TIFF Next Wave
TIFF Next Wave is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario.[1] An offshoot of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Next Wave festival is held in spring each year, screening films of interest to teenagers and young adults selected by a committee of students from the city's high schools.[2]
The festival was launched in 2012.[3] It programs both a lineup of Canadian and international feature films, and a Young Creators Showcase program of short films by Canadian film students. The festival has also included special programs such as Battle of the Scores, a battle of the bands competition in which emerging musicians compete to compose and perform the best live score for a short film,[4] the Next Wave Film Challenge, a competition which gives emerging filmmakers three days to make and complete a short film,[5] and the Young Creators Co-Lab, which gives young content creators a chance to meet and network with film industry professionals.[6]
Prior to 2012, film programming for both children and young adults was screened as part of a single Sprockets film festival.[7]
Admission to the festival screenings is free for people under age 25, and $14 for people older than 25.[1]
In addition to the standalone TIFF Next Wave festival, films of youth interest in the primary TIFF program also bear a "TIFF Next Wave" designation,[8] and the organizing committee served as the jury for the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award from 2020 to 2023.[9]
Programs
2012
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Girls | 17 filles | Delphine and Muriel Coulin | France |
| Fat Kid Rules the World | Matthew Lillard | United States | |
2013
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-25-77 | Patrick Read Johnson | United States | |
| Bushido Sixteen | Bushidō Shikkusutīn | Tomoyuki Furumaya | Japan |
| Dead Before Dawn | April Mullen | Canada | |
| Earthbound | Alan Brennan | Ireland | |
| Fame High | Scott Hamilton Kennedy | United States | |
| Family Weekend | Benjamin Epps | United States | |
| Ghost Graduation | Promoción fantasma | Javier Ruiz Caldera | Spain |
| Molly Maxwell | Sara St. Onge | Canada | |
| Otelo Burning | Sara Blecher | South Africa | |
| Struck by Lightning | Brian Dannelly | United States | |
2014
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Birder's Guide to Everything | Rob Meyer | United States | |
| Camp Takota | Chris Riedell, Nick Riedell | United States | |
| Final Recipe | Gina Kim | South Korea | |
| Fly Colt Fly | Adam Gray, Andrew Gray | Canada | |
| For No Eyes Only | Tali Barde | Germany | |
| G.B.F. | Darren Stein | United States | |
| Gone Too Far! | Destiny Ekaragha | Nigeria, United Kingdom | |
| I Learn America | Jean-Michel Dissard, Gitte Peng | United States | |
| Leap 4 Your Life | Gary Hawes | Canada | |
| Palo Alto | Gia Coppola | United States | |
2015
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 Tuesdays | Sophie Hyde | Australia | |
| Boy 7 | Lourens Blok | Netherlands | |
| Dessau Dancers | Jan Martin Scharf | Germany | |
| Girlhood | Bande de filles | Céline Sciamma | France |
| Leave to Remain | Bruce Goodison | United Kingdom | |
| Lily & Kat | Micael Preysler | United States | |
| McFarland, USA | Niki Caro | United States | |
| No Cameras Allowed | James Marcus Haney | United States | |
| Partners in Crime | Kong Feng | Chang Jung-chi | Taiwan |
| Wet Bum | Lindsay MacKay | Canada | |
| The Word | Obietnica | Anna Kazejak-Dawid | Poland |
2016
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayanda | Sara Blecher | South Africa | |
| Flocking | Flocken | Beata Gårdeler | Sweden |
| I Am Thalente | Natalie Johns | South Africa, United States | |
| The Idol | Hany Abu-Assad | United Kingdom, Palestine, Qatar, Netherlands | |
| Los Ángeles | Damian John Harper | Germany | |
| Microbe & Gasoline | Microbe et Gasoil | Michel Gondry | France |
| Sing Street | John Carney | Ireland | |
| Songs My Brothers Taught Me | Chloé Zhao | United States | |
| Takin' Place | Cyrus Dowlatshahi | United States | |
2017
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:54 | Yan England | Canada | |
| 2 Fists Up | Spike Lee | United States | |
| As You Are | Miles Joris-Peyrafitte | United States | |
| Barakah Meets Barakah | Barakah yoqabil Barakah | Mahmoud Sabbagh | Saudi Arabia |
| Before I Fall | Ry Russo-Young | United States | |
| Before the Streets | Avant les rues | Chloé Leriche | Canada |
| Divines | Houda Benyamina | France | |
| Japanese Girls Never Die | Azumi Haruko wa yukue fumei | Daigo Matsui | Japan |
| The Young Offenders | Peter Foott | Ireland | |
2018
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axolotl Overkill | Helene Hegemann | Germany | |
| Bad Genius | Chalard Games Goeng | Nattawut Poonpiriya | Thailand |
| Bad Lucky Goat | El dia de la cabra | Samir Oliveros | Colombia |
| Barley Fields on the Other Side of the Mountain | Tian Tsering | United Kingdom | |
| Beyond Dreams | Dröm vidare | Rojda Sekersöz | Sweden |
| Dayveon | Amman Abassi | United States | |
| Fake Tattoos | Les faux tatouages | Pascal Plante | Canada |
| High Fantasy | Jenna Bass | South Africa | |
| A Kid from Somewhere | Adam Beck, Paul Johnston | Canada | |
| Love, Simon | Greg Berlanti | United States | |
| Person to Person | Dustin Guy Defa | United States | |
| Thoroughbreds | Cory Finley | United States | |
2019
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue My Mind | Lisa Brühlmann | Switzerland | |
| Carmen & Lola | Carmen y Lola | Arantxa Echevarría | Spain |
| Jinn | Nijla Mu'min | United States | |
| Ladyworld | Amanda Kramer | United States | |
| Meteorites | Les Météorites | Romain Laguna | France |
| Minding the Gap | Bing Liu | United States | |
| Respeto | Treb Monteras II | Philippines | |
| Slut in a Good Way | Charlotte a du fun | Sophie Lorain | Canada |
| Socrates | Alexandre Moratto | Brazil | |
| Virus Tropical | Santiago Caicedo | Colombia | |
2020
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| And Then We Danced | Da chven vitsek'vet | Levan Akin | Georgia, Sweden |
| Angelfish | Peter Lee | United States | |
| Children of the Sea | Kaijū no Kodomo | Ayumu Watanabe | Japan |
| CRSHD | Emily Cohn | United States | |
| House of Hummingbird | 벌새 | Kim Bora | South Korea |
| Kuessipan | Myriam Verreault | Canada | |
| Papicha | Mounia Meddour | Algeria | |
| Premature | Rashaad Ernesto Green | United States | |
| Selah and the Spades | Tayarisha Poe | United States | |
| Sequin in a Blue Room | Samuel Van Grinsven | Australia | |
| Take Me Somewhere Nice | Ena Sendijarević | Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Your Turn | Espero tua (re)volta | Eliza Capai | Brazil |
2021
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beans | Tracey Deer | Canada | |
| Cocoon | Kokon | Leonie Krippendorff | Germany |
| Death of Nintendo | Raya Martin | Philippines | |
| La Leyenda Negra | Patricia Vidal Delgado | United States | |
| My Name Is Baghdad | Meu nome é Bagdá | Caru Alves de Souza | Brazil |
| The Night of the Beast | La noche de la bestia | Mauricio Leiva Cock | Colombia, Mexico |
| Scales | Sayidat Al Bahr | Shahad Ameen | Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq |
| Summertime | Carlos López Estrada | United States | |
| Tahara | Olivia Peace | United States | |
| Unapologetic | Ashley O'Shay | United States | |
2022
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Feet High | Maria Belen Poncio, Rosario Perazolo Masjoan | Argentina/France | |
| The Braves | Entre les vagues | Anaïs Volpé | France |
| Casablanca Beats | Haut et fort | Nabil Ayouch | Morocco, France |
| The Fam | La Mif | Fred Baillif | France |
| Freda | Gessica Généus | Haiti | |
| Girl Picture | Tytöt tytöt tytöt | Alli Haapasalo | Finland |
| I Don't Wanna Dance | Flynn von Kleist | Netherlands | |
| It's a Summer Film! | Summer Film Ni Notte | Soushi Matsumoto | Japan |
| Slash/Back | Nyla Innuksuk | Canada | |
| Stop-Zemlia | Стоп-Земля | Kateryna Gornostai | Ukraine |
2023
Official selections
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adolfo | Sofía Auza | Mexico, United States | |
| Egghead & Twinkie | Sarah Kambe Holland | United States | |
| Liquor Store Dreams | So Yun Um | United States | |
| The Lost Boys | Le Paradis | Zeno Graton | Belgium |
| Motherhood | La Maternal | Pilar Palomero | Spain |
| The Ordinaries | Sophie Linnenbaum | Germany | |
| Scrapper | Charlotte Regan | United Kingdom | |
| Summer Scars | Nos cérémonies | Simon Rieth | France |
| Summer with Hope | Tabestan Ba Omid | Sadaf Foroughi | Canada, Iran |
Young Creators Showcase
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castaway | Shamiso Chigwende | Canada | |
| Execution Triptych | Giran Findlay | Canada | |
| Hoa | Tram Anh Nguyen | Canada, Vietnam | |
| In the Whiteness | Niya Ahmed Abdullahi | Canada | |
| Inside Groove | Elizabeth Wei Yun Albrecht | Canada | |
| Late Bloomer | Emma Cheuk | Canada | |
| The Mess We're In | Jamie Lam | Canada | |
| Ms. Butterworth's Cherry Pie | Cameron Lightly | Canada | |
| On the Cosmic Shore | Luvleen Hunjan | Canada, India | |
| Ozigwan (Tail of Serpent) | Cole Forrest | Canada | |
| Shallots and Garlic | Bawang Merah Bawang Putih | Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto | Canada, Indonesia |
| What Will You Do When I'm Gone? | majboor-e-mamool | Haaris Qadri | Canada |
| The Year Long Boulder | Brielle LeBlanc | Canada | |
2024
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Boys | Corey Sherman | United States | |
| Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story | Luck Razanajaona | France, Madagascar, Germany, Mauritius, South Africa | |
| Gamma Rays | Les Rayons gamma | Henry Bernadet | Canada |
| Girls Will Be Girls | Shuchi Talati | India | |
| Hoard | Luna Carmoon | United Kingdom | |
| Paradise Is Burning | Paradiset Brinner | Mika Gustafson | Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden |
| Power Alley | Levante | Lillah Halla | Brazil, France, Uruguay |
| She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones | Kai Shi De Qiang | Youjia Qu | China |
| A Song Sung Blue | Xiao Bai Chuan | Zihan Geng | China |
2025
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brides | Nadia Fall | United Kingdom | |
| The Dog Thief | El ladrón de perros | Vinko Tomičić Salinas | Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, France, Ecuador |
| Manas | Marianna Brennand | Brazil, Portugal | |
| Pools | Sam Hayes | United States | |
| Queens of Drama | Les reines du drame | Alexis Langlois | France, Belgium |
| Rape Play | Gabriella Mykal | United States | |
| Seaside Serendipity | 海辺へ行く道 | Satoko Yokohama | Japan |
| The Virgin of the Quarry Lake | La Virgen de la Tosquera | Laura Casabé | Argentina, Spain, Mexico |
| We Were Dangerous | Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu | New Zealand | |
| Where the Wind Comes From | Amel Guellaty | Tunisia, France, Qatar | |
References
- ^ a b Emma Badame, "The 2023 TIFF Next Wave Film Festival lineup is here!". That Shelf, March 15, 2023.
- ^ Kelly Townsend, "Summer With Hope among TIFF's Next Wave lineup". Playback, March 16, 2023.
- ^ Kate Wilkinson, "Not another teen film festival; TIFF's Next Wave brings a youth perspective to cinephilia". National Post, May 10, 2012.
- ^ Jason Anderson, "TIFF Next Wave puts youth in focus: Festival's busy lineup presents range of stories for teen set that doesn't necessarily involve dystopian hunks". Toronto Star, February 12, 2016.
- ^ Linda Barnard, "Big dreams and small budgets pay off for teen filmmaker 'Always think big,' says young filmmaker: Nate Wilson was able to fund more movies after winning the 2013 TIFF Next Wave Film Challenge". Toronto Star, February 8, 2014.
- ^ Jason Anderson, "TIFF Next Wave reels in young movie buffs: Family Day weekend programming honours teens with free access to regular screenings". Toronto Star, February 17, 2017.
- ^ Etan Vlessing, "Breaking up Sprockets: How TIFF targets young film-goers one festival at a time". Playback, March 7, 2012.
- ^ Taylor Simmons, "How these GTA teens helped shape the lineup at this year's TIFF". CBC News Toronto, September 3, 2019.
- ^ "Canadian chart-topper Shawn Mendes to perform at TIFF Tribute Awards". Toronto Star, September 9, 2020.