TIFF 2025 Centrepiece Programme Spotlights Global Cinema, Richard Link later, Jan Komasa, and More
Saipan - Courtesy of TIFF
TIFF’s Centrepiece returns with 55 films from nearly 50 countries, showcasing world premieres and international standouts redefining global storytelling
As the Toronto International Film Festival gears up for its landmark 50th edition, TIFF has unveiled the official lineup for its 2025 Centrepiece programme — a global showcase of cinematic voices pushing boundaries and reshaping the international film conversation. Spanning nearly 50 countries, this year’s selection features 55 films from established auteurs and breakout talents alike, cementing Centrepiece’s role as a vital platform for world cinema.
Returning to celebrate the richness of storytelling across borders, this year’s Centrepiece programme features works from acclaimed directors including Richard Linklater, Jan Komasa, Christian Petzold, Pietro Marcello, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Álvaro Olmos Torrico. With films in the slate hailing from Bolivia, Brazil, Chad, Taiwan, France, Kenya, Iraq, Poland, and beyond, the program is a testament to TIFF’s ongoing commitment to diverse and global filmmaking.
Among the major highlights is the world premiere of ‘Good Boy’, a tense thriller from Corpus Christi director Jan Komasa, starring Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Anson Boon. Komasa’s film explores identity and surveillance through the lens of a society unraveling under the weight of paranoia and personal reinvention.
Another standout is ‘Blue Moon’, from indie legend Richard Linklater, which will make its North American premiereat TIFF. A romantic, melancholic meditation on creative regret and second chances, the film stars Ethan Hawke and Beanie Feldstein in what many are already calling one of Linklater’s most personal works.
19 of the titles will be making their world premieres in Toronto this September, including ‘Carolina Caroline’, an outlaw romance led by Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner; ‘I Swear’, the inspirational true story of John Davidson and his journey with Tourette Syndrome; and ‘Erupcja’, a combustible love story set between Poland and the UK featuring Charli XCX in a breakout acting turn.
TIFF also continues to support Canadian voices with premieres of ‘Blood Lines’ by Gail Maurice, ‘Space Cadet’ from Kid Koala, and ‘Follies’ by Eric K. Boulianne. Internationally, standouts include ‘Miroirs No. 3’ by Christian Petzold (Germany), ‘Duse’ by Pietro Marcello (Italy/France), and ‘The Last Viking’ by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark/Sweden).
Centrepiece has 19 world premieres including:
Blood Lines, Gail Maurice’s sophomore feature, a pastoral drama of family and reconnection
Carolina Caroline, directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, an outlaw romance starring Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner
Erupcja, directed by Pete Ohs, features a combustible chemistry between a Polish florist (Lena Góra) and a British tourist (Charli xcx)
Good Boy, by Jan Komasa, a twisted thriller about freedom and identity, starring Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Anson Boon
I Swear, from Kirk Jones, the inspirational true story of John Davidson, a trailblazer whose honesty and humour helped the world better understand what it means to live with Tourette Syndrome
Nomad Shadow, Eimi Imanishi’s poignant debut feature about a refugee to Spain who’s forced to return to Western Sahara
Palimpsest: the Story of a Name, from Mary Stephen (Shades of Silk), a deeply personal story about her family’s complicated history and their Western surname
Saipan, from filmmakers Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, about a rift between star player Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy on the eve of the 2002 World Cup, starring Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan
The Condor Daughter, from Álvaro Olmos Torrico, about a young woman who inherits the sacred art of midwifery but dreams of conquering the city with her voice
The Cost of Heaven, a film from Quebec’s Mathieu Denis (whose TIFF ’16 film Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Dig Their Own Graves was awarded that year’s Best Canadian Feature), starring French actor Samir Guesmi
The President’s Cake, from a multiple award winner at Cannes, Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, a heartbreaking and unforgettable look at a country crushed by poverty and international sanctions — and ruled by a sadistic, greedy and vain tyrant
Unidentified, the latest from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda), an iconoclastic crime thriller that questions our collective fascination with tales of femicide
Wasteman, Cal McMau’s debut feature, which peels back the conventions of the prison drama, featuring rising star David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus)
Whitetail, from Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, a slow-burn thriller with a haunting performance from Natasha O’Keeffe (Peaky Blinders)
Youngblood, directed by Hubert Davis, starring Blair Underwood and Shawn Doyle, and co-written by the late Charles Officer, is a powerful tribute to the Toronto filmmaker, and a reimagining of the original 1986 film
Hear from Diana Cadavid, International Programmer Latin America, Spain, Portugal:
“This is a defining year for Centrepiece — not only because it marks TIFF’s 50th edition, but because it reminds us of cinema’s role as a bridge across cultures and ideologies,” said Jason Anderson, TIFF’s new Lead Programmer for Canada. “These films are inventive, politically daring, emotionally expansive, and boldly original.”
Centrepiece continues to serve as a launchpad for festival favorites and major international premieres that resonate across the fall awards circuit. With new talents, cinematic reimaginings, and urgent political voices, TIFF’s 2025 Centrepiece lineup is a clear reflection of a film world in flux — and in full creative bloom.
The 50th Toronto International Film Festival
from September 4–14, 2025
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