WIF is proud to present our guide to the Toronto International Film Festival 2025, celebrating the visionary filmmakers and executives that make up our community of supporters and alumni.
Join us in congratulating and championing their work on this global stage.
Hamnet
CANADIAN PREMIERE
In William Shakespeare’s day, the names Hamlet and Hamnet were interchangeable. The newest film by Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), uses that context as the basis for a tender exploration of Shakespeare’s domestic life, connecting a family tragedy to one of his most famous works. Maybe we can better understand Hamlet, Zhao suggests, if we consider that it was developed while the most famous writer in the Western canon was mourning the death of his 11-year-old son, Hamnet.
Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of Distribution, Universal Pictures
WIF Board of Directors
Eleanor the Great
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Thoughtful, provocative, and funny, Scarlett Johansson’s feature directorial debut is an affecting character study about storytelling as a means of understanding who we are and the perils of appropriation. Showcasing the singular charisma of 95-year-old Oscar nominee June Squibb (The Humans, Nebraska), Eleanor the Great reminds us that it’s never too late to get yourself into a whole lot of trouble.
Nicole Brown, President, TriStar Pictures
WIF Board of Directors
Swiped
WORLD PREMIERE
Featuring Lily James (2015’s Cinderella; Relay) and Dan Stevens (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), the latest from director Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Unpregnant) tells the real-life story of Whitney Wolfe Herd, the remarkable woman who helped create two innovative blockbuster dating apps and, in doing so, became the world’s youngest female billionaire.
Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Director & Co-Writer
WIF Mentor
A Life Illuminated
WORLD PREMIERE
Marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder has spent a lifetime exploring the ocean depths, which contain endless secrets. She made headlines for devising the camera system that captured the first footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat. But her greatest passion is studying the occurrence of bioluminescence — the awe-inspiring phenomenon of underwater organisms that produce their own light.
Tasha Van Zandt, Director
WIF Member
Lucky Lu
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
This riveting feature debut from Korean Canadian writer-director Lloyd Lee Choi encompasses the hardships faced by thousands of working-class immigrants by focusing on 48 nerve-wracking hours in the life of a single desperate man. Anchored by a bravura lead performance from Chang Chen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Lucky Lu is neorealism for the 21st century.
Nina Yang Bongiovi, Producer
WIF Member
Dead Man’s Wire
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Featuring captivating performances from Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino, Gus Van Sant’s latest recreates the strange, fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that made aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis into an eccentric outlaw folk hero.
Veronica Ferres, Producer
WIF Member
Youngblood
WORLD PREMIERE
With its fierce intelligence and thoughtful take on masculinity and race, Youngblood is a far cry from most sports movies. It also has some big differences with its ostensible source material: the same-titled 1986 movie starring Rob Lowe as a hockey hopeful. Yet Hubert Davis’ remake still hits the target when it comes to delivering high-stakes drama on and off the ice.
Allison Sokol, Associate Producer
WIF Member
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
WORLD PREMIERE
This galvanizing documentary from director Ally Pankiw (I Used To Be Funny) takes us behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival and features interviews with performers including Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emmylou Harris.
Ally Pankiw, Director
’22 ReFrame Rise Fellow
Unidentified
WORLD PREMIERE
The latest from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda) is a crime thriller that pushes against gender norms and challenges simplistic narratives of femicide. Riddled with suspense, Unidentified is a female-driven detective story that transgresses all manner of jurisdiction in its dogged pursuit of justice.
Haifaa Al Mansour, Director
’19 ReFrame Rise Fellow
Once in a Body: Una vez en un cuerpo
SHORT CUTS 2025 PROGRAMME 05
Using a visceral and evocative animated style, María Cristina Pérez González offers an unflinching reflection on emotional distress through the eyes of a woman whose sisterly guilt over a childhood incident manifests as lifelong body dysmorphia.
Mireia Vilanova, Producer
‘22 WIF x Google Shorts Lab Alum