Stars including Daniel Craig, Michaela Coel, Keanu Reeves and Channing Tatum to present latest films to big audiences
I
t was a mostly underwhelming edition of the Toronto film festival last year, aiming for a big comeback after the strikes affected the year prior. Disappointments such as Nightbitch, Eden, The Last Showgirl, Nutcrackers, The Return and The Cut were only mildly offset by the surprising appearance of Mike Leigh with his effectively gruelling drama Hard Truths.
But after spottier Venice and Telluride festivals than usual, worryingly light on slam-dunks, all eyes return to this year’s Toronto, hopeful that it might correct course for the season.
With Venice and Telluride snapping up most of the bigger hitters, Toronto has felt a little light on Oscar contenders in recent years (since 2017, only six Toronto world premieres have been nominated for best picture compared with 15 from Venice). But if bets were to be placed based on an initial glance at this year’s crop, The Lost Bus would seem like the safest pick. It’s the new film from Paul Greengrass, returning to the anxious immediacy of his fact-based retellings, having previously taken us back to the horror of September 11 (United 93), the Maersk Alabama hijacking (Captain Phillips) and the 2011 Norway terrorist attacks (22 July).
