Get ready Toronto, TIFF is making its return to the city! From September 5-15 the world’s leading filmmakers will gather and set the stage for an exciting lineup of films and special events. For those interested in attending TIFF 2024, there are a few key announcements to get you excited about the upcoming festival!

There are many notable awards that are being presented at this year’s TIFF programming. Notably, renowned Australian actor and producer Cate Blanchett will be honoured at the 2024 TIFF Tribute Awards as the recipient of the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award. The award was inspired by TIFF’s Share Her Journey Initiative to address gender parity in film and champion women at every stage of their creative journeys. 

Photo by Tom Munro

Blanchett has been a trailblazer in advocating for representation and equality in film and is a revered performer in cinema. “Cate’s passion for the transformative power of storytelling, and her commitment to breaking down barriers for women, align with the goals of our Share Her Journey initiative,” Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF says. Past recipients of this award are Patricia Arquette (2023) and Michelle Yeoh (2022). 

TIFF has also announced some big names as the honourees of this year’s Tribute Awards. Oscar-nominated actor Amy Adams will receive the TIFF Tribute Performer Award and Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter David Cronenberg will be recognized with the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award. Award-winning Korean Canadian actor and producer Sandra Oh will serve as the inaugural Tribute Awards Honorary Chair. 

In addition to these awards, TIFF has also announced the first six films that will be premiering at the festival! TIFF attendees can look forward to the dark comedy Nightbitch, which features Amy Adams as a stay-at-home mom whose domestic life takes a surreal turn. International A-list talents will be highlighted at TIFF such as Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, Park Jeong-min and Jeon Yeo-been in Harbin, music icon Elton John in Elton John: Never Too Late, and Tom Hiddleston in the adaptation of the 2020 Stephen King short story, The Life of Chuck. Also coming to TIFF 2024 are the coming-of-age Indigenous basketball film Rez Ball, produced by LeBron James; and the animated film The Wild Robot, starring Lupita Nyong’o.

As always, this year is stacked with events for public and industry attendees. In addition to screenings at TIFF Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall, Princess of Wales Theatre, Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, Glenn Gould Studio at the Canadian Broadcast Centre, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre, there will be unique in-person opportunities. There will be live post-screening Q&As, In Conversation With…series (including In Conversation With…Cate Blanchett), conferences, and festivals for opening weekend. 

Festival tickets go on sale to the public on August 26. Stay up to date with all things TIFF 2024 with their official TIFF website.