year's Discovery builds on our track record of identifying major new filmmakers early," said Cameron Bailey, TIFF's Co-Head and Artistic Director. "This is where you want to look for the next decades' masters, and it's great to see longtime TIFF programming associate Dorota Lech shaping the section as Discovery's Lead Programmer."

"I'm thrilled to be curating the Discovery programme, a showcase of films that - regardless of form - expand, embolden, or even challenge notions of storytelling beyond what is established or expected," said Lech. "TIFF has long held a space for first- and second-time directors, acting as a springboard for launching the international careers of cinematic giants such as Yorgos Lanthimos, Maren Ade, Christopher Nolan, Alfonso Cuarón, Lav Diaz, Kim Seung-woo, Barry Jenkins, Jean-Marc Vallée, Dee Rees, and Jafar Panahi. Expect the programme to push cinematic boundaries, pointing us in unexpected directions. As in previous years, it is a place to find work that could be poetic, bold, or challenging, but that is always passionate."

Discovery continues to celebrate and reflect TIFF's unwavering commitment to championing women's directorial v​oices, with 54% of its selection directed by women. This year's programme opens with Chiara Malta's​ Simple Women​, i​ n which a director serendipitously meets Elina Löwensohn, an actor she idolized in her youth, prompting her to question her filmmaking process. Malta was inspired by her own encounter with Löwensohn in this tender, playful, and multi-layered fiction debut. Women's journeys are also explored as central themes in Antoneta Kastrati's Z​ ANA,​ Filippo Meneghetti's ​Two of Us,​ ​Hinde Boujemaa's N​ oura's Dream, ​Hisham Saqr's ​Certified Mail,​ Ina Weisse's T​ he Audition​, ​Jorunn Myklebust Syversen's​ Disco​, ​Kim Seung-woo's B​ring Me Home,​ Klaudia Reynicke's ​Love Me Tender​, Mahnaz Mohammadi's S​on-Mother​, María Paz González's ​Lina from Lima​,​ Maria Sødahl's H​ope​, Neasa Hardiman's​ Sea Fever,​​and Tamar Shavgulidze's Comets​.

Discovery is curated and overseen by Lech, with contributions from members of TIFF's international programming team, namely Cameron Bailey, Giovanna Fulvi, Steve Gravestock, Michael Lerman, Michèle Maheux, Kiva Reardon, Diana Sanchez, and Ravi Srinivasan.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5-15, 2019.