Ottawa Tahani Al-Ghazali

"Cameron Bailey," the CEO of the festival, announced in a statement that the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will take place from September 8 to 18, featuring a wide range of exclusive premieres with "200" feature films and about "40" short films. The film (The Swimmers) by director Sally El Hosaini was chosen to be the opening film of the festival, while the film "Dalíland," which tells the life story of the world-renowned painter Salvador Dalí, will be the closing film of the festival.

The festival will witness world premieres of 10 films including "The Fabelmans" by director Steven Spielberg, who won two Oscars and produced two of the world's most famous films: "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan."

The film "The Swimmers" by director Sally El Hosaini, which the festival's executive director considered a surprise, tells an exciting and epic journey based on the true story of the Syrian swimmers Yusra and Sarah Mardini, who were forced by war to escape from Damascus by swimming across the waves of the Mediterranean Sea, eventually competing in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

The film stars Syrian actress "Kinda Alloush" and young Egyptian actor "Ahmed Malik" alongside sisters Manal and Natalie Issa, Ala Suleiman, James Krishna Floyd, and Mathias Schweighöfer. Among the world premieres in the contemporary world cinema category is also the film "Alam" by Palestinian director Firas Khoury, who has many short films to his credit, some of which have won numerous awards and were screened at many festivals and on television channels. In the contemporary world cinema category, the Tunisian film "Under the Tree" by director "Arej Essahiri" will also be shown, which addresses relationships between young men and women of the same generation, and between youth and elders through the annual harvest day.

From Canada, director Mary Nighy presents the film "Alice, Darling." Hubert Davis presents his film "Black Ice," and also world premieres "Butcher’s Crossing" by American director Gabby Polsky, "Greatest Drink Ever" by director Peter Farrelly, "Hummingbird" by Italian director Francesca Archibugi, and "Kachi Limbo" by Indian director Shobham Yogi.

The festival also screens the film "Moving Forward" by American director Paul Weitz, "Prisoner’s Daughter" by American director Catherine Hardwicke, "Raymond Wray" by American director Rodrigo Garcia, "The Woman King" by American director Gina Prince-Bythewood, and for the first time in North America, the South Korean film "Chase" by director Lee Jung-jae.

Also, the festival, which continues until September 18, features the premiere of the romantic comedy film "Bros," starring Billy Eichner, and the film "A Jazzman’s Blues" by director Tyler Perry.

In the presentations, festival audiences will watch the film "Blue Kaftan" by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, from Iran Ali Abbasi presents the film "Holy Spider," and Jafar Panahi presents his film "No Bears."

From Pakistan, Sadiq Sadiq presents the film "Joy Land," and from Nigeria, the film "King’s Knight" by director Biyi Bandele is screened. The film "Saint Omar" by French director Alice Diop is also shown.

This edition will honor Indian director "Satyajit Ray," known for producing films that champion the vulnerable and uphold values by showcasing 10 of his 37 films, presented between the 1950s and early 1990s, including feature, documentary, and short films.

It is scheduled that "Hillary Clinton," former Secretary of State and former U.S. presidential candidate, will participate in the Toronto International Film Festival to present her documentary series "Gutsy," based on her book about prominent women's experiences around the world.

Notably, the Toronto International Film Festival returns this year with a full range of events organized by the festival management including the opening ceremony, industry conference, and filmmakers' dinners. This step comes after two consecutive years of exclusively relying on online platforms and hosting live screenings but with low capacity, as a much smaller number of international visitors was allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.