By Tyler Griffin
The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off today, which means some highly-anticipated movies are headed to the Ryerson Theatre. Some of the bigger blockbuster hits are virtually impossible to get tickets to unless you’re a TIFF member or industry insider. The Eye compiled a list of TIFF films worth seeing on campus that you can still snatch tickets for. Time is of the essence, fellow cinephiles!
Blood Quantum — Sept. 5 at 11:59 p.m.
Blood Quantum is equal parts horror and cultural critique, while highlighting how marginalized voices can breathe new life into a tired genre. In the film, a Mi’gmaq community discover they are the only humans immune to a zombie plague. Do they offer refuge to outsiders or not?
Pain and Glory — Sept. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
In this Spanish film, an aging filmmaker and longtime junkie, played by Antonio Banderas, reflects on the choices that he’s made in his successful but troubled life. Oscar-winning actress Penélope Cruz also stars in this tale of identity and desire.
Seberg — Sept. 7 at 6 p.m.
This biopic, featuring Kristen Stewart in the titular role, tells the story of American actress and icon of French New Wave cinema, Jean Seberg. As the 1960s became more radicalized, so does the young star—even to the point of becoming a person of interest for the FBI. Seberg tells the story of “an artist destined for fame—and crushed by notoriety.”
Saint Maud — Sept. 8 at 11:59 p.m.
This psychological horror film follows a reclusive, religious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient. Described as “insidious,” “darkly humorous” and “heartbreakingly sad,” this film was made for fans of the Gothic and psychological genres.
Guns Akimbo — Sept. 9 at 9:15 p.m.
A nerdy video game developer, played by Daniel Radcliffe, becomes the next contestant in an illegal live-streamed death match. If you’re someone who streams e-sports content on the daily, this dark and violent sci-fi film might be perfect for you.
Gundala — Sept. 11 at 11:59 p.m.
If you have superhero fatigue after the run-up to Avengers: Endgame, try switching gears with Gundala. The film explores the origins of Indonesia’s preeminent comic book superhero, and his alter ego Sancaka, as he battles the wicked Pengkor and his squad of orphan assassins.
The Vast of Night — Sept. 12 at 11:59 p.m.
In this sci-fi thriller set in the 1950s, while the residents of a small town in New Mexico watch a high school basketball game, a young switchboard operator and radio DJ seek the source of a mysterious frequency.
Crazy World — Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m.
Last, but extremely not least, is the latest film from gonzo action auteur Nabwana I.G.G., hailed as “Uganda’s Tarantino.” Nabwana and his team have created a movement called Wakaliwood, using their meagre resources and low-budget CGI to create self-aware, gonzo action films.
In Crazy World, a gang of child-snatching mobsters, known as the notorious Tiger Mafia, kidnap the Waka Starz, a team of “pint-sized kung fu masters.” They turn their deadly skills upon their captors, while the team’s desperate parents commence a rescue/revenge mission of their own. Per Ugandan oral tradition, every outrageous moment is accentuated by an offscreen narrator. “FIGHT OF DA CENTURY! YOU WERE BORN TO SEE THIS.”
Crazy World will be the closing Midnight Madness screening at the Ryerson Theatre. Watch out for a stoned review of the film from The Eyeopener.
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