2024 Fall Festival Movie Sales So Far: Kino Lorber Acquires ‘Riefenstahl’ Documentary

The fall festival season is wrapping up! Each year, dozens of movies premiere at festivals with distributors looking to launch them before they’re released in theaters or on streaming services. But dozens more are independent films without distribution came to the festivals looking to be discovered and acquired for release. This year, over 200 movies made their world premieres across the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Telluride Film Festival, and we’ve seen some big name movie sales across all three. Up next is New York Film Festival, which also has some juicy premieres.

Right as Venice got underway, we saw U.S. deals for two of the biggest competition titles on the slate, Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” to Netflix and Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” to A24. A24 also picked up the rights to Venice Silver Lion winner “The Brutalist” in a competitive situation. And some of the hottest discoveries like “Nutcrackers,” “September 5,” and TIFF Audience Award winner “The Life of Chuck” have also found big homes. In the list below, we’ll be updating this post throughout the festivals listing out every movie that a distributor buys for domestic release.

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“Riefenstahl”
Section: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Director: Andres Veiel
Buzz: IndieWire hailed this “damning” portrait of the filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl by saying that director Andres Veiel skillfully forces a different perspective on one of the most controversial women of the 20th Century. The documentary film unearths new footage of Riefenstahl and how the “Triumph of the Will” filmmaker spent the decades after the war denying her Nazi ideology and awareness of the Holocaust. Kino Lorber is planning a 2025 theatrical release for the film, and it’s next playing the Zurich Film Festival.

“April”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Metrograph Pictures
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
Buzz: Ahead of its bow at NYFF, Metrograph picked up the North American rights to “April,” which won the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Venice. The distributor is planning to release it theatrically next year. The Georgian filmmaker’s sophomore feature earned glowing reviews, with IndieWire calling the abortion drama “tense, ominous, and viscerally captivating” and confirming Kulumbegashvili as one of the most “visceral” filmmakers working today. The film follows Nina, an obstetrician at a maternity hospital in Eastern Georgia. After a difficult delivery, an infant dies and the grief-stricken father demands an inquiry into her methods, threatening to bring to light Nina’s secret side job providing unsanctioned abortions to people in the countryside. Luca Guadagnino is among the film’s producers, and it also won a prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

“Separated”
Section: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: MSNBC Films
Director: Errol Morris
Buzz: Errol Morris’ latest documentary about the separation of families at the U.S./Mexico border is getting a short theatrical release ahead of the election on October 4 at the IFC Center, enough to qualify it for Oscar contention. It will then air on MSNBC on December 7.

'The Luckiest Man in America'
‘The Luckiest Man in America’Courtesy of TIFF

“The Luckiest Man in America”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: IFC Films and Sapan Studio
Director: Samir Oliveras
Buzz: Paul Walter Hauser stars in this thriller that tells the true story of an unemployed ice cream truck driver from Ohio who in 1984 had a massive winning streak on the game show “Press Your Luck” by studying the pattern of a game board, allowing him to avoid the “Whammys” that would end his progress. The film also stars David Strathairn, Shamier Anderson, Walton Goggins, Maisie Williams, Haley Bennett, and Johnny Knoxville, and IFC Films is planning a theatrical release in 2025.

“The Last Showgirl”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Director: Gia Coppola
Buzz: Pamela Anderson has earned praise for her performance as an aging Las Vegas dancer trying to get by, something IndieWire said in its review was the “role of a lifetime” for the former “Baywatch” star. Gia Coppola’s third feature was written by Kate Gersten and also has an impressive cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, Dave Bautista, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd. Roadside is intending to release “The Last Showgirl” only in theaters later this year for a potential awards season run. Natalie Farrey and Robert Schwartzman are both producers. Serving as executive producers are Nick Darmestaedter, Kate Gersten, Michael Clofine for DI Entertainment, Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett for Pinky Promise, and Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, and Jack Selby for High Frequency Entertainment.

“The Life of Chuck”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Neon
Director: Mike Flanagan
Buzz: Neon had been chasing Mike Flanagan’s film since it won the Audience Award at TIFF, and it now looks like the distributor is in final talks to close the deal, according to Variety and Deadline. And though the audience winner at TIFF generally is a precursor for awards season buzz, it looks like Neon is eyeing a release for the film in summer 2025. The film is an adaptation of a 2020 Stephen King novella and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a man who suddenly starts to see images of a seemingly ordinary man, Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), appearing everywhere. The movie also stars Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay. The film is a departure from the horror genre for both King and Flanagan, and it’s been compared to the more “life-affirming” variety of King stories like “Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile.”

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight’Courtesy TIFF

“Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentations
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Embeth Davidtz
Buzz: This one made our list of festival movies we most wanted to see find a home. The “Matilda” actress Davidtz’s directorial debut, which she also wrote and co-stars in, is a passion project for the South African-raised filmmaker. She optioned the rights to Alexandra Fuller’s memoir eight years ago and finally brought the story of an 8-year-old girl being raised during the Zimbabwean War for independence to the screen. Davidtz cast a group of up-and-comers including Lexi Venter, Zikhona Bali, Fumani N Shilubana, Rob Van Vuuren, and Anina Hope Reed, and SPC will now be there to support the movie when it plays at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland early next month.

“The Shrouds”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Sideshow and Janus Films
Director: David Cronenberg
Buzz: After first premiering at Cannes, David Cronenberg’s latest film has finally found a U.S. home ahead of another screening at NYFF. The film stars Vincent Cassel as a prominent businessman who after the death of his wife invents a technology that allows people to observe and monitor their dear departed in their shrouds, only to discover that his wife’s grave has one night been desecrated. “The Shrouds” was inspired by the loss of Cronenberg’s own wife, and IndieWire loved it despite acknowledging the film’s cold, inhospitable tone that we conceded made it commercially challenging. The film also stars Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, and Sandrine Holt. The distributor is planning a 2025 theatrical release.

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship
‘Friendship’

“Friendship”
Section: TIFF Midnight Madness
Distributor: A24
Director: Andrew DeYoung
Buzz: IndieWire’s review called “Friendship” one of the funniest movies of the year, a “demented bromance” between Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd that plays like a feature-length version of Robinson’s hit sketch show “I Think You Should Leave.” The film is actually Robinson’s first film role, and is a step up for DeYoung after cutting his teeth as a veteran TV director on shows like “Pen15,” “High Fidelity,” and more. “Friendship” follows a suburban dad played by Robinson whose life takes an unexpected turn when he befriends his enigmatic new neighbor played by Rudd. A24, which an individual with knowledge said picked up the film for low 7-figures, is eyeing a release for next year, as this is the third fall festival acquisition for A24 after both “The Brutalist” and “Queer.”

“September 5”
Section: Venice/Telluride
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Buzz: In a move that could potentially shake up the Oscars race, Paramount Pictures acquired the worldwide rights (excluding Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) to Fehlbaum’s tense drama about the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack. It specifically focuses on the way in which ABC Sports covered the moment disrupting the biggest sporting event of the year. It’s been compared to “Argo” and “Spotlight,” and that’s a sign that it could easily be a surprise Best Picture contender. Paramount is planning a platform release on Thanksgiving weekend of Nov. 27 before rolling it out wide in December. Republic Pictures, which is Paramount’s sales and acquisitions arm, picked up the sales rights a few months ago, but Paramount, after seeing the film, jumped at the opportunity to release it, even with buzzy films like “Gladiator 2,” “Transformers One,” and “Better Man” also on its fall slate. Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, and Leonie Benesch star in the film.

“Nutcrackers”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentations
Distributor: Hulu
Director: David Gordon Green
Buzz: We told you it was one of the hot titles that could sell big from the TIFF slate, and an 8-figure sale is plenty big, protest or no protest. The film is Ben Stiller’s first in front of the camera in seven years. Reviews were somewhat mixed, but IndieWire said after its Opening Night bow that it gives Stiller his “Uncle Buck” moment in an example of truly heartfelt cinema. At time of writing, Hulu is in final talks to acquire the film globally and release it for Christmas, an individual with knowledge told IndieWire. The film follows a man who has to suddenly take care of his sister’s four boys after a tragic accident.

“Vermiglio”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Sideshow and Janus Films
Director: Maura Delpero
Buzz: Delpero’s second film following 2019’s Locarno premiere “Maternal,” “Vermiglio” debuted later in the Venice competition before winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize — the runner-up to the Golden Lion, which went to Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door.” Starring Tommaso Ragno, Roberta Rovelli, and Martina Scrinzi, “Vermiglio” is set in a remote Northern Italian mountain Village in 1944 where the arrival of a deserter into the lives of a local family disrupts the bond between two sisters.

“William Tell”
Section: Gala Presentations
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Director: Nick Hamm
Buzz: Hours before its world premiere, Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up North American rights to this action epic set in Medieval times about the story of the 14th century folk icon and warrior. The film stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Claes Bang, Jonathan Pryce, Rafe Spall, Ellie Bamber, and Golshifteh Farahani. The distributor is planning a 2025 release.

‘The Brutalist’
‘The Brutalist’

“The Brutalist”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: A24
Director: Brady Corbet
Buzz: Shortly after it won the second place prize at Venice and had its first industry screening at TIFF, A24 out bid several other potential buyers for Corbet’s latest film, a three and a half hour saga starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones as Hungarian-born Jewish architect, László Tóth and his wife about fleeing post-War Europe and their fight out of poverty. No release plans were set yet, but American audiences will have the chance to see it at the New York Film Festival. “The Brutalist” also stars Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach De Bankolé, and Alessandro Nivola.

“Pavements”
Section: Venice Orizzonti
Distributor: Utopia
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Buzz: Utopia itself was handling sales on “Pavements,” the rock doc about the influential ’90s indie band Pavement, but it couldn’t resist picking up U.S. distribution rights immediately after it premiered. Reviews have been strong, as critics have been fascinated by director Alex Ross Perry’s hybrid mashup of archival documentary footage and an alternate history of the band where Stephen Malkmus and company are mega-famous. Perry was even having fun in the press release as if he was telling the story of Bob Dylan instead of Pavement. The film’s scripted scenes star Joe Keery, Nat Wolff, Fred Hechinger, Logan Miller, Griffin Newman, Tim Heidecker, and Jason Schwartzman, and the musical within the film includes Michael Esper, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Kathryn Gallagher. No release date has been set, but “Pavements” will have its North American debut at the New York Film Festival.

“Nonnas”
Section: Market Title
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Buzz: “Nonnas,” the new comedy film from “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” director Stephen Chbosky, was actually invited to premiere at TIFF this year, according to a report in Deadline, but instead Netflix acquired the movie in an auction for a reported $20 million+, beating out multiple other bidders. As a result, the film won’t play the festival and instead is expected to be released in 2025. The film stars Vince Vaughn who after the loss of his mother risks everything to open up an Italian restaurant with a group of local grandmothers — or “Nonnas” — as the chefs. The film also stars a who’s who of acting royalty, including Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro. Liz Maccie wrote the screenplay, and the film is a production of Madison Wells, Matador Films, and Fifth Season.

“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life”
Section: TIFF Centrepiece
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Laura Piani
Buzz: Billed as a charming, witty, and breezy debut from Laura Piani, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” follows a desperately single woman who is invited to a Jane Austen Residency in England as she hopes to fulfill her dreams of becoming a novelist. The film doesn’t even premiere until September 9, but SPC swooped in early with a deal for all rights. Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly, Charlie Anson, and Annabelle Lengronne star in the film that’s in French and English. It’s produced by Gabrielle Dumon.

“Happyend”
Section
: Venice Orizzonti
Distributor: Metrograph Films
Director: Neo Sora
Buzz: Filmmaker Neo Sora made his mark at Venice last year with the documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” which has a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, but his narrative feature debut has made just as much noise. The film follows a group of rebellious teens in the near future as they battle for a better future in Tokyo following a massive earthquake. Metrograph, which started to make a splash at Cannes, will release the film theatrically next year.

“Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: CNN Films/Greenwich Entertainment
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Buzz: Director Tyrnauer spent 18 months with the fiery and combative Democratic political strategist James Carville amid the current election cycle while also tracing his 30-year relationship with Mary Matalin, a famed Republican operative. CNN Films will have the TV and SVOD rights in the U.S. and Canada and will stream on Max this fall, and it will air on CNN on October 5 at 7 p.m. ET. Greenwich Entertainment on Sept. 17 acquired the theatrical rights with plans to release it in theaters on Oct. 11 in NY, and on Oct. 25 in LA and other cities.

“The Turnaround”
Section
: Telluride Short Film
Producer: Higher Ground
Director: Kyle Thrash and Ben Proudfoot
Buzz: The Obamas’ film company joined as a partner on this short film about the story of Jon McCann, a Philadelphia Phillies superfan who orchestrated a standing ovation rally that helped turn the team around in 2023 and led them on a major postseason run. Co-director Proudfoot has had two other doc shorts win the Oscar, “The Last Repair Shop” and “The Queen of Basketball,” so this one is in good company. No official release information was announced, but Higher Ground has a first look deal with Netflix, so it could plausibly land there.

“Queer”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: A24
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Buzz: Like “Maria,” “Queer” was another starry Venice title produced by Fremantle that sold just ahead of its world premiere. The film stars Daniel Craig in a steamy adaptation of a William S. Burroughs book. A24 also committed to releasing it later this year in a sign that between this and “Challengers,” Guadagnino will likely have two viable awards contenders in the 2025 Oscar race.

“Maria”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Pablo Larraín
Buzz: Netflix only picked up U.S. rights, but they made a big splash for the Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie just a day before it screened. Figure it to be a big Oscar player and soon.

Oh, Canada
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Director: Paul Schrader
Buzz: Schrader’s latest has been considered challenging since its Cannes premiere, but it also features an awards-caliber performance from Richard Gere.

'Babygirl'
‘Babygirl’A24

World Premiere Movies Arriving with Distribution

“2073”
Section
: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Neon
Director: Asif Kapadia
Buzz: This non-fiction film bends genre in its examination of what the world will look like 50 years from now if climate action isn’t taken immediately.

“Babygirl”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: A24
Director: Halina Reijn
Buzz: Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in this erotic thriller from the “Bodies Bodies Bodies” director.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
Section
: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Director: Tim Burton
Buzz: Michael Keaton is back…this time with Jenna Ortega.

“Better Man”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Director: Michael Gracey
Buzz: “The Last Showman” filmmaker Michael Gracey directs this satirical musical biopic about British pop star Robbie Williams.

“Blink”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Nat Geo
Director: Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher
Buzz: This documentary follows a family that goes on a tour around the globe after learning that three of their four children will soon suffer from a condition that leads to permanent blindness.

“Blitz”
Section
: NYFF
Distributor: Apple TV+
Director: Steve McQueen
Buzz: Saoirse Ronan stars in this drama about the German bombing of London during WWII.

“Bring Them Down”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Mubi
Director: Christopher Andrews
Buzz: Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott star in this directorial debut about a feud between families in rural Ireland.

‘The Brutalist’
‘The Brutalist’

“The Brutalist”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Brady Corbet
Buzz: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce star in the latest from the “Vox Lux” director about the life of a Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust.

“Caught by the Tides”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Janus Films
Director: Jia Zhang-Ke
Buzz: The latest from the “Ash Is Purest White” director is a love letter to one of his recurring stars, Zhao Tao.

“Conclave”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Edward Berger
Buzz: Ralph Fiennes leads a stellar cast in this stylish political thriller from the “All Quiet on the Western Front” director about the selection of a new Pope.

Disclaimer
Section
: TIFF Primetime/Telluride
Distributor: Apple TV+
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Buzz: Cate Blanchett stars in Cuarón’s turn to the small screen.

“Elton John: Never Too Late”
Section
: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Disney+
Director: RJ Cutler, David Furnish
Buzz: Elton John reflects on 50 years of performing. The film will get a limited theatrical release on November 15 and launch on Disney+ on December 13.

‘The End’<cite>A24</cite>
‘The End’A24

“The End”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Neon
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Buzz: Tilda Swinton stars in “The Act of Killing” director’s narrative feature that’s a genre-bending mix of musical drama.

“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara”
Section
: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Hulu
Director: Erin Lee Carr
Buzz: This documentary is a whodunnit and thriller about the catfishing scheme that ensnared the indie rock duo.

“The Fire Inside”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: Rachel Morrison
Buzz: Barry Jenkins wrote this biopic as directed by the “Mudbound” and “Black Panther” cinematographer about one of the greatest female boxers who ever lived, Clareesa Shields.

“Fly”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Nat Geo
Director: Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau
Buzz: Nat Geo’s doc profiles a love story among a group of base jumping daredevils.

“Hard Truths”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Director: Mike Leigh
Buzz: Mike Leigh reunites with his “Secrets & Lies” star Marianne Jean-Baptiste in what is the director’s 23rd feature.

“Heretic”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: A24
Director: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Buzz: The “Quiet Place” writers direct this horror-thriller that features Hugh Grant ensnaring two religious young women in his home with an elaborate test of their faith to earn their escape.

“Hold Your Breath”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Director: Will Joines, Karrie Crouse
Buzz: Sarah Paulson and Ebon Moss-Bachrach lead this supernatural thriller set in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

“Horizon: An American Saga – Part 2”
Section
: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Kevin Costner
Buzz: After premiering Part 1 at Cannes, Venice is screening both parts of Costner’s Western epic, which is now releasing some time in 2025.

“I’m Still Here”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Walter Salles
Buzz: The “Central Station” and “Motorcycle Diaries” director worked on this Brazilian political drama for seven years in his return to directing.

‘Joker: Folie a Deux’
‘Joker: Folie a Deux’

“Joker: Folie A Deux”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Todd Phillips
Buzz: After winning the Golden Lion with the first “Joker,” Joaquin Phoenix and now Lady Gaga are back for more.

“The Last of the Sea Women”
Section
: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Apple
Director: Sue Kim
Buzz: Malala Yousafzai produces this documentary about “real life mermaids,” grandmothers who battle underwater, oceanic threats. It hits Apple TV+ in October.

“Leonardo Da Vinci”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: PBS
Director: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
Buzz: The four-hour documentary about the original Renaissance man will air on PBS on November 18 and 19.

“Martha”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Netflix
Director: RJ Cutler
Buzz: Martha Stewart will be in attendance at Telluride to accompany her definitive bio doc.

“Nightbitch”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Director: Marielle Heller
Buzz: Based on Rachel Yoder’s novel, will this surreal turn be the movie that finally wins Amy Adams her Oscar?

“Nickel Boys”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: RaMell Ross
Buzz: The adaptation of the Colson Whitehead novel starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sam Malone, and Jimmie Fails figures to be a major Oscar contender.

“The Order”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: Vertical
Director: Justin Kurzel
Buzz: Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult star in this true-story thriller about an FBI agent who connects a string of bank robberies and car heists to a terrorist plot. Vertical is releasing the film in theaters December 6.

“Patrice: The Movie”
Section
: TIFF Docs
Distributor: ABC News/Hulu
Director: Ted Passon
Buzz: This documentary follows the work of Patrice Jetter, an advocate for disability rights.

“Pedro Paramo”
Section
: Platform Programme
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Rodrigo Prieto
Buzz: The directorial debut of the great Mexican cinematographers is part of Netflix’s massive push into Latin America this year.

The Piano Lesson. (L-R) John David Washington as Boy Willie, Samuel L. Jackson as Doaker Charles, Michael Potts as Wining Boy and Ray Fisher as Lymon in The Piano Lesson. Cr. David Lee/Netflix © 2024
‘The Piano Lesson’David Lee/Netflix

“The Piano Lesson”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Malcolm Washington
Buzz: Another of Denzel’s sons makes his directorial debut while directing his brother John David Washington in this adaptation of another August Wilson play.

“Piece By Piece”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Morgan Neville
Buzz: Pharrell’s biopic doc in Lego form.

“The Return”
Section
: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Buzz: Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche reunite for the first time since “The English Patient” in this take on the Odyssey as told from Penelope’s perspective.

“Rez Ball”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Sydney Freeland
Buzz: This Indigenous basketball drama from the co-creator of “Reservoir Dogs” is produced by LeBron James.

“Riff Raff”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Director: Dito Montiel
Buzz: Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Bill Murray, and Gabrielle Union star in this film about a former criminal whose life is thrown upside down when his old family shows up.

“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band”
Section
: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Hulu
Director: Thom Zimny
Buzz: The latest Thom Zimny doc about The Boss becomes a fly on the wall of look at the E-Street Band’s live shows.

‘The Room Next Door’
‘The Room Next Door’

“The Room Next Door”
Section
: Venice Competition
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Buzz: The Spanish auteur’s first English-language feature stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.

“Saturday Night”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Director: Jason Reitman
Buzz: The 90-minutes before the first ever “SNL,” starring “The Fabelmans” breakout Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. The first trailer for “Saturday Night” was ripe with Sorkin-esque goodness.

“Social Studies”
Section
: Telluride
Distributor: FX
Director: Lauren Greenfield
Buzz: This documentary series was filmed over a year in Los Angeles public schools as it examines the effect social media has on teenagers’ lives.

“Superboys of Malegaon”
Section
: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: Reema Kagti
Buzz: This lively comedy set in India follows an amateur filmmaker hoping to make it big in the world of Bollywood.

“Unstoppable”
Section
: TIFF Gala Presentations
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: William Goldenberg
Buzz: Jharrel Jerome leads the cast of this wrestling drama that also stars Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Anthony Robles, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Lopez.

“We Live In Time”
Section
: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: A24
Director: John Crowley
Buzz: The “Brooklyn” director pairs Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in this indie romance that spans decades.

“The Wild Robot”
Section
: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Chris Sanders
Buzz: Get out the hankies for this gorgeous looking DreamWorks animated feature starring Lupita Nyong’o as a robot living among nature.

“Wolfs”
Section
: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Apple TV+
Director: Jon Watts
Buzz: The crime film that reunites Brad Pitt and George Clooney won’t get much of a theatrical release any more, but it will get a sequel.

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