With the full TIFF 2025 schedule released this week, we have some leading candidates for five of the year’s most eagerly awaited films.

To commemorate the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) 50th anniversary, the organizers are presenting the finest movies featuring major stars—many of which will have their premieres for the first time. With the complete TIFF 2025 lineup unveiled this week, we have highlighted several prime films to keep an eye on at TIFF this year. This list takes into account the buzz, the performers, and some that deserve more attention or recognition. Some selections are expected, while others might not be on everyone’s radar.

Some films listed below are well-recognized as making their debut at TIFF 2025, but there are numerous exceptional titles arriving for this milestone anniversary. One such film is Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, featuring Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, Bobby Cannavale, and Margaret Qualley. Another eagerly awaited title is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Fans and literature enthusiasts will note that this sequel plays off Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue. On a more uplifting note, Rental Home stars Oscar-winning Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Tokyo dealing with severe impostor syndrome as he becomes a professional surrogate in the thoughtful and whimsical dramedy by director HIKARI.

For those craving high-stakes romance, Jonathan Edwards presents Carolina Caroline, starring Kyle Gallner, Samara Weaving, and Jon Gries. This charming, stylish road film revolving around a woman’s quest for self-discovery promises to be exceptionally entertaining. On the animated front, Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco tells the story of a realm where rainbows serve as time travelers from our future. The narrative follows 10-year-old Arco, who inadvertently gets lost in time. Produced by Natalie Portman (who also voices a character), the film’s visuals and storytelling reportedly evoke the essence of Hayao Miyazaki’s creations. I could elaborate endlessly about the remarkable films debuting at TIFF 2025, but here is a compilation of some essential must-watch titles.

Christy

Disregard her American Eagle jeans; Sydney Sweeney is reportedly delivering her finest performance yet in Christy. Check out Eden, and you’ll see Sweeney truly at her peak. Ben Foster joins her, delivering one of his most impressive performances following last year’s Sharp Corner. Oscillating between heartbreaking and victorious, the latest work from Australian director David Michôd chronicles the incredible journey of trailblazing women’s boxer Christy Martin. Foster reveals the darkness within the man who was initially Christy’s supporter and later became her abuser, but the soul of this film lies with Sweeney, who immerses herself in the role of a woman grappling with numerous demons as she battled her way to the summit.

Frankenstein

Oscar-winning director and master of Toronto, Guillermo del Toro, returns to TIFF 2025 with another breathtaking horror-monster film. Some are dubbing this adaptation of Mary Shelley’s legendary story del Toro’s crowning achievement. Oscar Isaac portrays Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist tormented by ambition and his own intense desires. Extending his work beyond scientific limits to the edge between life and death, he brings a new entity into being in a breathtaking act of creation. Played in an entirely unique manner by Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein’s creature starts as a formidable, perilous beast but also possesses the dangerous ability to learn from human actions. This poses a threat to both Frankenstein and his fiancée Elizabeth (Mia Goth).

Good Fortune

Actor-writer-director Aziz Ansari co-stars with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh, and Keke Palmer in this amusing modern fantasy in which the angel Gabriel, frustrated with conducting minor acts of divine intervention, seeks to enhance the lives of several struggling mortals. Here, a junior angel named Gabriel intervenes. Distressed by the inequity of Arj’s situation, he compels Arj and billionaire Jeff to swap lives, believing that each can gain insight from experiencing the other’s circumstances. If you caught Freakier Friday, this may resonate similarly—albeit a much more NSFW, unholy version. Interestingly and truthfully, this film offers a commentary on contemporary social disparities.

Motor City

Motor City is a raw revenge narrative set against the industrial landscape of 1970s Detroit. John Miller (Alan Ritchson from TV’s Reacher), a working-class auto employee, has his life shattered when he’s set up by a merciless local crime lord (an intensely unsettling Ben Foster) and incarcerated. Emerging from prison years later, hardened and haunted, Miller embarks on a mission to reclaim the life—and love (Shailene Woodley)—that was taken from him, delivering a violent reckoning along the way. Ritchson consistently infuses his performances with action-oriented intensity.