š"Chasing the Buzz": 36 films coming to TIFF 2021 that film lovers really want to see

Dystopian thriller "Night Raiders," the feature debut by Cree-MĆ©tis filmmaker Danis Goulet, topped the Toronto Star's annual "Chasing the Buzz" poll of hot films heading to the Toronto International Film Festival.
Peter Howell
Movie Critic
The Delta blues canāt drown out TIFF buzz.
Like the rest of us, the Toronto International Film Festival is still battling COVID-19, this time the worrisome Delta variant that is much easier to catch.
But reel life must go on ā and so must our annual hunt for the most buzzworthy films at the fest.
The festās 46th edition is scheduled to run Sept. 9 to 18, with both in-person screenings (theatres and drive-ins) and online viewings. With 132 features and 37 shorts, itās less than half the size of a usual TIFF, but itās hoping to punch above its weight the same way TIFF 2020 did.
So itās time for the 21st edition of āChasing the Buzz,ā the Starās annual dive into the hive of pre-TIFF anticipation, taken from a poll of film critics, writers, programmers and scholars.
Thereās a runaway winner this year, a movie thatās as unsettling as a nightmare and as urgent as a headline: āNight Raiders,ā a dystopian sci-fi thriller by Torontoās Danis Goulet, a Cree-MĆ©tis filmmaker. Set in a military-run North America following a ruinous future war, the film stars Elle-MĆ”ijĆ” Tailfeathers as a Cree mother seeking to save her daughter (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart) from a forced education camp that recalls the horrors of residential schools.
Women filmmakers also dominated the next most popular choices, five films that took three votes apiece: āBeba,ā an unflinching and racially aware self-portrait by filmmaker Rebeca Huntt; āEarwig,ā a trippy drama by Lucile HadžihaliloviÄ about a girl with ice cubes for teeth; āLast Night In Soho,ā Edgar Wrightās time-travelling psycho-thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie as two sides of the same woman; āThe Power of the Dog,ā a fraternally fraught western by Jane Campion starring Benedict Cumberbatch that arrives with much Oscar speculation; and āTitane,ā Julia Ducournauās Palme dāOr-winning shocker that gives a shocking twist to auto-eroticism.
There were also nine films with two votes apiece and 21 films with one vote apiece.
A total of 36 films shook our hive this year, which we hope will assist you in selecting from the 132 features coming to TIFF 2021.
Films that score in āChasing the Buzzā are often seen on the road to Oscar glory. That was the path followed last year by āNomadland,ā one of our 2020 top buzz picks that went all the way to Best Picture, Best Director (ChloĆ© Zhao) and Best Actress (Frances McDormand) at the Academy Awards. Previous buzz quests have also turned up Oscar winners: āMoonlight,ā āLa La Land,ā ā12 Years a Slaveā and more, although the awards potential is really just a bonus. The goal of our poll is to find the best movies among the many unspooling at the festival.
Each of our 30 panellists was asked to name and explain the movie theyāre most keen on. Just for fun, and additional insights, we asked them to name a āwild cardā pick with no explanations given. Letās get buzzing:
š MOVIE WITH SIX VOTES
Night Raiders (Danis Goulet)
ā āCree and MĆ©tis filmmaker Danis Goulet draws on Canadaās painful ongoing history of colonization to deliver a propulsive piece of genre fiction. The dystopia is us. Brilliant.ā ā Cameron Bailey, TIFF artistic director and co-head (Wild card: āMontana Storyā)
ā āYou had me at Cree dystopian thriller. Danisās debut feature uses a sci-fi prism to reflect on Canadaās shameful residential school past, present and future, resulting in an unforgettable ride.ā ā R.T. Thorne, producer, director, screenwriter (Wild card: āColin in Black & Whiteā)
ā āItās a dystopian thriller that looks to be an exciting entry into the Indigenous futurism genre.ā ā Kelly Boutsalis, freelancer writer, journalist (Wild card: āThe Rescueā)
(The other three votes are wild card picks.)
š MOVIES WITH THREE VOTES
Beba (Rebeca Huntt)
ā āRebeca Hunttās intimate documentary memoir is a love letter to Black womenās exceptional existence. Created by a rebellious crew of mostly women, Bebaās journey illuminates the stories seldom told.ā ā Maxine Bailey, executive director, Canadian Film Centre (Wild card: āDionne Warwick: Donāt Make Me Overā)
ā āAt age 31, Huntt makes a stunning debut exploring family dysfunction, racial identity and coming of age.ā ā Thom Powers, TIFF programmer, podcast host (Wild Card: āListening to Kenny Gā)
ā āFirst-time filmmaker Hunttās personal ruminations on her Dominican-Venezuelan heritage as she navigates race/class issues in young American adulthood sounds like lovely and consequential breakout material (and one thatās especially resonant for this Colombian-American writer).ā ā Eric Kohn, vice-president, editorial strategy, IndieWire (Wild card: āEarwigā)
Earwig (Lucile HadžihaliloviÄ)
ā āHadžihaliloviÄās latest sounds like a parody of her work for the still-too-small coterie of people who would get such a joke. āA young girl with ice cubes for teeth begins a mysterious journey.ā Of course she does.ā ā Donald Clarke, critic, Irish Times (Wild card: āYou Are Not My Motherā)
(The other two votes are wild card picks.)
Last Night In Soho (Edgar Wright)
ā āI have yet to miss an Edgar Wright film. This sounds very trippy and it stars Anya Taylor-Joy, who is a hypnotic presence in everything.ā ā Jim Slotek, critic, editor, Original-Cin (Wild card: āTitaneā)
ā āEdgar Wright worships at the shrine of genre cinema, and his foray into psychological horror looks like a giallo-tinged love letter to āRepulsionā and āDonāt Look Now.ā ā Victor Stiff, senior critic, That Shelf (Wild card: āNight Raidersā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)
ā āCampionās first film in 12 years is a triumph worth waiting for. The film is a mesmerizing, revisionist take on the American western featuring a career-best performance from Benedict Cumberbatch.ā ā Joana Vicente, TIFF executive director and co-head (Wild card: āCharlotteā)
ā āThe big-screen return of Jane Campion with a Western about warring brothers adapted from Thomas Savageās groundbreaking novel and a cast led by Benedict Cumberbatch, Thomasin McKenzie, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. Iām all in.ā ā Linda Barnard, freelance film critic (Wild card: āLast Night in Sohoā)
ā āBuzz is very strong for the only film to be chosen for each of the big four fall festivals ā¦ Campion won the Palme dāOr in 1993 for āThe Piano,ā but Oscar has never come knocking at her door. This film could change that.ā ā Jordan Ruimy, critic, World of Reel (Wild card: āUnclenching the Fistsā)
Titane (Julia Ducournau)
All three votes for āTitaneā were wild card picks.
š MOVIES WITH TWO VOTES
All My Puny Sorrows (Michael McGowan)
ā āIām looking forward to McGowanās film, adapted from Miriam Toewsā novel. It was a favourite book club selection and the casting of Alison Pill and Sarah Gadon as the troubled sisters is genius.ā ā MichĆØle Maheux, former TIFF executive director (Wild card: āLo Invisibleā)
ā āIāve been a Michael McGowan fan since āSaint Ralph.ā I love that he leans into emotion. The pairing of Sarah Gadon and Alison Pill in this adaptation of a beloved Canadian novel is gold-star talent from this country.ā ā Teri Hart, producer, host, Super Channel (Wild card: āNight Raidersā)
Benediction (Terence Davies)
ā āThe combination of Siegfried Sassoonās famed poetry and books on the First World War, and the fierce determination of Terence Daviesā unerring instinct to uncover unsettling truths is irresistible.ā ā Piers Handling, former TIFF CEO (Wild card: āEarwigā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
Dionne Warwick: Donāt Make Me Over (Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner)
ā āIām a sucker for music documentaries so Iām all in for this. It promises rare footage, great music and an in-depth look at a very private superstar.ā ā Richard Crouse, host, āPop Lifeā (Wild card: āCompartment No. 6ā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
Learn to Swim (Thyrone Tommy)
ā āMaking the leap to feature films, Tommyās tale of a stormy romance between two jazz musicians is a must-see love story for me.ā ā Courtney Small, film critic, That Shelf (Wild card: āDug Dugā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
ā āApichatpong Weerasethakul teaming up with Tilda Swinton is definitely going to spark up the screen!ā ā Alice Shih, critic, Fairchild Radio (Wild Card: āTitaneā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
The Rescue (E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)
ā āThe āFree Soloā Oscar winners follow their death-defying mountain movie with a deep dive on the 2018 Thai cave rescue.ā ā Pat Mullen, publisher, POV Magazine (Wild card: āDrunken Birdsā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
Spencer (Pablo LarraĆn)
ā "Pablo LarraĆnās gift for unresolvable tension and the ever-deepening talent of Kristen Stewart means we are in for an insightful and vividly emotional profile of the peopleās princess." ā Sherry Coman, media professor, Martin Luther University College (Wild card: āNight Raidersā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
Unclenching the Fists (Kira Kovalenko)
ā āIn an industrial town in the North Caucasus, a middle child struggles to escape the stifling grip of the family she both loves and rejects. This claustrophobic second feature from co-writer and director Kira Kovalenko was the winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at this yearās Cannes Film Festival.ā ā Dorota Lech, TIFF programmer (Wild card: āThe Hill Where Lionesses Roarā)
(The other vote is a wild card pick.)
Charlotte (Eric Warin, Tahir Rana)
(Both votes for āCharlotteā are wild card picks.)
š MOVIES WITH ONE VOTE
Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
ā āMaybe itās thanks to Lee Chang-dongās āBurning,ā but a Murakami adaptation is my kind of ride. Based on some reactions at Cannes, this film sounds stylish, contemplative, even a little sleepy. Iām buckled in.ā ā Jake Howell, writer, freelance film programmer (Wild Card: āSpencerā)
A Hero (Asghar Farhadi)
ā āFew directors set up scenarios that so astutely and subtly capture the foibles and complexities of relationships like Iranian director Asghar Farhadi.ā ā Karen Gordon, critic, Original-Cin (Wild card: āMemoriaā)
The Mad Womenās Ball (MĆ©lanie Laurent)
ā āThis exquisitely made feature debut by MĆ©lanie Laurent is a heart-wrenching portrait of a woman locked up and tortured because she sees spirits.ā ā Anne Brodie, critic, What She Said! (Wild Card: āBenedictionā)
Official Competition (Mariano Cohn, GastĆ³n Duprat)
ā āOscar Martinez? Antonio Banderas? PenĆ©lope Cruz? Por favor. Itās going to be magical.ā ā Maria Alejandra Sosa, TIFF head of media relations and strategy (Wild card: āThe Boxā)
Petite Maman (CĆ©line Sciamma)
ā āTwo years later and I still havenāt fully recovered from the devastating final act of āPortrait of a Lady on Fire.ā If CĆ©line Sciamma has a movie, Iām there ā no synopsis needed.ā ā Jerry Nadarajah, movie lover (Wild card: āTitaneā)
Scarborough (Shasha Nakhai, Rich Williamson)
ā āThis talented Toronto duoās first narrative feature ā Catherine Hernandezās adaptation of her own acclaimed novel ā is a quietly powerful story of love and community.ā ā Jennie Punter, writer, editor, Variety, Musicworks (Wild card: āWildhoodā)
The Survivor (Barry Levinson)
ā āBen Foster, one of the best actors we have working today, plays a boxer forced to fight for his life and the sadistic amusement of his Nazi captors in a Second World War concentration camp. Jumping between that previous timeline and post-captivity, director Barry Levinsonās true-story drama is sure to be ā¦ a compelling testament to the fighting power of the human spirit.ā ā Matt Neglia, editor in chief, NextBestPicture.com (Wild card: āCharlotteā)
The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
ā āLongtime TIFF favourite Joachim Trier returns with the third instalment of his trilogy, which began with āReprise.ā This may be his most vibrant film yet. It stars Renate Reinsve (Best Actress at Cannes) as a woman determined to live her life in her own terms.ā ā Steve Gravestock, TIFF senior programmer (Wild card: āLearn to Swimā)
The remaining one-vote films, all wild card picks, are: āThe Boxā (Lorenzo Vigas); āColin in Black & Whiteā (Ava DuVernay); āCompartment No. 6ā (Juho Kuosmanen); āDrunken Birdsā (Ivan Grbovic); āDug Dugā (Ritwik Pareek); āThe Eyes of Tammy Fayeā (Michael Showalter); āJaggedā (Alison Klayman); āListening to Kenny Gā (Penny Lane); āMontana Storyā (Scott McGehee, David Siegel); āThe Hill Where Lionesses Roarā (LuĆ na Bajrami); āLo Invisibleā (Javier Andrade); āWildhoodā (Bretten Hannam) and āYou Are Not My Motherā (Kate Dolan). š
(This story originally ran in the Toronto Star.)
Twitter: @peterhowellfilm
