Norm Li, who worked as a cinematographer alongside Lloyd for SAME OLD, comes from a unique background. He recently worked on Chappell Roan’s music video “The Subway” and his past work includes music videos for Travis Scott, the Weeknd and more.

LUCKY LU stars Taiwanese actor and global powerhouse Chang Chen (Dune: Part One, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as our guide into the intricate social network of food delivery drivers in New York City; when, in a terrible stroke of luck, he finds out his e-bike has been stolen. With his wife (Fala Chen, also at this year’s Festival in Ballad of a Small Player) and daughter en route all the way from Asia, he rushes against the clock and around the city, cashing in old favours and digging up stories and ghosts from the past. The film also features a captivating performance by newcomer Carabella Manna as Chen’s young shutterbug daughter.

We spoke with filmmaker Lloyd Lee Choi to learn more…

Your film takes place in the gritty and grounded New York, but the story can really take place anywhere. Why did you choose this city?

The idea of the film sparked back in 2021 when I was living in NYC during the pandemic lockdown. I was ordering food and groceries every day at one point, and would interact with delivery riders more than my own family and friends. They were feeding me and the rest of the city, and were considered essential workers. Right up there with nurses and doctors. They were these masked men, quietly heroic in their work, riding through rain and snow. I was curious about this world that existed all around us, often blending in with the backdrop of NYC, and wanted to explore who they were on a personal and human level. This curiosity led to a short film back in 2022 called SAME OLD, on which LUCKY LU is based off of.

The main character, Lu, never gives up hope and seems optimistic, but is also very realistic about his life. What inspired you to write this story?

I was curious in exploring how the American Dream is fading and has, in some ways, become a toxic mirage. This notion that success and wealth is possible for anyone with enough hard work… is an idea I don’t think is true anymore. At least not for everyone. Lu was very much seduced by this mirage. A big dreamer who risked it all for his family, and was burned by this very dream.

This film truly encompasses the many struggles that newcomers to a new country face. Were there any surprise learnings for you during this film process?

During the writing process, the ending was much more matter-of-fact and open-ended. But as we got closer to filming, there was a lingering feeling among the producers and me that we needed to end the film on a different note. While there is sometimes struggle in this experience, there are simultaneously moments of beauty and hope. And that’s the feeling I hope audiences are left with.

What does luck mean for Lu?

I think Lu refuses to see his circumstances as lucky or unlucky. It’s all just circumstance… another obstacle to solve and overcome. He’s looking at what to do next. But by the end, I do hope he sees himself as the lucky one.

In this particular day and age, what do you wish people would understand about immigrants?

As a kid of immigrants, I saw the hard work and perseverance it took to give us a fighting chance for a better life. Immigrating with the dream of a better life is such a brave and heroic act in a way. And it’s sort of a basic human instinct, isn’t it? To risk so much to simply provide, support, and protect the people you care about. And I feel anyone, immigrant or not, would do the same for the ones they love.

Can you tell us how TIFF has impacted the work you do?

TIFF has been so supportive from the beginning, screening the short that ultimately led to LUCKY LU. So in some ways, they’ve had a direct hand in helping get this film made. There is also such incredible energy and inspiration that makes you want to get back to getting the next film made.

Since TIFF is celebrating 50 years, can you share your first or your favourite TIFF moment?

Bringing my parents, who immigrated from Korea to Canada, to a packed screening of my short film back in 2022. I think they were both proud and a little surprised by the film, and thought that maybe there’s a chance their son won’t have to move back home.

LUCKY LU has its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2025. Full details can be found here.

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All pictures courtecy of TIFF

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With such a wide range of films across every genre imaginable, the real challenge for us TIFF veterans (can we call ourselves TIFF’ers yet?) is deciding which titles to see—and when. Honestly, half the fun is in the planning…and who’s still doing the pirate noises with me?

Here at Toronto Guardian, we’ve got our eyes peeled for the Canadian talent on the lineup—whether behind the camera or on screen. For TIFF 2025 (aka #TIFF50), here are a few picks that immediately caught our attention.

Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery: Directed by Ally Pankiw

This galvanizing documentary from director Ally Pankiw (I Used To Be Funny) takes us behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival and features interviews with performers including Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emmylou Harris.

John Candy: I like Me: Directed by Colin Hanks

Featuring candid testimonies from John Candy’s friends and family — including Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Catherine O’Hara, and more — Colin Hanks’ wildly entertaining documentary celebrates one of the most beloved comedic actors of our time.

Still Single: Masaki Saito: Directed by Jamal Burger, Jukan Tateisi

This up-close and personal film brings viewers into the unpredictable and fascinating world of 2 Michelin-star Omakase Chef Masaki Saito, Toronto’s sushi superstar. His drive and energy is fuelled with passion in this entertaining film.

&SONS: Directed by Pablo Trapero

This adaptation of David Gilbert’s 2013 critically acclaimed novel, co-written by Toronto’s own Sarah Polley, stars Oscar nominee Bill Nighy as an aging literary superstar who wakes up one day believing he is near the end of his life and summons his sons. His announcement is far stranger than anything dreamed up in his revered novels.

Degrassi: Whatever It Takes: Directed by Lisa Rideout

This documentary celebrates the groundbreaking legacy of Degrassi, a fearless teen drama that tackled taboo topics and changed TV forever, while uncovering the behind-the-scenes tensions and personal sacrifices that shaped Canada’s most iconic teen television franchise. The film features interviews and insights from creator  Linda Schuyler, executive producer Stephen Stohn, cast of the Degrassi universe including Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogren, Amanda and Maureen Deiseach, Aubrey Drake Graham, Shenae Grimes-Beech, and more.

Steal Away: Directed by Clement Virgo

Director Clement Virgo returns with a bold, mesmerizing, and erotically charged thriller that’s part fairy tale, part fever dream. It tells the story of a pair of young women the film’s subtitle calls “two princesses.” Fanny, a sheltered teenager whose knowledge of the world barely extends beyond the stately manor house belonging to her glamorous mother, which is located in a mysterious country.  Cécile, a charismatic visitor who’s one of countless people seeking asylum from the conflicts that consume this alternate and highly stylized reality.

Peak Everything (Amor Apocalypse): Directed by Anne Émond

Writer-director Anne Émond has reinvented the romantic comedy for the age of ecological anxiety. Winsomely pairing Patrick Hivon and Piper Perabo , Peak Everything suggests that there is no better time to open your heart than when the world seems on the cusp of collapse.

There Are No Words: Directed by Min Sook Lee

This deeply personal documentary from hometown filmmaker Min Sook Lee follows the trail of grief left behind when her mother died by suicide when she was a preteen. Her journey to find out more about who her mother was takes her through hometown Toronto and ancestral South Korea. Along the way she speaks to her father, a former intelligence officer; her maternal uncle; and her mother’s old neighbours.

Lucky Lu: Directed by Lloyd Lee Choi

Lucky Lu stars global powerhouse Chang Chen as our guide into the intricate social network of delivery drivers in New York City; when in a terrible stroke of luck, he finds out his e-bike has been stolen. With his wife (Fala Chen)and daughter (Carabelle Manna Wei) en route all the way from Asia, he rushes against the clock and around the city cashing in old favors and digging up stories and ghosts from the past.

Good Fortune: Directed by Aziz Ansari

Actor-writer-director Aziz Ansari co-stars with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh, and Keke Palmer in this hilarious modern fantasy in which the angel Gabriel, dissatisfied with performing minor acts of divine intervention, attempts to improve the lives of several struggling mortals.

Meadowlarks: Directed by Tasha Hubbard

Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie: Directed by Matt Johnson

They were never in time to book a gig at The Rivoli, then one day… they weren’t in their time at all. From Matt Johnson (BlackBerry) and Jay McCarrol’s cult comedy series comes an adventure 17 years in the making.

While the Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts: Directed by Peter Mettler

A rapturous chronicle of the miracles contained in everyday things and occurrences, by award-winning filmmaker Peter Mettler (Gambling, Gods and LSD, Picture of Light, The End of Time, Top of His Head). His film offers a generous space to expose and embrace the fragility and profound nature of relationships, where reflections on the human condition and our environment flow together in a stream of consciousness.

100 Sunsets: Directed by Kunsang Kyirong

A Parkdale apartment complex becomes a place of intrigue, desire, and deceit in Kunsang Kyirong’s stunning mystery drama.

Mile End Kicks: Directed by Chandler Levack

A bright romantic comedy starring Barbie Ferreira as Grace, a young music critic who moves to Montreal to figure out life and love. Inspired by Levack’s own life experiences and set again the backdrop of the music scene, Mile End Kicks explores what it means to e a young woman navigating identity, ambitions and relationships in the entertainment world.

Dinner with Friends: Directed by Sasha Leigh Henry

Sasha Leigh Henry’s feature debut brings viewers inside a fractured group of eight longtime friends who intermittently come together for dinner parties to share in the joys and pains of being adults today.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 4 to 14, 2025. Watch for special events, talks with stars, Festival activations, and so much more this year! Full schedule of films and tickets can be found at tiff.net

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All pictures courtecy of TIFF

The post TIFF 2025: Films On Our Radar (at first glance) appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

The festival also attracts significant media attention. With many celebrities present, it’s hard not to have a day go by without hearing about the who’s who in entertainment news.

For cinephiles, there are many great titles to choose from. Some will find their way to a wider release in the coming months. Some will land on streaming services. Some films will just be screening here at TIFF but will move onto international platforms. So, what are we hoping to check out?

Here are 10 films we have on our radar that are by Canadian Filmmakers: 

Young Werther: directed by José Lourenço | Special Presentations

Inspired by the popular 1770s novella The Sorrows of Young Werther, this modernization stars Douglas Booth and Alison Pill in a fast-paced and bright romantic comedy, set in Toronto.

The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal: directed by Mike Downie | Primetime

Director Mike Downie assembles The Tragically Hip for an emotional look at the origin, impact, and legacy of the band that defined Canada, to the world and to itself.

The Knowing: directed by Courtney Montour and Tanya Malaga | Primetime

Acclaimed journalist Tanya Talaga brings her evocative storytelling from the page to the screen with her search for a long-lost matriarch named Annie, solving an 80-year-old family mystery. Stars include Darrell Boissoneau, Sheila Bowen

Takin’ Care of Business: directed by Tyler Measom | Gala Presentations

In this brisk, fun ride, Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman tells the stories of how he rose to the top of the charts with The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, married a Mormon, and launched an obsessive quest when his beloved Gretsch guitar disappeared.

Paul Anka:His Way: directed by John Maggio | Special Presentations

One of the world’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters participates in a candid and celebratory look at his life and career in this documentary.

The Mother and the Bear: directed by Johnny Ma | Centrepiece

When her grown daughter Sumi has a bad fall in Winnipeg, anxious widow Sara (Kim Ho-Jung) travels from Korea to be with her — and discovers she doesn’t really know Sumi at all. Stars Leere Park, Kim Ho-jung, Jonathan Kim, Won-Jae Lee, and Amara Pedroso Saque.

The Shrouds: directed by David Cronenberg | Gala Presentations

Still grieving the loss of his wife, a technological entrepreneur (Vincent Cassel) finds what’s left of his world collapsing into a nightmare of sex, paranoia, and grief in David Cronenberg’s most personal film. Stars Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, and Cronenberg himself.

Bonjour Tristesse: directed by Durga Chew-Bose | Discovery

Durga Chew-Bose’s adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s unforgettable coming-of-age novel of the same name is a sun-soaked heralding of a singular artist. Stars Lily McInerny, Naïlia Harzoune, Aliocha Schneider, and Chloë Sevigny.

Village Keeper: directed by Karen Chapman | Discovery

After a massive loss, an overwhelmed Toronto mother discovers a very unusual way to process her grief. Stars include Olunike Adeliyi, Maxine Simpson, and Zahra Bentham.

Sweet Angel Baby: directed by Melanie Oates | Centrepiece

Eliza is an unassuming and beloved member of a small fishing community in Newfoundland who sees all of her relationships put in jeopardy after her secret social media persona is exposed. Stars Michaela Kurimsky

Universal Language: directed by Matthew Rankin | Centrepiece

Matthew Rankin’s second feature is a lovingly detailed, charmingly impossible story of a Canada where Persian and French are the two official languages, and loneliness is the common currency.  Stars Pirouz Nemati and Rankin himself.

Do I Know You From Somewhere?: directed by Arianna Martinez | Discovery

A committed couple finds their life slipping away, not because they’ve done anything in particular, but because their history is unwriting itself—sort of. Stars Caroline Bell, Ian Ottis Goff, Mallory Amirault,

Sharp Corner: directed by Jason Buxton | Special Presentations

After a car crashes into his front yard, a family man develops an unhealthy obsession with being ready for the next accident. And the next. Stars Ben Foster and Cobie Smulder.

Your Tomorrow: directed by Ali Weinstein | TIFF Docs

Ali Weinstein’s documentary captures the final year of Toronto’s celebrated Ontario Place. The beloved provincial park is sectioned off for redevelopment, but visitors keep showing up to walk its trails, enjoy the lake, or just check on the tomatoes they’re cultivating by the shore.

Shepherds: directed by Sophie Deraspe | Special Presentations

In this adaptation, a Montréal copywriter sets out to reinvent himself as a sheep herder in the French Alps despite knowing literally nothing about the centuries-old craft.Stars Félix-Antoine Duval and Solène Rigot.

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While the year-round TIFF Ticketmaster system is merely dreadful – just try finding the film you want in less than fifteen clicks – the real suffering is reserved for the annual festival, when all T̶i̶c̶k̶e̶t̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶  hell breaks loose.

That begins with TIFF’s incomprehensible decision to conspire in Ticketmaster’s scalping (sorry, “Verified Reseller”) scheme, which sees resale tickets reposted for eye-watering prices on the official TIFF website, quite literally within minutes of their release. (Hence, scalped tickets for Studio Ghibli’s hotly anticipated The Boy and the Heron going for a cool $372 on the TIFF site.)

It continues with the festival’s byzantine ticketing system, which somehow manages to be even more complex than the year-round website, and which saw Twitter flooded with angry would-be festival attendees. Anecdotally, I encountered a range of filmgoers – some, festival veterans, others novices – who gave up in frustration after being sent through too many Ticketmaster death spirals.

TIFF ’23 also suffered from a striking lack of organization and surprising hostility towards its audience, including aggressively rude security staff who seemed to think their job was to chase fans away(?!) from the red carpet. Also bizarre was the decision to scrap audience microphones at the post-film Q&As, leading to awkward back-and-forths as directors and stars struggled to hear questions.

But never let it be said that we don’t still love TIFF, despite its (many) foibles.

For one thing, despite hyperbolic lamentations about absent star power owing to the ongoing Writers’ and Actors’ strikes, a remarkable number of high-profile film folks showed up, including Richard Linklater, Wim Wenders, Ethan Hawke, and Viggo Mortensen (all attending in their capacity as directors) and big-name actors such as Elliott Page, Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe, and Sylvester Stallone. Fears that TIFF ’23 would be a lower-wattage affair proved to be largely unfounded.

Another pleasant surprise this year was TIFF’s long-overdue fix to its audio system. In previous years, ear-splitting volumes (Sarah Polley’s Women Talking was certainly the loudest film about a group of talkative Mennonite women we’ve ever seen) regularly undermined the filmgoing experience, but this year we didn’t encounter a single film where we were annoyed by the awful volume levels.

And then there were, of course, the films themselves. Our favourite was probably Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dry Grasses, a thoughtful, well-observed human drama about a cynical, self-serving teacher whose careless playing of favourites with students – and disdain for nearly everyone else – gets him into serious trouble with administrators in the remote school district where he has been deployed (and from which he longs to escape).

Other highlights included Wim Wenders’s triumphant TIFF return in Perfect Days, an earnest, low-key Japanese-language film about, of all things, a cleaner of toilets. Heartfelt but avoiding trite sentimentality, Perfect Days (Japan’s submission for the Oscars long-list) deserves a wider audience than it will likely receive. (And fear not, the Japanese toilet scenes are as clean, beautiful, and futuristic as you’d hope.)

Excellent too was Erroll Morris’s John Le Carré documentary The Pigeon Tunnel, featuring a (delightfully guarded) Le Carré as he reflects on his life and career as renowned spy author and literary heir to Graham Greene. The author of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold sadly passed away in 2020, but not before sitting down with perhaps the world’s greatest documentarian for an illuminating conversation. (You can read our reviews of his penultimate novel here and final novel here.)

Other fun, if flawed movies this year included Linklater’s fundamentally silly assassin rom-com Hit Man, Hawke’s Flannery O’Connor biopic Wildcat starring his daughter Maya Hawke (excellent), and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils. We were thrilled to attend the Veils premiere at the exact place where it was filmed: a psycho-drama about an opera director mounting a production of Richard Strauss’s Salome, Egoyan filmed Veils at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, placing his own Canadian Opera Company production at the heart of the story. While Amanda Seyfried does a serviceable job with a rather obvious script, it’s the music that shines. Even those unfamiliar with Salome will come away with a sense of this extraordinary, if bleak, musical drama.

Plus, it’s nice to see Toronto come alive for a couple weeks, King West closed off to traffic in the evenings, international musical acts invited to perform at the Festival Street Music Stage. The return of free outdoor movie screenings at David Pecaut Square (next to Roy Thomson Hall) was also welcome, though there were never enough poufs for everyone to have a nice, comfy seat. (We suggest bringing your own picnic blankets.)

Finally, the surprising selection of Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction as TIFF 2023 People’s Choice Award winner was a welcome departure from previous years, when painfully obvious fare (Spielberg’s The Fabelmans won in ’22) treated TIFF like a necessary steppingstone on their inevitable Oscar campaigns. More importantly, however, TIFF remains the only place where you can guarantee a packed, sold-out audience for offerings as diverse as a Japanese toilet cleaner fable, a biopic of the foremost purveyor of Southern Gothic literature, and a three-and-a-half-hour Dostoevskian drama about a teacher in rural Turkey.

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For more on TIFF ’23, check out our coverage here and here.

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The Woman King tells the story of the Agojie, an all female troop of warriors who fought for the kingdom of Dahomey. The Agojie serve under the rule of King Ghezo, played by British actor John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and are revered transcontinentally for their skills in battle. Filmed in South Africa, the story takes place during the 19th century in the West African kingdom of Dahomey; General Nanisca (Davis) recruits and trains the next generation of Agojie warriors. General Nanisca (Davis) is a well respected member of the King’s retinue; this protagonist is seen as the backbone of the Agojie and the power behind King Ghezo (Boyega). The Agojie embody strength, beauty and perseverance in this harrowing story of navigating life during a time marred by slavery.

Audiences will be charmed by this ensemble cast including: daring and boisterous new recruit, Nawi (played by Thuso Mbedu of Amazon’s the Underground Railroad), who we see throughout her journey with the Dahomey army; fiercely brave and comical, Izogie (played by Lashana Lynch of Captain Marvel and 007: No Time to Die) who offers endless equips, while demonstrating unmatched vigor; and kind and valiant Amenza (played by Sheila Atim of Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Amazon’s The Underground Railroad) who is always ready with sage advice or ready for a battle. The Agojie find themselves in a rivalry with an enemy of the Dahomey kingdom, the Oyo empire. The Oyo work alongside Transatlantic slave traders, imprisoning and selling African citizens in the slave trade. This enthralling plotline is filled with twists, secrets, romance and revenge.

The plot of The Woman King is loosely based on the real life story of the all female Agojie army from West Africa, in the region known as modern day Benin. The Dahomey kingdom was seen as one of the most powerful of the time and the Agojie were seen as a major source of that power; their nation thrived from the 17th to 19th century.

This film sees Atim, Boyega, Davis, Lynch and Mbedu amplify the black voice through hilarious banter, emotive monologues and suspenseful fight sequences. The dialects and vernacular bring authenticity to this film, leaving audiences vulnerable to the raw emotions displayed throughout the movie. This film is rooted in themes of blackness and still manages to appeal to everyone.

The Woman King premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). TIFF brings a slew of notable celebrities and must-see films to Toronto every September. This year was a return to an in-person experience and events took place across the downtown core. Take in this captivating experience at your local theatre or drive-in. The Woman King is in theatres now!

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