TIFF unveils 50th-edition lineup with Sweeney, Jolie, Ansari and ‘Wake Up Dead Man’

Films starring Sydney Sweeney, Angelina Jolie and Aziz Ansari will premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, organizers announced Monday, setting a star-heavy tone for the event’s 50th edition. TIFF detailed selections for its galas and special presentations — the bulk of red-carpet showcases at North America’s largest film festival.

World premieres include Ansari’s ‘Good Fortune,’ with Keanu Reeves as an angel trying to teach a struggling man (Ansari) a lesson; David Michod’s ‘Christy,’ featuring Sweeney as boxer Christy Martin; and Alice Winocour’s ‘Couture,’ in which Jolie plays an American filmmaker attending Paris Fashion Week.

Those titles join the previously announced TIFF world premiere of Rian Johnson’s ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.’ All three of Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’ films have premiered in Toronto.

Also debuting in Toronto will be Derek Cianfrance’s ‘Roofman,’ starring Channing Tatum as a struggling father turned thief; Nia DaCosta’s Ibsen adaptation ‘Hedda,’ with Tessa Thompson; Nicholas Hytner’s First World War drama ‘The Choral,’ with Ralph Fiennes; Steven Soderbergh’s third 2025 release, ‘The Christophers’; Hikari’s ‘Rental Family,’ starring Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Japan; and Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Lost Bus,’ featuring Matthew McConaughey as a bus driver navigating California’s 2018 Camp Fire.

The festival will open Sept. 4 with the debut of ‘John Candy: I Like Me,’ a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds. TIFF runs through Sept. 14. Toronto has long been a prized launchpad for the fall movie season, though many top titles often first head to Venice or Telluride.

This year, that includes TIFF selections such as Chloé Zhao’s ‘Hamnet,’ Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ and Edward Berger’s ‘Ballad of a Smaller Player.’ The designation of those premieres suggests ‘Frankenstein’ will first play Venice, while the other two will likely play both Venice and Telluride.

Other notable films premiering in Toronto include James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg trials drama ‘Nuremberg,’ with Rami Malik and Russell Crowe; Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s ‘Swiped,’ starring Lily James as Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd; and Agnieszka Holland’s Franz Kafka drama ‘Franz.’