TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is proud to present a comprehensive retrospective on one of the most influential auteurs of modern cinema in Laws of Desire: The Films of Pedro Almodóvar. TIFF invites audiences to celebrate the enduring cultural impact of Pedro Almodóvar, on the occasion of his first English-language feature film, in a 25-film major series running from November 1 to December 29. A full list of films and events can be accessed here.
A master of the cinematic form, Almodóvar’s films are renowned for their vibrant visuals, complex characters, and explorations of human desire. From his early, provocative works like Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, and Law of Desire, to his critically acclaimed Talk to Her and Volver, Almodóvar’s films have captivated audiences worldwide. No one can blend thriller, pathos, farce, melodrama, screwball comedy, and film noir quite like the celebrated Spanish filmmaker, who has been making subversive and unconventional cinema for more than 40 years. The marquee series will include special screenings, events, and introductions by Almodóvar experts, including:
- In Conversation With… Alberto Iglesias (December 7) – Join Almodóvar’s longtime collaborator and composer, Alberto Iglesias, for an intimate discussion about their creative partnership.
- Flamenco performance by Lula Music and Arts Centre, with Fab Collab (December 12) – An exciting performance in TIFF’s atrium, open to the public, will take place before the screening of High Heels, which will be introduced by film curator Alicia Fletcher.
- Pain and Glory with Claudio Palomares Salas (November 23) – Catch the film TIME magazine called the best movie of 2019 as part of TIFF Silver Screenings presented by SHINGRIX and supported by the New Horizons for Seniors Program, followed by a talk with an Associate Professor of Latin American Studies at Queen’s University about the use of colour and art design in Almodóvar’s films; co-presented by Ageless International Film Festival.
- Curatorial insights by Maria Delgado – Curator and Almodóvar specialist Maria Delgado shares her expertise on the director’s artistic vision with a written essay on the series and with pre-recorded introductions on a selection of films.
- Chema González on Dark Habits (November 9) – Recorded introduction by film curator Chema González on one of Almodóvar’s notable films.
- Guest Introductions – Film programmer Diana Sanchez, filmmaker Lina Rodriguez, film editor Ricardo Acosta, Inside Out Festival Co-Head and Executive Director Elie Chivi, and CBC journalist Peter Knegt will each be introducing one of their favourite Almodóvar films.
Almodóvar, who has attended the Festival numerous times with films such as Volver, and more recently Strange Way of Life in 2023, also participated in an In Conversation With… event and was honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media. His first English-language feature, The Room Next Door, had its North American Premiere at TIFF ’24, and is set to have its theatrical release at TIFF Lightbox in January 2025.
Also in November, TIFF welcomes Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir for her first TIFF Cinematheque retrospective. The Films of Annemarie Jacir: With Love From Palestine includes all three of Jacir’s widely celebrated feature films and a curated selection of her short filmography, all of which has received a broad embrace from audiences, critics, and film institutions around the world. Canadian acclaimed poet, novelist, and essayist Dionne Brand will be at TIFF Lightbox in celebration of Viola Desmond Day on November 8 for the screening of Charles Burnett’s To Sleep with Anger, followed by an onstage conversation. Venezuelan American artist Alex Da Corte joins TIFF for a Wavelengths Presents shorts programme, co-presented with the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA).
TIFF CINEMATHEQUE AND SPECIAL EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
The Films of Annemarie Jacir: With Love From Palestine
Programmed by TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, this Cinematheque series celebrates Festival alumna Annemarie Jacir, whose film When I Saw You premiered at TIFF ’12. One of the leading filmmakers from the Arab world, she has written, directed, and produced 16 films. Her film Like Twenty Impossibles (2003) was the first Arab short film to be an official selection at Cannes. Jacir’s work continues to be screened at the world’s leading film festivals and art-house cinemas globally. Equally at home in fiction, documentary, and experimental forms, a vast and humble curiosity drives Jacir’s exploration of Palestinian life with nuance, sharp insight, humour, and love.
Salt of this Sea (2008) | November 22, 6:30pm
When I Saw You (2012) | November 23, 6:30pm
Select Annemarie Jacir Shorts, 2003–2024 | November 24, 4pm
Wajib (2017) | November 24, 6:30pm
TIFF Wavelengths Presents Brain Worm with Alex Da Corte | November 13, 6:30pm
Featuring iconic animators and filmmakers like Len Lye, Norman McLaren, and Ericka Beckman, artist Alex Da Corte’s curated shorts programme focuses on hand-crafted animation and DIY special effects that build tactile worlds on a 2D plane. Co-presented with the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) as a complement to Da Corte’s solo exhibition, “Ear Worm” is on view until January 26.
Rainbow Dance (1936), d. Len Lye
Frank Film (1973), d. Caroline Mouris, Frank Mouris | Restored 35mm print!
Dots (1940), d. Norman McLaren
Asparagus (1979), d. Suzan Pitt | Restored 35mm print!
Head (1993), d. Cheryl Donegal
Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (2010), d. Alex Da Corte
Hit and Run (1977), d. Ericka Beckman
Komposition in Blau (1935), d. Oskar Fischinger | 16mm print!
Slow Graffiti (2017), d. Alex Da Corte
Viola Desmond Day: Dionne Brand on To Sleep with Anger | November 8, 7pm
In-person Q&A with with Dionne Brand and professor Christina Sharpe
Following its 2021 debut, TIFF’s Viola Desmond Day on November 8 remains dedicated to honouring the enduring impact of the civil rights advocate and entrepreneur. To commemorate the 78th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s historic stand against racial segregation, TIFF proudly presents a screening of Charles Burnett’s evocative third feature, To Sleep with Anger, curated by Dionne Brand. Following the screening, Brand joins TIFF for an onstage conversation with writer and professor Christina Sharpe about the art of writing; the film’s aesthetic; and the counter-narrative to the colonial, imperialist, and racist tropes explored in her new book Salvage: Readings from the Wreck, Brand’s first major work of non-fiction since her classic A Map to the Door of No Return. Copies of Salvage: Readings from the Wreck will also be available for purchase at the TIFF Shop.
From the Collection
Rust and Bone, with Cameron Bailey (d. Jacques Audiard) | November 5, 6:30pm | 35mm print!
An unconventional and deeply felt study of human frailty, Rust and Bone proves Jacques Audiard’s most assured cinematic turn, perhaps only second to his audacious new pop-opera, Emilia Pérez, France’s official Oscar submission, which screens at TIFF Lightbox this November.
TIFF Next Wave Presents Kuessipan (d. Myriam Verreault) | November 20, 6:30pm
In recognition of Indigenous Education Month, TIFF is screening Myriam Verreault’s debut narrative feature Kuessipan, presented by TIFF Next Wave and TIFF Community Impact in collaboration with Toronto Biennial of Art, TDSB Arts Co-op, and the Urban Indigenous Education Centre. Featuring a post-screening conversation and presentation of student work with Arts Co-op educators, mentors, and students.
See the North presented by MUBI | All See the North screenings are FREE to the public
Winter Kept Us Warm (d. David Sector) | November 12, 6:30pm |Toronto Premiere of new 4K restoration
Introduction by TIFF Canadian Programmer, Norm Wilner
Six decades ago, a tiny film produced at the University of Toronto became an international sensation. David Secter’s Winter Kept Us Warm was the first film from English Canada to screen at Cannes, and one of the country’s earliest works of queer cinema.
MDFF Selects
The Heirloom (d. Ben Petrie) | November 28, 6:30pm
Introduction by MDFF Selects co-founder and curator Kazik Radwanski with director Ben Petrie and producer and actress Grace Glowicki in attendance.
Viral Inventions | November 30, 8:30pm | Free
On this eve of Day Without Art, six new short films from Nepal, Bulgaria, Brazil, Ecuador, and Canada tell urgent and extraordinary stories about living with HIV today. These short films are produced by Viral Interventions, a York University research-creation project led by John Greyson and Sarah Flicker.
The Unstoppable Man (d. Gopal Shrestha, Saroj S. Sapkota)
Filament Fortune (d. Beau Gomez)
Sleep Snuggle Sandwich (d. Jessica Whitbread)
Escorpionikas (d. Bruna Kury, Matheus Mello, Nisha Platzer)
Raha (d. Rojin Shafiei, Raha)
Host (d. Zachary Longboy)
Co-presented with Vtape, Sensorium, Archive/Counter Archive, Digital Justice, the Arquives, CATIE, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, AIDS Committee of Toronto, and TIFF Community Impact. See related Viral Interventions conference and exhibition November 29–30 at Vtape.
Tickets to Laws of Desire: The Films of Pedro Almodóvar and TIFF Cinematheque will be available on October 16 at 10am to Members and on October 18 at 10am to the public.
