Every September, AMC joins our neighbors to the north for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where we get to screen some of the most anticipated films of year — many of which go on to create awards season buzz. While there’s plenty to enjoy at the star-studded event, there are a handful (or two) of indie films we can’t wait to see and bring to a theatre near you through our AMC Artisan Films programming. Be sure to keep these titles on your radar.
Just Mercy
Based on a powerful true story, drama JUST MERCY stars Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard-educated lawyer who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian (Jaime Foxx), a black man wrongly accused of murder and sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them. Brie Larson also stars.
Knives Out
Writer/director Rian Johnson (STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI) describes his new film, KNIVES OUT, as a classic Agatha Christie whodunit with a Hitchcock twist set in modern-day America. To bring his vision to life, Johnson formed an ensemble cast, including Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Ana de Armas, Don Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
There may be no better actor to play Fred Rogers than Tom Hanks. Last year, audiences celebrated Rogers’ legacy with the documentary WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Now, we get to revisit his past through the eyes of a jaded journalist (Matthew Rhys), who reluctantly accepts an Esquire assignment to profile the children’s television host and encounters a profoundly empathetic world view that changes his life forever.
The Goldfinch
Theo Decker (Ansel Elgort) was only 13 when his mother died in a museum bombing, sending him on an odyssey of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption. Through it all, he holds on to one tangible piece of hope from that terrible day: a priceless painting of a bird chained to its perch, The Goldfinch, which he took to memorialize his mom. The film is directed by John Crowley (BROOKLYN) and based on Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
Jojo Rabbit
Writer/director Taika Waititi (THOR: RAGNAROK) makes a bold move by playing Adolf Hitler in his new comedy — yes, comedy — JOJO RABBIT. When a young German boy (newcomer Roman Griffin Davis) discovers a Jewish girl hiding in his home, he consults with his imaginary best friend, Adolf Hitler (Waititi). Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson and Thomasin McKenzie all co-star, and we can’t wait to see how this story unfolds.
Ford v Ferrari
With Matt Damon and Christian Bale in the lead roles, FORD V FERRARI has been at the top of our must-see list since its announcement. James Mangold (LOGAN) directs the high-speed bio-drama, which pits an underdog team of American automotive engineers against Ferrari in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Joker
Todd Phillips’ JOKER is no ordinary comic book movie, as Joaquin Phoenix stars as Batman’s classic adversary in a twisted origin story that looks more like a ‘70s or ’80s thriller than a typical superhero blockbuster. In the solo film, Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) is a failed stand-up comedian who works as a clown to make ends meet. It’s not the best gig in the crime-filled Gotham City, where Fleck is assaulted and finally snaps.
Honey Boy
Shia LaBeouf wrote and stars in HONEY BOY, a drama loosely based on his own stormy childhood and early adult years. When Otis finds success as a child actor, his ex-rodeo-clown father, James (LaBeouf), comes back into his life. On set, James is overbearing — off, he’s abusive, and Otis carries that trauma for years as he struggles with addiction and forgiveness. Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges co-star.
The Lighthouse
Director Robert Eggers, who debuted his much-lauded film THE WITCH at TIFF 2015, returns to the festival with a black and white psychological thriller starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. The actors play two lighthouse keepers who slowly slide off the deep end on a remote New England island at the turn of the 19th century.
Judy
Renée Zellweger transforms into Judy Garland in Rupert Goold’s (TRUE STORY) moving adaptation of the stage play "End of the Rainbow." JUDY catches up with the Hollywood icon in the twilight of her career — and the final year of her life — as she lands in London for a redemption residency and falls in love.
Come back to AMC soon for tickets to these must-see TIFF titles!
