The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the largest film events worldwide, and is often considered the antechamber to awards season. Now, after two years of a pandemic that struck the industry and the entire world, TIFF 2022 will return in full force, taking place September 8-18. What’s more, CEO Cameron Bailey has announced the biggest lineup since 2019.

This year’s event marks the 47th edition of TIFF, and will comprise 11 days dedicated entirely to both Canadian and international cinema, featuring highly anticipated premieres from major stars of the industry, such as Steven Spielberg, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Lena Dunham, and Sam Mendes, among many others who seek to offer fresh takes on an already established and seasoned industry. As every year, expectations are high for this event, since many of the films and shorts premiering here end up being huge hits among critics and audiences, thereby emerging as strong contenders for awards season.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Over the past few years, the crime genre, in particular, has grown in popularity and quality, attracting many followers from all over the world. Naturally, we expect some outstanding crime movies at TIFF 2022 — indeed, here is a brief overview of them all.

Decision to Leave

     CJ Entertainment

Decision to Leave is a South Korean film co-written, produced, and directed by Park Chan-wook, first debuting at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 23. June 29 marked its South Korean premiere, and the screening at TIFF 2022 will be its North American premiere. This romantic mystery film stars Tang Wei and Park Hae-il, and revolves around the story of a detective who, in the midst of a murder investigation, becomes strongly suspicious of the victim’s widow. However, there’s a big problem: as his suspicions grow, so do his feelings for her. This film is part of TIFF’s Special Presentations segment, and, per The Hollywood Reporter, it has been chosen as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

     Netflix

Due to the overwhelming success with critics and audiences that proved to be the 2019 film Knives Out, its director, writer, and producer Rian Johnson announced a sequel to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival entitled Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. In said sequel, Daniel Craig reprises his role as Benoit Blanc, a seasoned detective who embarks on a new case that involves a trip to Greece. The Knives Out 2 cast features Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

Holy Spider

     Profile Pictures

Holy Spider is a crime thriller film that premiered in May at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where its lead actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the festival’s Best Actress Award. This international co-production is based on the case of an Iranian serial killer named Saeed Hanaei, who targeted sex workers and, from 2000 to 2001, murdered 16 women. The film, directed by Ali Abbasi, narrates the story from the point of view of a journalist who is seeking justice, and is set in Mashhad, the holiest city in Iran.

The Good Nurse

The Good Nurse will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival under the Special Presentations category. Directed by Tobias Lindholm and written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, based on Charles Graeber’s book of the same name, the film is inspired by the real-life case of serial killer Charles Cullen, a male nurse who murdered more than 300 patients over the course of his career. The production revolves around this killer and how one of his fellow nurses grows suspicious of him and cooperates with the authorities in order to capture him. The Good Nurse stars Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, joined by Nnamdi Asomugha, Noah Emmerich, and Kim Dickens.

The Gravity

     Une Fille Productions

The Gravity is a movie directed and written by Cédric Ido that will first screen at TIFF 2022 and subsequently be released this December. Starring Hafsia Herzi, Steve Tientcheu, Olivier Rosemberg, and Jean-Baptiste Anoumon, this French feature follows a unique cosmic event that alters the Earth’s gravity and creates chaos and disruption in a futuristic Parisian suburb led by a group of young entrepreneurs who are cosmically connected.