From Mike Leigh to Pedro Almodóvar


The Venice Film Festival continued its ascent this year, rivaling Cannes — long the undisputed king of all film festivals — in its capacity to draw stars, spark debate and drive sales of first-rate art films. While some of the bigger titles fizzled (Todd Phillips’ gonzo musical sequel to 2019 Golden Lion winner “Joker” disappointed, and Kevin Costner’s second “Horizon” installment went largely unnoticed), Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar finally claimed a major festival’s top trophy.

Across the Atlantic, high in the Rocky Mountains, Telluride has lost a bit of its award-season luster. For a decade, practically every best picture winner — from “Slumdog Millionaire” to “The Shape of Water” — screened there. Last year, Telluride pulled out all the stops for its 50th anniversary, which meant this year’s ultra-selective lineup was inevitably going to sparkle less, especially in a post-strike year.

Meanwhile, 2024 was the year Toronto got its mojo back. TIFF secured several significant launches, including DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” Hugh Grant horror movie “Heretic” and Mike Leigh’s terrific return-to-form “Hard Truths” (rumored to have been turned down by Venice and Cannes). Meanwhile, TIFF organizers relaxed the rules on premiere status — a smart move, since many festgoers still view Toronto as the one-stop spot to catch the year’s best offerings, whether brand new or the buzziest titles from earlier in the festival calendar (like Palme d’Or winner “Anora” and Annecy breakout “Memoir of a Snail”).

Those three festivals always bring an embarrassment of riches. Here, Variety’s critics share their favorites from the Venice, Telluride and Toronto lineups.



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