10 Queer Titles We're Excited to Check Out at TIFF

Celebrating its 47th edition this year, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is following in the footsteps of other film festivals like Cannes and putting the ongoing COVID pandemic in the rearview mirror. After two hybrid editions, TIFF is back to primarily in-person screenings and a much bigger lineup, with close to 200 features playing.

That increase in titles seems to benefit queer films and filmmakers as well, with the festival highlighting at least two dozen features that fall under the 2SLGBTQ+ category. You can check out all the films here, but here are 10 films that we've either seen and loved or are looking forward to at this year's festival.

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe"

Benjamin Alire Sáenz's successful queer coming-of-age novel finally gets the big screen treatment thanks to writer/director Aitch Alberto and producers including Eugenio Derbez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Set in El Paso in the late '80s, high schooler Aristotle (Max Pelayo) meets new kid Dante (Reese Gonzales) and the two hit it off immediately, until their friendship gets complicated as they both discover their own identities and feelings for each other. With such big names both behind the camera and in front (Derbez co-stars along with Eva Longoria) and pulling from acclaimed source material, "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" could become one of the festival's breakout hits.

"Bros"

Billy Eichner has made it far in Hollywood, starting out with his viral "Billy on the Street" series and then making his way into Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story" and even playing Timon in Disney's 2019 "Lion King" remake. Now he's co-writing and leading a gay rom-com with the help of director Nicholas Stoller ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") and producer Judd Apatow ("The 40 Year-Old Virgin"). The film's promotional materials boast about this being the first studio film starring and co-written by an openly gay man, along with an entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast.

"Casa Susanna"

French filmmaker Sebastian Lifshitz takes a look at a lesser-known part of queer history in his documentary "Casa Susanna." The title comes from the name of a home in New York's Catskills in the '50s and '60s, where men would come together every year to act out their desires to express themselves by dressing up as women. Lifshitz interviews both surviving visitors of the place, along with descendants of people who attended and even the grandson of Susanna herself. Focusing on a time when ideas around gender and identity were shunned or never even brought up, "Casa Susanna" shows how a community of people still found ways to navigate around society's limitations.

"Joyland"

Winner of the Queer Palm at this year's Cannes Film Festival, "Joyland" tells the story of a married man who, after getting a job as a backup dancer for a transgender woman at an erotic theater, finds himself questioning his own desires as he develops feelings for her. Writer-director Saim Sadiq's debut feature is a sensitive, empathetic look at the way societal norms around gender and identity can clash with our own wants in life. Featuring a breakout performance from Alina Khan, "Joyland" seems guaranteed to impress audiences at TIFF and beyond after its award-winning debut at Cannes.

"My Policeman"

Billy Eichner's "Bros" may have the backing of a major studio and several firsts in queer representation, but it doesn't have Harry Styles, which is why "My Policeman" is one of the hottest tickets for crowds at TIFF. Directed by Michael Grandage, the film hops through time as it explores a love triangle between policeman Tom (Harry Styles), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin), and curator Patrick (David Dawson), and the fallout of their relationships decades later. Between this film, his new album, and "Don't Worry Darling," Styles is having a busy year, and TIFF is making sure they're a part of that with a special Tribute Award being given to the film's cast during the festival (and yes, Styles will be attending).

"Queens of the Qing Dynasty"

"Queens of the Qing Dynasty" premiered earlier this year at Berlin to strong reviews, and now it makes its North American premiere in director Ashley McKenzie's home country. Described as a "queer friendship romance," it tells the story of neurodivergent teen Star (Sarah Walker) and An (Ziyin Zheng), a queer, non-binary student from China who volunteers at the hospital Star finds herself in after a suicide attempt. McKenzie's debut feature "Werewolf" established her as a formally daring filmmaker interested in people on society's fringes, and her latest film builds upon that with a much higher level of confidence and ambition.

"Something You Said Last Night"

Luis De Filippis makes their fiction feature debut with "Something You Said Last Night," a drama about Ren (Carmen Madonia), a young trans woman who reluctantly goes on a vacation with her overly affectionate parents and younger sister. De Filippis, whose star has been rising fast through their prior short films along with their involvement in the Trans Film Mentorship Fund, creates a drama centered around a trans character that goes against expectations around a "trans film." By placing its protagonist within a supportive family and environment, "Something You Said Last Night" provides a queer character study that reaches beyond identity.

"The Inspection"

There's a lot of hype building around Elegance Bratton's debut "The Inspection" after it nabbed an opening night slot at TIFF (for its Discovery programme) and the prestigious closing night selection for the New York Film Festival. Inspired by Bratton's own life, it stars Jeremy Pope as a young, homeless gay man who enlists in the Marine Corps as a way to get himself in a more stable position. Set during the time when being gay in the military was still under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, he must suppress his identity while also trying to improve his relationship with his mother (Gabrielle Union).

"The People's Joker"

Vera Drew, who's been working for years with comedians like Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Sacha Baron Cohen, makes her mark with the autobiographical and unauthorized "The People's Joker." Rather than tell her life story traditionally, Drew filters her past experiences into an unapproved adaptation of DC Comics' biggest property, where she covers her own journey accepting her identity and transitioning while trying to make her mark in the alt comedy scene of Gotham City. Drew's style, which relies heavily on special effects along with collaborations from other artists around the world, makes "The People's Joker" the most unique and subversive film at TIFF by a country mile.

"Will-o'-the-Wisp"

A blend of science fiction, comedy, romance, and musical, "Will-o'-the-Wisp" tells the tale of a young Portuguese prince who, after deciding to become a firefighter to battle climate change, falls in love with his male co-worker. Touching on a variety of ideas ranging from art history to colonialism, director João Pedro Rodrigues handles it all with gorgeous imagery and hilarious gags that make "Will-o'-the-Wisp" one of the most entertaining films of the year. EDGE saw Rodrigues' "Will-o'-the-Wisp" at Cannes and found it to be one of the best films of the year. Plus, we were lucky enough to sit down with Rodrigues for an interview about the film.