Here's what's playing at TIFF this year

The 42nd annual Toronto International Film Festival is nearly upon us. The massive event runs from September 7 to 17 and today, TIFF's CEO Piers Handling and artistic director Cameron Bailey announced the first batch of films screening at the festival this year.

Previously, TIFF announced that its 2017 edition would be tightening its programming and would feature 20 percent fewer films. But if this initial roster is any indication, there will be just as much star power this year.

Among the 13 galas and 33 special presentation screenings, there are 25 world premieres. Notable films including the Tragically Hip documentary from Jennifer Baichwal, the animated adaptation of Canadian children's video The Breadwinner, the new Darren Aronofsky movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and of course, the Tonya Harding biopic.

Start making your TIFF wish list STAT.

Galas

• Breathe, dir: Andy Serkis, starring: Andrew Garfield (United Kingdom, World Premiere)
• The Catcher Was A Spy, dir: Ben Lewin, starring: Paul Rudd (USA, World Premiere)
• C'est la vie! dir: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, (France, World Premiere, closing night film)
• Darkest Hour, dir: Joe Wright, starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Lily James (United Kingdom, Canadian Premiere)
• Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, dir: Paul McGuigan, starring: Annette Bening (United Kingdom, Canadian Premiere)
• Kings, dir: Deniz Gamze Ergüven, starring: Daniel Craig, Halle Berry (France/Belgium, World Premiere) 

• Long Time Running, dir: Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier (Canada World Premiere - this is the Tragically Hip documentary)
• Mary Shelley, dir: Haifaa Al Mansour, starring: Maisie Williams, Elle Fanning (Ireland/United Kingdom/Luxembourg/USA, World Premiere)
• The Mountain Between Us, dir: Hany Abu-Assad, starring: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba (USA, World Premiere)
• Mudbound, dir: Dee Rees (USA, International Premiere) 
• Stronger, dir: David Gordon Green, starring: Jake Gyllenhaal (USA, World Premiere)
• Untitled Bryan Cranston/Kevin Hart Film, dir: Neil Burger, (USA World Premiere)
• The Wife, dir: Björn Runge, starring: Glenn Close (United Kingdom/Sweden, World Premiere)
• Woman Walks Ahead, dir: Susanna White, starring: Jessica Chastain (USA, World Premiere)

Special Presentations

• Battle of the Sexes, dir: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carrell (USA, International Premiere)
• BPM (Beats Per Minute), dir: Robin Campillo (France, North American Premiere)
• The Brawler, dir: Anurag Kashyap (India World Premiere)
• The Breadwinner, dir: Nora Twomey (Canada/Ireland/Luxembourg, World Premiere)
• Call Me By Your Name, dir: Luca Guadagnino, starring: Michael Stuhlberg, Armie Hammer (Italy/France, Canadian Premiere)
• Catch the Wind, dir: Gaël Morel (France, International Premiere)
• The Children Act, dir: Richard Eyre, starring: Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci (United Kingdom, World Premiere)
• The Current War, dir: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, starring: Benedict Cumberbatch (USA, World Premiere)
• Disobedience, dir: Sebastián Lelio, starring: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams (United Kingdom, World Premiere)
• Downsizing, dir: Alexander Payne, starring: Matt Damon, Kristin Wiig et al. (USA, Canadian Premiere)

• A Fantastic Woman, dir: Sebastián Lelio (Chile, Canadian Premiere)
• First They Killed My Father, dir: Angelina Jolie (Cambodia Canadian Premiere)
• The Guardians, dir: Xavier Beauvois (France, World Premiere)
• Hostiles, dir: Scott Cooper, starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike (USA, International Premiere) 
• The Hungry, dir: Bornila Chatterjee (India, World Premiere)
• I, Tonya, dir: Craig Gillespie, starring: Margot Robbie (USA, World Premiere)
• Lady Bird, dir: Greta Gerwig, starring: Saoirse Ronan (USA, International Premiere - opening film)
• mother! dir: Darren Aronofsky, starring: Jennifer Lawrence (USA, North American Premiere)
• Novitiate, dir: Maggie Betts, starring: Diana Agron (USA, International Premiere)
• Omerta, dir: Hansal Mehta (India, World Premiere)
• Plonger, dir: Mélanie Laurent (France, World Premiere)
• The Price of Success, dir: Teddy Lussi-Modeste (France, International Premiere)
• Professor Marston & the Wonder Women, dir: Angela Robinson, starring: Luke Evans (USA, World Premiere)
• The Rider, dir: Chloé Zhao (USA, Canadian Premiere)
• A Season in France, dir: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (France, World Premiere)

• The Shape of Water, dir: Guillermo del Toro (USA, Canadian Premiere)
• Sheikh Jackson, dir: Amr Salama (Egypt, World Premiere)
• The Square, dir: Ruben Östlund (Sweden, North American Premiere)
• Submergence, dir: Wim Wenders (France/Germany/Spain, World Premiere)
• Suburbicon dir: George Clooney (USA North, American Premiere)
• Thelma, dir: Joachim Trier (Norway/Sweden/France/Denmark, International Premiere)
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, dir: Martin McDonagh (USA North American Premiere)
• Victoria and Abdul, dir: Stephen Frears (United Kingdom North American Premiere)

by Amy Grief via blogTO