Lorna Codrai

Turkish mall cop meets low budget cinema. Welcome to The Cemil Show, a red-hued dip into the life of Cemil Uslu (Ozan Çelik), an Istanbulite mall security guard who dreams of being a B-movie actor.

For many, running errands like picking up milk or posting a letter is a quick pop to the shops. Want to get a coffee afterward? Sure. Need to order a new fridge because yours is on the fritz? Don’t worry, delivery won’t be a hassle. In director and co-writer Farah Nabulsi’s short film The Present—alongside co-writer Hind Shoufani—a loving family living in Palestine contend with the difficult reality of everyday life as they are separated by the highly controversial West Bank barrier built by Israel.

Carga, a Spanish thriller set in Iraq, follows couple Marta and Juan (Tania Watson and Agustín Mateo) to an abandoned cigarette factory to uncover its secrets. It’s a simple yet ominous setup, and setting. With the couple venturing into the great unknown, director and co-writer, Yad Deen, does a marvellous job of building tension in just 19 minutes.

In 180 Degree Rule, director/writer Farnoosh Samadi’s debut feature film, silence speaks louder than words. The movie offers a bold story about a woman facing a complex and harrowing moral choice with no easy answers.

For two months in 2019, widespread flash flooding affected 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces. The floods caused at least 70 deaths, displaced tens of thousands of citizens, and destroyed nearly 2,000 cities and villages. This catastrophic event forms the backdrop to Manijeh Hekmat’s fourth feature film—and second return to Toronto—Bandar Band, which follows a group of musicians as they attempt to make it across horrendous flooding in Khuzestan province to perform in a musical showcase in Tehran.

In the penultimate episode of HBO’s Euphoria, Zendaya describes Morgan Freeman in Se7en as the guy who’s “always calmly putting the pieces of the case together while everybody around him is freaking out.” As soon-to-retire homicide detective William Somerset in David Fincher’s acclaimed crime thriller, Freeman tells his young, idealistic new partner David Mills (Brad Pitt) “this isn’t going to have a happy ending.”

This year, Palestinian director/writer twin brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser return to the Toronto International Film Festival with Gaza mon amour. The film reprises the Nassers’ unique brand of comic absurdity against a backdrop of complex societal issues, first demonstrated in their hit 2015 debut feature Dégradé.

“Awesome, oh wow! Like, totally freak me out! I mean, right on! The Toros sure are number one!” How many times have you sung this to yourself? What about the film’s classic opening number: “I’m sexy, I’m cute, I’m popular to boot”? Peyton Reed’s “Bring It On” celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and the cheerleading teen comedy has achieved a cult following since its release and spawned a further five instalments in the series.

“I was a violent child. Anyone that got in my way was fair game. Don’t go thinking all violence is the work of hateful men. Sometimes it’s just the way a fella makes sense of his world.” This opening statement by Douglas “Arm” Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) foreshadows the brutal, yet unexpected nature of director Nick Rowland’s feature film debut and the emotional journey anti-hero Arm is to endure in this Irish crime drama.

There is an old Hollywood superstition that says any film with a question mark in its title will be a failure. 20 minutes in and I was blaming the question mark for cursing Elise Duran’s undemanding Can You Keep a Secret? However, the film’s lackluster script and dull, clichéd formula are the true culprits behind the film’s ultimate letdown, despite two charming lead actors who, frankly, deserve stronger material.

Apocalypse Now is as renowned for its disastrous three-year production as it is for its stark, realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War. Never straying far from any critic or fan’s top ten list, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 war epic has achieved almost cult-like status, and no war film has captured the depravity of war the same way since.

Arab representation within Hollywood is rife with stereotypes and, generally, Islamophobic with its portrayal of Arabs and Muslims. Sufficient representation is scarce—even less so in animation. Thus, it’s quite refreshing to see The Knight and the Princess—which is Egypt’s first animated feature ever, and has been 20 years in the making.

The Journey Is the Destination is based on the true story of photojournalist and activist Dan Eldon. His tale is an inspiring one, albeit heartbreaking as well. Born in London and raised in Kenya, Eldon achieved so much during his short 22 years. He was a champion of human rights and an artist, having kept numerous personal fine art journals documenting his travels to 42 countries.

How often have you sat around with your friends pondering life’s great mysteries or discussing socio-political issues? How often have these discussions occurred in your pyjamas over cereal? This is what director and co-writer Sophie Kargman presents in her short film Query, alongside co-writer and producer Ryan Farhoudi. The topic of societal norms regarding sexuality is openly debated between two young males over the course of one day.

Escape at Dannemora—based on the extraordinary true story dubbed “the Shawshank case” by the media—is a seven-part miniseries starring Patricia Arquette, Benicio Del Toro, and Paul Dano. Arquette stars as Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell, a seamstress working at a maximum-security prison who becomes entangled in a complicated love triangle between convicted killers, Richard Matt (Del Toro) and David Sweat (Dano).