From Mike Leigh to Pedro Almodóvar

From Mike Leigh to Pedro Almodóvar


The Venice Film Festival continued its ascent this year, rivaling Cannes — long the undisputed king of all film festivals — in its capacity to draw stars, spark debate and drive sales of first-rate art films. While some of the bigger titles fizzled (Todd Phillips’ gonzo musical sequel to 2019 Golden Lion winner “Joker” disappointed, and Kevin Costner’s second “Horizon” installment went largely unnoticed), Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar finally claimed a major festival’s top prize.

Meanwhile, high in the Rocky Mountains, Telluride has lost a bit of its award-season luster. For a decade, practically every best picture winner — from “Slumdog Millionaire” to “The Shape of Water” — screened there. Last year, Telluride pulled out all the stops for its 50th anniversary, which meant this year’s ultra-selective lineup was inevitably going to sparkle less, especially in a post-strike year. Even though the elite fest still delivers excellent fare, Oscar pundits may want to hop the Atlantic next year.

Fortunately, Toronto seems to have gotten its mojo back this year. After teetering through the pandemic and losing lead sponsor Bell, TIFF managed to secure several significant launches, including DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” Hugh Grant’s against-type A24 horror movie “Heretic” and Mike Leigh’s terrific return-to-form “Hard Truths” (rumored to have been turned down by Venice and Cannes). It helps that TIFF organizers relaxed the rules on premiere status — a smart move, since many festgoers still view Toronto as the one-stop spot to catch the year’s best offerings, whether they’re premieres or simply the buzziest titles from earlier in the festival calendar (like Palme d’Or winner “Anora” and Annecy breakout “Memoir of a Snail”).

Those three festivals remain incredibly competitive with one another, but always bring an embarrassment of riches. Here, Variety’s critics share their favorites from the Venice, Telluride and Toronto lineups.



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