Muses of Media

Every year, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) welcomes film lovers and moviegoers worldwide to share their love of cinema. 

This year, there is an excellent selection of women-directed projects that span various genres and mediums that are must-watches during the festival and, of course, afterward when the multiple films and shows come to theatres near you and televisions in your living rooms. I was thankful that I could see many women-directed projects at this year’s TIFF.

Narrowing the list down to my top five selections was challenging, so I would like to share some honourable mentions, including Bye Bye Tiberias, Fair Play, Swan Song, and Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour. Be on the lookout for these projects once they’re released. Now, without further ado,  see my top five fave women-directed projects screened at TIFF 2023 below!

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Bria Mack Gets A Life dir. Sasha Leigh Henry & Kelly Fyffe-Marshall

Entering the workforce can be a struggle once you finish your post-secondary education. Sometimes you’re still figuring out what you want to do; sometimes you want to take a reflective break, and honestly, applying for jobs just downright sucks. These are some of the thoughts going through Bria Mack’s (Malaika Hennie-Hammadi) head. Of course, Bria’s Jamaican mother has other plans for her daughter.

Despite the obstacles before her, Bria always has her invisible hype girl, Black Attack (Hannan Younis), to keep her motivated and hopefully steer her in the right direction.  Bria Mack Gets A Life uses humour to highlight many topics that Black people in Canada and abroad can relate to, including Caribbean (specifically Jamaican)  parents, Black Twitter, allyship, and more.

Expats dir. Lulu Wang

At the TIFF premiere of Expats, the audience was shown the second-last episode of the limited series at TIFF, and despite not having seen the show’s start, it functioned in a way that you could watch at any point in the story and still learn about the characters and their lives.  

The world of a  tight-knit group of expats living in Hong Kong is shattered when a tragedy occurs in one of the families and impacts all of their lives. With phenomenal acting from Ruby Ruiz,  Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, Brian Tee, Amelyn Pardenilla and Jack Huston, Expats is one of the Primetime selections you won’t want to miss.

Origin dir. Ava DuVernay

DuVernay’s latest feature is perhaps the most important of her career (thus far). The biographical drama follows the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson (portrayed by Aunjanue Ellis) as she grapples with personal tragedy and sets forth on a globe-trotting investigative journey as she writes her book Caste:The Origins of our Discontents.

Timely and necessary, Origin is one of the best films this year and was most definitely one of the best to be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year.

Wicked Little Letters dir. Thea Sharrock

A historical dark comedy about a small English town that is quickly embroiled in scandal when expletive-laden letters are sent to various townspeople, starting with the pious Edith (Olivia Colman). Suspecting her rambunctious neighbour, Rose (Jessie Buckley), Edith sets out to have Rose convicted of sending the letters, which lands the Irishwoman in prison. Thankfully, local policewoman Gladys (Anjana Vasan) thinks there’s much more to the case that her male counterparts believe is now shut.

Buckley, Colman and Vasan have incredible comedic timing throughout Wicked Little Letters, and there is no one else I could possibly think of who could inhabit their roles. The trio were pitch-perfect, quickly making the comedic film one of my favourites from this year’s festival.

Quiz Lady dir. Jessica Yu

As the flakey and boisterous older sister, Jenny, Oh has the perfect comedic timing alongside Awkwafina, who portrays her younger sister, Anne. After their mother’s gambling debt results in the theft of the beloved family dog, Linguine, the siblings embark on a cross-country adventure to get Anne to an audition for her favourite quiz show. With many unexpected shenanigans along the way, the sisters learn more about each other and form a better bond. 

I will watch anything with the amazingly talented Sandra Oh, and,  per usual, I was not disappointed by her performance in Quiz Lady. Jessica Yu’s comedy is a barrel of laughs and will likely be a fan-favourite once it’s released on Disney+ (Canada)  and Hulu in November.