This year’s slate of 23 Documentaries from 18 countries on 50th Toronto International Film Festival is a melange of news subjects, rising directors and potential Oscar challengers covering explorers, journalists, sex workers, activists, soldiers and masters.
The TIFF Documentary selection will open with twice a short documentary Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot’s “The Eyes of Ghana”, a sales title that profiles Ghananian filmmaker Chris Hesse and is supported by CEO Barack and Michelle Obama. “It’s a celebration of the power of film,” TIFF documentary programmers Thom Powers told indifire via zoom. “For 60 years, Hesse, who is still living in the nineties and documented the early days of Africa’s independence movement, has helped maintain the archive for its images from all that time.”
This year’s non-fiction range, suspended from a record 1,000 submissions, includes 16 world premieres, many of which are sales titles. Two high-profile documents play in the gala episode at the party: Colin Hank’s “John Candy: I Like Me” and Ally Pankiw’s “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery.”
Established filmmakers that offer films that reflect the times we live in include Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi with Natgeo’s “Love+War.” “Their film Traces Pulitzer-Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario for several years, anchored in his coverage of Ukraine, “said Powers.” It also looks at what it means to be a combat photographer and also a parent. “
“Cocaine Cowboy’s” filmmaker Billy Corben is back with “interrupted: Paula Deen story” (UTA) who looks back 12 years “on one of the early stories about celebrities facing a wave of scandal,” said Powers, “in this case, over the question of racial sludge.
“Honeyland” double Oscar -nominated Tamara Kotevska’s “The Tale of Silyan” profiles a lone older farmer in northern Macedonia who is breastfeeding a stork back to health.
“I’m not your Negro” Oscar-Nominee Raoul Peck (Neon’s “Orwell: 2+2 = 5”), who debuted in Cannes, follows another author, George Orwell. “If there is any writer who has a certain perspective on the times we live in, it’s Orwell,” Powers said.
Oscar winner Laura Poitras team with Mark Obenhaus for Venice Premiere “Cover-Up” (represented by Submarine), a portrait of the great investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who broke, among others, Abu Ghraib.
High-profile world premieres that come to TIFF as sales titles include John Dowers “The Balloonists” (anonymous content/submarine) who capture competitive teams of the 1990s adventurers who sat down to revolve the world in a balloon and try to be the first to circumvent the world. “The pictures are incredible,” Powers said. “It leaves you white knuckled with excitement all the way.”
“A life enlightened” (Sandbox Films/Matr), directed by Tasha van Zandt, follows the marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder on a fantastic trip to the depths of the sea. “It’s about a groundbreaking women’s researcher who studies deep in the ocean phenomenon of bioluminescence,” Powers said. “We follow her on an expedition where she tries to capture this hard -captured thing on film.”
In the tradition “Spellbound” is “Whistle” (CAA) directed by Christopher Nelius, who depicts a competition by Champion Whistlers. “If there is a movie that we have to learn how to find our own moments of calm and joy,” said Powers, “maybe it’s a movie about whistle.”
And “Nuns vs. The Vatican”, directed by Lorena Luciano and the executive produced by Mariska Hargitay, reveals new charges of abuse in the Catholic Church.
These TIFF -DOCS titles join a number of documentaries already announced for TIFF 50, including the world premieres for “Degrassi: Whatever It Towes”, “Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert” and “You had to be there: How Toronto Godspell ignited the comedy revolution … And “Palimpsest: The Story of a Name”, in the Centerpiece program.
In the last few weeks, TIFF has announced a large part of their choices, including Colin Hanks’ Opening evening documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” Plus new films from Steven Soderbergh, Nia Dacosta, Chandler Levack, Alejandro Amenábar and Sung-Hyun ByunThe the addition of 11 star -clear titles In the program Gala and special presentations (plus The whole range), the release of The platform jury and rangeThe Full Discovery SlateThe always-wild midnight madness assortmentplus the talents celebrated At this year’s tribute bile.
2025 TIFF DOC program (in alphabetical order):
“A Life Enlightened” | Tasha van Zandt | USA
World premiere
“A simple soldier” | Juan Camilo Cruz, Artem Ryzhykov | Ukraine
North American premiere
“Aki” | Daalene anything | Canada
World premiere
“Below the clouds” | Gianfranco Rosi | Italy
International premiere
“Canceled: The Paula Den Story” | Billy Corben | USA
World premiere
“Cover-up” | Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | USA
Canadian premiere
“Flana” | Zahraa Ghandour | Iraq/France/Qatar
World premiere
“Love+War” | Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA
World premiere
“Modern whore” | Nicole Bazuin | Canada
World premiere
“Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising” | Shane Belcourt | Canada
World premiere
“Our country” | Lucrecia Martel | Argentina/USA/Mexico/France/Denmark/Netherlands
North American premiere
“Nuns vs. The Vatican” | Lorena Luciano | USA
World premiere
“Orwell: 2+2 = 5” | Raoul Peck | USA/France North American premiere
Powwow People | Sky hopinka | USA
World premiere
“Put your soul on your hand and go” | Sepideh Farsi | France/Palestine/Iran
North American premiere
“Still Single” Jamal Burger, Jukka’s Tatele Canada
World premiere
“Balloonists” | John Dower | USA/UK/Austria
World premiere
“Ghana’s eyes” | Ben Proudfoot | USA
World premiere
“The Tale of Silyan” | Tamara Kotevska | Northern Macedonia
North American premiere
“There are no words” | My Sook Lee | Canada
World premiere
“True North” | Michèle Stephenson | USA/Canada
World premiere
“While the green grass is growing: a diary in seven parts” | Peter Mettler | Canada/Switzerland
World premiere
“Whistle” | Christopher Nelius | Australia
World premiere
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4-14, 2025. More festival information will be shared in the coming weeks.
