Welp, the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is finally in the books!

10 Days

31 Films

2 Shorts

1 Series

3 Interviews and

Several Panels and Talks

One might think that watching films all day is just fun and games, but y’all…its real work! Having to watch a film — not for pure enjoyment — but to analyze its themes and camera angles and acting performances and direction is a whole different ballgame! And 31 out of about 50 or so ain’t too shabby. With the festival being virtual I know I got to screen way more than I would have were it in-person. So please don’t take this as any sort of complaint — I was beyond honored to be a part of TIFF’s Media Inclusion Initiative (I got to meet some other really cool underrepresented critics/writers from around the world which was dope) and an accredited member of the press for this year’s festival. I went to TIFF last year as just a regular old film lover, so to be back this year as a member of the press was surreal! Even though this year’s festival wasn’t an in-person event (COVID, obviously), it still had that diverse, welcoming, fun and cool vibe that it has in person. Hopefully we’ll be back in person next year! TIFF is definitely a festival I’ll make a point of going to every year (and if you ever get the opportunity to attend, I highly recommend it)!

So my reviews are split between my site here and the rest are live over at We Live Entertainment. Definitely check them all out and keep them on your radar for when (and/or if) they get U.S. distribution — there were some really good films this year…just like last year.

Here’s a round up of what I saw:

“Never Gonna Snow Again” — Polish film that was kinda quirky, but worth a watch…might pop up again during Oscar season…

“One Night in Miami” — Regina King and cast did a great job of bringing these historical figures to life on the screen.

“Night of the Kings” (“La nuts des rios”) — An enthralling piece of storytelling that mixes African oral traditions with Greek theatre in an engaging and high stakes manner.

“Preparation to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time” — This Hungarian film was a doozy…didn’t know what was reality…more questions than answers…but very well directed.

“Nomadland” — Chloé Zhao’s ode to American wanderlust and independence was visually stunning and as usual, Frances McDormand was amazing…

“Monday” — The story of a trainwreck-waiting-to-happen type relationship…

“Inconvenient Indian” — Great documentary about Native Americans and indigenous people changing the narrative…

“Passion Simple” — I tried so hard to make it all the way through this one, but I only made it halfway SMH…it just didn’t hold my attention. I wanted to make it all the way through one I realized that viral Ukranian “bad boy of ballet” Sergei Polunin was in it…but that didn’t overcome my boredom…

“A Good Man” — One of my favorites of the festival…a tender and touching French film about motherhood and gender issues

“Gaza mon Amour” — You’re never too old for love…such a charming film

“Quo Vadis, Aida?” — Man…be prepared for this one…its a gut-punch but worth the watch!

“Trickster” — a Canadian series that was an interesting watch…only saw a couple of episodes…interested to see where this goes…

“New Order” — Mexican film about where the future might go if society doesn’t get it’s act…

“Mr. Jones” — I had wanted to see this one since I first heard about it…was kinda disappointed…based on a true story though

“MLK/FBI” — Documentary who’s title kinda says it all…no real new information to those of us in the Black community, but now we see solid proof…well done though

“Falling” — Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut…fell a little flat for me…

“Concrete Cowboy” — It was good, but I don’t think this Idris Elba helmer lived up to all the hype…

“Good Joe Bell” — Was not a fan of this one…but judge for yourself

“The Best is Yet to Come” — based on true events, this was is definitely worth the time…

“Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds” — New Werner Herzog that reignited my childhood curiosity

“The Water Man” — a solid family movie…

“Shadow in the Cloud” — utterly bananas…but fun all the same…and dope with a female director of a genre film with a badass female lead…

“Underplayed” — dope documentary about the unsung female DJs

“I Am Greta” — documentary about climate activist Greta Thunberg in her own words…

“Another Round” — Mads Mikkelsen’s return to Danish cinema in one of her best performances that I’ve seen…enjoyed this one…

“Spring Blossom” — first film by a promising young (only 20 years old) French director, Suzanne Lindon

“True Mothers” — touching Japanese saga about what it means to be a mother…

“Akilla’s Escape” — an interesting film starring Saul Williams…

“Beans” — a touching Canadian film about an indigenous girl finding her voice…worth a watch…I look forward to what director Tracey Deer comes out with in the future…

“Fauna” — this one was a little too meta for me lol

“Memory House” — I started this one and was more than halfway in and still confused SMH…but some of my fellow critics said that it was maybe one of the most important films of the festival…so I’ll have to give this one another go…

“Summer of 85” — queer French drama that definitely had some “Call Me By Your Name” vibes…but with a twist…highly enjoyed this one…by the same director of “Frantz” which I loved…look forward to the progression of these two young stars…

There were also a couple that I didn’t get to catch like “Shiva Baby,” “The Price of Cheap Rent” (short), “A Suitable Boy,” “Beginning” and “Get the Hell Out.”

I also got to catch some really dope talks like “Sorority Row: Women in Genre Filmmaking” and “The Future of Festivals” and talks with the likes of Ava Duvernay, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis and Barry Jenkins.

And I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing musician and composer Terence Blanchard, director/writer Tracey Deer and filmmaker Alex Anna whose interviews are over at WLE.

So overall, this was a really fun and challenging and interesting experience covering my very first film festival as member of the press! I can’t wait until the next one!!!