The Israeli Oscar winner’s new thriller follows a Holocaust survivor drawn into a hedonistic women’s cult, with Carrie Coon, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young and Lily James leading the cast; its Canadian premiere may follow a Telluride world debutIsraeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv’s new film “The Liberation” will be among the hundreds of titles screening this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the world’s largest and most influential film events.The psychological thriller is rooted in Nattiv’s own family history. At its center is a Holocaust survivor inspired by his grandmother, Rita Cooper, who is tempted to leave her family behind and join a hedonistic women’s cult offering the promise of a new life.‘The Liberation’ (Photo: Bleecker Street)Nattiv, who won the Academy Award for best live-action short film for “Skin,” assembled a high-profile cast led by Carrie Coon in the demanding central role. Bella Ramsey and Odessa Young play her daughters, while Lily James portrays the charismatic cult leader. Tracy Letts, Coon’s real-life husband, plays her husband on screen as well.The project was first revealed in 2019, when reports said Nattiv planned to tell the story while he was trying to bring his grandmother Rita for burial in Israel. She had died in the United States while a member of the cult and was buried in a Native American ceremony.“The Liberation,” originally titled “Harmony” after the cult, is Nattiv’s fourth major American-led project since leaving Israel, following “Skin,” “Golda” and “Tatami.” He is again collaborating with New York producer Oren Moverman.Toronto has officially listed the screening as the film’s Canadian premiere, suggesting its world premiere could take place shortly beforehand at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.Toronto, often regarded as an early bellwether for Hollywood awards season, will also feature several of the year’s most anticipated films.The festival opens Sept. 10 with “Being Heumann,” the new period drama from “CODA” director Sian Heder. The film centers on disability-rights activist Judy Heumann and the protest movement she helped lead in the 1970s.One of the festival’s highest-profile documentaries is expected to be “Musk,” Alex Gibney’s four-hour portrait of Elon Musk. Gibney, who produced “The Bibi Files,” which screened in Toronto two years ago, turns his attention to another powerful public figure, tracing Musk’s life, career, personality and worldview.A24 will also have a significant presence with two films examining the entertainment industry from behind the scenes.“The Debut,” directed by Jesse Eisenberg, stars Julianne Moore as an amateur actress whose life changes dramatically after she lands a leading role in a local theater production under the guidance of a demanding director played by Paul Giamatti.“Misty Green,” Chris Rock’s directorial debut, follows a former star, played by Rosalind Eleazar, facing a personal and professional crisis as her standing in the industry declines, partly after she slaps a colleague. The premise inevitably echoes Rock’s own infamous Oscars encounter with Will Smith. Adam Driver, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace and Rock also appear in the cast.Other titles include Jennifer Peedom’s “Tenzing,” which retells the conquest of Mount Everest from the perspective of Nepalese climber Tenzing Norgay, who reached the summit alongside Edmund Hillary, played by Tom Hiddleston.David and Nathan Zellner’s science-fiction comedy “Alpha Gang” boasts a cast including Cate Blanchett, Dave Bautista, Chris Pine, Riley Keough and Lily-Rose Depp.Pakistani-born filmmaker Bassam Tariq’s action thriller “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” is also expected to draw attention, following a devout Muslim man, played by Mahershala Ali, on a violent revenge mission after his wife’s death.There will also be another Israeli connection at the festival through producer Lee Broda, whose thriller “The Housewife” follows a New York Times reporter investigating a Nazi officer living in the city who becomes fascinated by the officer’s wife.Directed by Ben Shirinian, the film stars Luke Evans, Naomi Watts, Norman Reedus, Tye Sheridan and Michael Imperioli.