23 Must-See TIFF 2015 Films

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Kiefer and Donald Sutherland in "Forsaken." All photos courtesy of TIFF.

It’s that special time of year in Toronto — the period between the summer swelter and the autumn leaves — that locals know as TIFF season. In all the fuss over red carpet selfies and celeb sightings it’s easy to forget that there are actual films screening — you know, the first “F’ in Toronto International Film Festival — from around the world.

With nearly 400 flicks to choose from in a 10-day festival, the math means cinephiles have some tough choices ahead of them as far as which films they want to see. To help narrow your scope we’ve compiled our list of 23 must-see TIFF 2015 films.

Julianne Moore and Ellen Page in “Freeheld”

THE GALAS

TIFF galas and red carpet arrivals make headlines around the world as some of cinema’s most anticipated flicks are unveiled in Toronto. Notable 2015 galas include:

DEMOLITION (USA) (Opening night gala screening)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts , Chris Cooper, Judah Lewis

Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée

In Demolition, a successful investment banker, Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal), struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. Despite pressure from his father-in-law (Chris Cooper) to pull it together, Davis continues to unravel. What starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns into a series of letters revealing startling personal admissions. Davis’ letters catch the attention of customer service rep Karen (Naomi Watts) and, amidst emotional and financial burdens of her own, the two strangers form an unlikely connection. With the help of Karen and her son (Judah Lewis), Davis starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew. (World Premiere)

BEEBA BOYS (Canada)

Starring: Gulshan Grover, Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen

Directed by: Deepa Mehta

An adrenaline-charged violent Indo-Canadian gang war mixes guns, bhangra beats, bespoke suits, cocaine, and betrayal. Gang boss Jeet Johar and his loyal, young crew are audaciously taking over the Vancouver drug and arms scene from an old-style crime syndicate. Hearts are broken and family bonds shattered when the Beeba Boys (known as the “nice boys”) do anything “to be seen and to be feared” — in a white world. (World Premiere)

EYE IN THE SKY (United Kingdom)

Starring: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi, Iain Glen

Directed by: Gavin Hood

London-based military intelligence officer Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) is remotely commanding a top secret drone operation to capture a group of dangerous terrorists at their safe-house in Nairobi, Kenya. The mission suddenly escalates from a capture to a kill operation, when Powell realizes that the terrorists are about to embark on a deadly suicide mission. American drone pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) is poised to destroy the safe-house when a nine-year-old-girl enters the kill zone just outside the walls of the house. With unforeseen collateral damage now entering the equation, the impossible decision of when to strike gets passed up the kill chain of politicians and lawyers as the seconds tick down. (World Premiere)

FORSAKEN (Canada)

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore

Directed by: Jon Cassar

Tormented by a dark secret, an aging gunfighter abandons a life of killing and returns home, only to discover his mother has died. He’s forced to confront his estranged father and the life he left behind. (World Premiere)

FREEHELD (USA)

Starring: Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Steve Carell

Directed by: Peter Sollett

Based on the Oscar-winning documentary and adapted by the writer of Philadelphia, Freeheld is the true love story of Laurel Hester and Stacie Andree and their fight for justice. A decorated New Jersey police detective, Laurel is diagnosed with cancer and wants to leave her hard-earned pension to her domestic partner, Stacie. However the county officials — the Freeholders — conspire to prevent Laurel from doing so. Hard-nosed detective Dane Wells and activist Steven Goldstein come together in Laurel and Stacie’s defense, rallying police officers and ordinary citizens to support their struggle for equality. (World Premiere)

Christopher Plummer in “Remember”

LEGEND (United Kingdom)

Starring: Tom Hardy

Directed by: Brian Helgeland

The true story of the rise and fall of London’s most notorious gangsters, brothers Reggie and Ron Kray, both portrayed by Tom Hardy in an amazing double performance. LEGEND is a classic crime thriller that takes audiences into the secret history of the 1960s and the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray twins. (International Premiere)

LOLO (France)

Starring: Julie Delpy, Vincent Lacoste, Dany Boon

Directed by: Julie Delpy

While on holiday in the south of France, Parisian sophisticate Violette falls in love with carefree geek Jean-René. As their relationship blossoms, Jean-René heads to Paris to spend more time with Violette but finds himself up against her possessive teenage son Lolo who is determined to sabotage their relationship by any means necessary. A razor-sharp comedy from Julie Delpy. (North American Premiere)

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY (United Kingdom)

Starring: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons

Directed by: Matthew Brown World Premiere

A true story of friendship that forever changed mathematics. In 1913, Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematics genius from India, travelled to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he forged a bond with his mentor, the eccentric professor GH Hardy, and fought to show the world the magic of his mind. (World Premiere)

THE MARTIAN (USA)

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover

Directed by: Ridley Scott

During a manned mission to Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott. (World Premiere)

THE PROGRAM (United Kingdom)

Starring: Ben Foster, Dustin Hoffman, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet

Directed by: Stephen Frears

From Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena) and producers Working Title (The Theory of Everything), comes the true story of the meteoric rise and fall of one of the most celebrated and controversial men in recent history, Lance Armstrong. (World Premiere)

REMEMBER (Canada)

Starring: Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau

Directed by: Atom Egoyan

Remember is the contemporary story of Zev, who discovers that the Nazi guard who murdered his family some 70 years ago is living in America under an assumed identity. Despite the obvious challenges, Zev sets out on a mission to deliver long-delayed justice with his own trembling hand. What follows is a remarkable cross-continent road-trip with surprising consequences. (North American Premiere)

STONEWALL (USA)

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ron Perlman, Joey King

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

This fictional drama inspired by true events follows a young man caught up during the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) finds himself alone in Greenwich Village, homeless and destitute, until he befriends a group of street kids who introduce him to the local watering hole, The Stonewall Inn — however, this shady, mafia-run club is far from a safe haven. As Danny and his friends experience discrimination, endure atrocities and are repeatedly harassed by the police, the entire community of young gays, lesbians and drag queens who populate Stonewall erupts in a storm of anger. With the toss of a single brick, a riot ensues and a crusade for equality is born. (World Premiere)

“Beasts of No Nation”

THE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

BEASTS OF NO NATION (USA/Ghana)

Starring: Abraham Attah, Idris Elba

Directed by: Cary Fukunaga

Based on the highly acclaimed novel, director Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation brings to life the gripping tale of Agu (newcomer Abraham Attah), a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an African country. Idris Elba dominates the screen in the role of Commandant, a warlord who takes in Agu and instructs him in the ways of war. (Canadian Premiere)

BLACK MASS (USA)

Starring: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Jesse Plemons, Kevin Bacon, Dakota Johnson, Julianne Nicholson, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard

Directed by: Scott Cooper

In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly persuades Irish-American gangster Jimmy Bulger to act as an informant for the FBI in order to eliminate their common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement while becoming one of the most ruthless and dangerous gangsters in Boston history. (Canadian Premiere)

BROOKLYN (United Kingdom/Ireland/Canada)

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters

Directed by: John Crowley

Set on opposite sides of the Atlantic, this drama tells the profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey, a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. (Canadian Premiere)

THE DANISH GIRL (United Kingdom)

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander

Directed by: Tom Hooper

The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander), directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables). Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s ground breaking journey as a transgender pioneer. (North American Premiere)

Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel in “Youth”

THE FAMILY FANG (USA)

Starring: Jason Bateman, Nicole Kidman, Christopher Walken

Directed by: Jason Bateman

Annie and Baxter Fang have spent most of their adult lives trying to distance themselves from their famous artist parents. But when both siblings find themselves stalled in life, they return home for the first time in a decade where they become entangled in a dark mystery surrounding their parents’ disappearance. Based on the New York Times bestseller. (World Premiere)

THE LADY IN THE VAN (USA/United Kingdom)

Starring: Maggie Smith, Dominic Cooper, James Corden

Directed by: Nicholas Hytner

Based on the true story of Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who “temporarily” parked her van in writer Alan Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. What begins as a begrudged favour becomes a relationship that will change both their lives. Filmed on the street and in the house where Bennett and Miss Shepherd lived all those years, acclaimed director Nicholas Hytner reunites with iconic writer Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George, The History Boys) to bring this rare and touching portrait to the screen. (World Premiere)

MAGGIE’S PLAN (USA)

Starring: Julianne Moore, Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph

Directed by: Rebecca Miller

Maggie’s plan to have a baby on her own is derailed when she falls in love with John, a married man, destroying his volatile marriage to the brilliant Georgette. But one daughter and three years later, Maggie is out of love and in a quandary: what do you do when you suspect your man and his ex-wife are actually perfect for each other? (World Premiere)

SON OF SAUL (SAUL FIA) (Hungary)

Starring: Géza Röhrig

Directed by: László Nemes

October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the body of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial. (Canadian Premiere)

TRUMBO (USA)

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren

Directed by: Jay Roach

The successful career of 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) comes to a crushing end when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs. Trumbo tells the story of his fight against the U.S. government and studio bosses in a war over words and freedom, which entangled everyone in Hollywood from Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and John Wayne to Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger. (World Premiere)

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (USA)

Directed by: Michael Moore

Oscar-winning director Michael Moore returns with what may be his most provocative and hilarious movie yet. Moore tells the Pentagon to “stand down”— he will do the invading for America from now on. Discretely shot in several countries and under the radar of the global media, Moore has made a searing cinematic work that is both up-to-the-minute and timeless. (World Premiere)

YOUTH (Italy/France/United Kingdom/Switzerland)

Starring: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Jane Fonda, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano

Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino

Youth explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred (Michael Caine) has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his daughter Lena (Rachel Weisz), Mick (Harvey Keitel) is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last film for his muse Brenda (Jane Fonda). And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy (Paul Dano), an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance? From Italy’s Oscar-winning foreign language film writer and director Paolo Sorrentino, Youth asks if our most important and life-changing experiences can come at any time — even late — in life. (North American Premiere)

Which of the TIFF 2015 films revolved so far do you want to check out? Let us know in the comments below or tweet our film reviewer at @MikeCrisolago.