The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most influential festivals in the movie industry, with its 47th edition taking place this year from September 8 to 18. TIFF, well-known for its ability to generate “Oscar buzz” among many other things, is an event intended to transform the way people see the world through film, which is why this festival has been a platform for innovative and groundbreaking productions of all kinds featuring some of the industry’s most celebrated filmmakers and actors. The coveted People’s Choice Award, which is based on the audience’s opinions, is also held at this festival, and usually the winners of this ceremony go on to have a very successful awards season. Among the most popular productions to win the People’s Choice Award were American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, and La La Land, to name a few.

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Across 14 sections and over ten film genres, TIFF annually presents a large number of productions seeking to offer new narratives and perspectives. Therefore, it is especially worthwhile to take a look at the projects presented in the Avant-Garde and Experimental categories, although in Music and Musical Movie, there are also some interesting novelties that are worth exploring. This article provides an overview of every project in these categories at TIFF 2022.

Carmen

     Sony Pictures Classics

The upcoming musical drama film Carmen marks the directorial debut of Benjamin Millepied, the French dancer and choreographer who retired from dancing back in 2011. Millepied is best known for his choreographic work on the Darren Aronofsky film Black Swan, where he also met his now-wife Natalie Portman. Carmen is based on the stage musical and, more specifically, on the 1845 novella of the same name written by Prosper Mérimée. Even though there is little information about the plot, the film is a modern retelling of the classic love story, with the main character traveling from the Mexican deserts to Los Angeles seeking her freedom. Headlining the production are Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, and Rossy de Palma, with music scored by composer, pianist, and film producer Nicholas Britell, who has worked alongside Julieta Venegas and Taura Stinson on songwriting.

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

     Norte Productions

Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel are the directors and writers behind De Humani Corporis Fabrica, a French-Swiss documentary film that premiered last May at the Cannes Film Festival. This feature production draws inspiration from the 16th-Century book series De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem, written by Andreas Vesalius, considered to be one of the major breakthroughs in the study of the human anatomy. Building on that premise, the film takes an in-depth look at the human body, depicting it in entirely groundbreaking approaches through footage from surgeries and autopsies performed at several hospitals in France. Since some of these shots are taken from inside the body, it was necessary for the filmmakers to employ specialized equipment and cameras.

Dry Ground Burning

     Terratreme Filmes

Dry Ground Burning, or Mato Seco Em Chamas in its native language, is a Brazilian film by Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós and will have its North American premiere at TIFF 2022. The filmmakers spent three years collaborating with an all-women gang from Sol Nascente, a favela on the outskirts of Brazil, exploring the country’s inner turbulence in a feature production that combines fiction and reality from an exciting and groundbreaking perspective. In it, the band tries their luck in an illegal market by selling low-cost gasoline to working-class motorcycle couriers. Joana Darc Furtado and Léa Alves da Silva, the stars of this feature, are not actually actresses, but they play characters enhancing their personal life experiences.

On the Come Up

     Paramount Players

On the Come Up is a film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Angie Thomas, who also wrote the hit The Hate U Give. The movie revolves around Bri, a gifted teenager with dreams of making it big in the battle rap world. However, after one of her songs went viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between being the real her, that made her grow as an artist, and the fake persona the industry wants to force on her. The cast is led by Jamila C. Gray, joined by Michael Anthony Cooper Jr. and Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and while the movie went through several directors, including George Tillman and Wanuri Kahiu, it ultimately ended up marking Sanaa Lathan’s directorial debut.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

     The Roku Channel

In the amusing and quirky biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, directed by Eric Appel, Daniel Radcliffe stars as Weird Al, the iconic American singer and musician best known for his hilarious songs that make light of pop culture and his parodies of song classics, many times featuring his trademark accordion. The musician takes part in the project as co-writer and producer, and he has stated in interviews, per Polygon, that he is delighted with Radcliffe’s work, and that he is confident that this is the role for which he will be remembered in future generations. Rounding out the cast are Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Julianne Nicholson, Quinta Brunson, Spencer Treat Clark, Thomas Lennon, and Dot-Marie Jones.

Will-o’-the-Wisp

     Films Boutique

Will-o’-the-Wisp (also known as Fogo-Fátuo) is a co-production between France and Portugal directed by João Pedro Rodrigues, which he describes as a musical fantasy with futuristic elements. Set in 2069, this film tells the story of his royal highness Alfredo, a king without a crown, who on his deathbed remembers his youth and the time when he dreamed of becoming a fireman. This desire led him to meet Afonso, a brigade instructor with whom he experienced a passionate affair and with whom he attempted to change the current reality. The cast features Mauro Costa, André Cabral, Joel Branco, Oceano Cruz, among other actors.