The 12 buzziest films of the 2022 Toronto Film Festival

TIFF premiere date: September 9Theatrical release date: September 16Some films generate excitement all at once, premiering both at a buzzy festival and in theaters within the same time frame. Such is the case with , which may have another wave of press pegged to its contention in 2023’s Oscar race. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Viola Davis like we’ve never seen her before—as a kick-ass general of the all-female Agojie warriors of 19th century West Africa—this resembles nothing else releasing this fall.

TIFF premiere date: September 9Theatrical release date: September 30Alongside its serious family dramas and Oscar bait period fare, TIFF is known to include crowd pleasers. Case in point is Billy Eichner’s , the first rom-com from a major studio (Universal) to feature queer characters. In fact, all of the characters in this film are reportedly played by actors who identify as LGBTQ. While its TIFF premiere doesn’t necessarily promise Oscar nominations, maybe we’ll at least get a Billy On The Street Toronto edition.

TIFF premiere date: September 11Theatrical release date: October 21Already with a TIFF prize under its belt is , which is expected to be Amazon Studios’ major awards player this fall following its limited release on October 21 and its streaming premiere on November 4. The Michael Grandage film’s ensemble have collectively been honored with the fest’s Tribute Award—an especially auspicious sign considering that prize has only ever gone to individuals, not casts. Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, David Dawson, and Kadiff Kirwan should get their acceptance speeches ready (and—ahem, ).

TIFF premiere date: September 12Theatrical release date: October 21Martin McDonagh plus Colin Farrell plus Brendan Gleeson equals success. They did it once before with In Bruges, and they’ll likely do it again with Searchlight Pictures’ , a tale of broken friendship that received a 15-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival—that festival’s longest, for those keeping obsessive track of such things. The resulting critical raves all but guarantee this film will be on every awards voters’ radar ahead of its October 21 release.

TIFF premiere date: September 10Theatrical release date: November 11Steven Spielberg offers up his own homage to movie magic with his autobiographically inspired . The project stars Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as parents to Gabriel LaBelle’s aspiring filmmaker, Sammy Fabelman, serving as a stand-in for Spielberg himself. Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, said this film’s debut is part of the fest’s effort to —which could help ensure that The Fablemans are part of the awards conversation this fall.

TIFF premiere date: September 12Theatrical release date: November 11Florian Zeller has successfully made the jump from stage to screen with the Oscar-winning The Father, and could well pull off the feat again with a follow-up called—what else?—. Hugh Jackman stars opposite Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, and returning Zeller alum Anthony Hopkins in a family drama that practically begs for inclusion on any award voters’ shortlist this fall. Sony Pictures Classics, no slouch when it comes to winning acting Oscars, will release this November 11.

TIFF premiere date: September 10Theatrical release date: November 18Sometimes all a film needs to generate buzz is a cast announcement, and sometimes it all comes down to a riveting trailer. has both, with its chilling sneak peek treating us to Ralph Fiennes as a chef facing off against Anya Taylor-Joy as a skeptical patron of his mysterious restaurant. Another surefire sign of a studio opting for an awards push is a film’s release date; following TIFF, The Menu will arrive on November 18, putting the film right into Oscars’ sweet spot.

TIFF premiere date: September 8Theatrical release date: December 2Whew, film nerds aren’t ready for this one. Actor-writer-director Sarah Polley brings a murderer’s row of talent to the screen with , which premiered at Telluride to deafening buzz: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand. Chronicling a group of Mennonite women seeking an end to abuse from the men in their colony, this sounds like the kind of unflinching dramatic fare that awards voters love.

TIFF premiere date: September 12Theatrical release date: December 9There are a few surefire pathways to Oscar glory, and one of them is simple: make a movie that celebrates moviemaking. Sam Mendes’ has already been hailed, at the 2022 Telluride Film Festival, as an old-school Hollywood awards contender for its reverent depiction of the magic of cinema. Throw in bona fide Academy darling Olivia Colman in the lead role, and you’ve got a straight line on your Oscar prediction bingo card.

TIFF premiere date: September 11Theatrical release date: December 9Hollywood loves a comeback story, and this fall it looks like beloved star Brendan Fraser will more than fit the bill. Following a glowing reception at this year’s Venice Film Festival—including a —The Whale heads to Toronto where Fraser has already been slated for a Tribute Award at the festival. The Samuel D. Hunter stage-to-screen adaptation, directed by Darren Aronofsky, co-stars Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins, all of whom are poised for awards consideration in the lead-up to A24’s December 9 release.

TIFF premiere date: September 10Theatrical release date: December 23​Is there any world that movie buffs are more excited to revisit than that of Benoit Blanc? Rian Johnson made witty murder mysteries modern, sexy, and edge-of-your-seat again with 2019’s Knives Out, and his sequel to that surprise hit will again star Daniel Craig. This time the former James Bond stars alongside Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, and more. Each casting announcement has been greeted enthusiastically on Twitter—no small feat, of course. Considering Oscar voters anointed its predecessor with an original screenplay nomination in 2019, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is an early awards contender ahead of its December 23 Netflix release and arguably the .

TIFF premiere date: September 13Theatrical release date: TBAOscar-nominated writer-director Paul Weitz is enough of a draw on his own, but with TIFF highlight Moving On, he’s got the legendary Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin on board as well. Yes, we’ve seen the two work together plenty on , but now audiences are surely eager to see the duo with a different dynamic in a dark comedy about two estranged friends who decide to enact revenge on their dead friend’s widower. (Could Dolly Parton make an appearance?)

TIFF premiere date: September 8Theatrical release date: TBASwedish maestro Ruben Östlund wowed—and puzzled—international audiences with 2014’s Force Majeure and 2017’s The Square, which both received their flowers abroad but not from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That could change with what looks to be another vicious class satire, Triangle Of Sadness, winning the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival before debuts across the pond at the New York and Toronto fests. Remember the last time distributor Neon championed a non-English-language film? That was , which made it all the way to the Oscar best picture podium…

Other Toronto bows to keep an eye on include Zac Efron in Apple TV+’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever; Anna Kendrick producing and starring in Alice, Darling; Bill Nighy-starring Sundance hit Living; Stephen Frears and Steve Coogan’s The Lost King; the play-to-screen Allelujah starring Jennifer Saunders and Judi Dench; unlikely brothers Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke in Raymond & Ray; and a Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown collab called Biosphere. Oh, and not a premiere, but—a will feature a Q&A with Jordan Peele, one of the fest’s many fabulous guest speakers.