The 10 best films of TIFF 2025 so far

We're halfway through this year's Toronto International Film Festival, and already a huge number of standout films have played for local audiences.

Along with the festival faves that were already championed elsewhere, there have been dozens of titles making their debut during this fall festival season that had a chance to shine.

With screenings taking place until Sunday, there's still time to catch a number of these films and experience some truly world-class cinema at TIFF 2025.

The Last Viking

Bleak Scandinavian comedies are often a treat at TIFF, and Anders Thomas Jensen's most recent collaboration with Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas is an absolute delight. Mixing family trauma with ABBA performances and Beatles garb, this wild, twisted tale is precisely the kind of offbeat fun that festivals thrive on.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

In what has become a Toronto tradition, Rian Johnson brought the latest chapter of his murder mystery series to Toronto, and it doesn't disappoint.

Daniel Craig is back as Benoit Blanc, of course, but it's Josh O'Connor that provides much of the film's heart, a wild story of faith and deception, with enough dark comedy to make it a hugely entertaining feat.

You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell ignited the comedy revolution, spread love & overalls, and created a community that changed the world (in a Canadian kind of way)

This comically long-titled doc was an absolute treat, showcasing the hall-of-fame team that back in 1972 brought Steven Schwartz's musical to the local stage.

A half century on, the original participants, some of whom became superstars, others with more modest careers, gather to celebrate what a remarkable spark of creativity and culture this one show proved to be, putting this city on the cultural map in a way few things have ever done as successfully.

A Life Illuminated

Another wonderful documentary, this one following underwater scientist and explorer Edie Wilder as she tries to capture the ephemeral images of deep-sea bioluminescence. Visually stunning footage is mixed with a subtle and compelling portrait of the decades-long career of this pioneering scientist, a double deep dive on both the nature of her humanity and the fruits of her remarkable work.

Bad Apples

There are two films at TIFF with Irish people playing teachers struggling with troubled students (the other is the underwhelming Steve, starring Cillian Murphy). Still, director Jonatan Etzler's jet-black comedy blossoms with an acerbic lead take by Saoirse Ronan, some excellent child performances, and a storyline that isn't afraid to writhe in the rot of some abominable behaviour.

Meadowlarks

This moving Canadian film, based on a celebrated documentary, sees four siblings separated by the government and placed into foster care, ripping them from their culture as much as from their parents. The "Sixties Scoop" is a stain on this nation's history, and with committed, dimensional performances and an accessible yet emotional storyline, this is easily one of the best of the fest from the Cancon slate.

Epic: Elvis Presley In Concert

Baz Luhrmann's unabashedly reverential look at the King of Rock and Roll is sublime. Mining dozens of hours of footage, much of it unseen, Presley has never looked more stunning.

Yet it's the audio interviews that give greater insight into the performer, that is the heart of the film, providing unique insights from the man himself about his career, his missteps, and his unbridled demand to give audience members the utmost from this tireless performer and his remarkable musical collaborators.

The Christophers

Steven Soderbergh's latest is a terrific chamber piece, anchored with a stellar turn by the legendary performer Ian McKellen. Of note is the take by Michaela Coel, who quietly yet firmly stands aside her co-star, crafting a delightful contrast in personality and tone.

Part art drama, part family feud, this is a load of fun, and despite being the third release from the formerly retired director in this calendar year alone, it's a very welcome addition to his filmography.

Christy

A boxing movie that packs quite the punch, Sydney Sweeney soars in this biopic about legendary pugilist Sydney Martin, the "Coalminer's Daughter" who fought her way to success despite troubles both at home and in the ring.

Ben Foster's role is diabolical yet never two-dimensional, and this is another David Michôd film where the mix of violence, emotions, and troubled humanity collide in powerful, profound ways.

Whistle

There have been innumerable "competition" docs, mirroring the structure of Spellbound from 2002, but there's something decidedly fresh and zany about Christopher Nelius's quirky yet sympathetic portrait of those blowing away their lives at the Masters of Musical Whistling competition.

With a wild cast of real-life characters that feel like they're sourced from Christopher Guest's mockumentary, this mix of Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind neither sucks nor blows, but instead resonates in deliciously daffy ways. 

Bonus: Visiting the Criterion Closet

A dream came true for this obsessive collector of shiny discs, spending over fifteen minutes broadcasting from within the lined walls of the mobile Criterion van. From Thursday to Sunday, hundreds lined up for the chance to enter and extol their love of cinema.

After Guillermo Del Toro entered this confessional-like booth for 30 minutes to shoot his own take, he spent an equal amount of time signing autographs, taking selfies, and generally entertaining the cinephiles that gathered here in Toronto to help celebrate TIFF's 50^th birthday.