Nicole Kidman and Patricia Clarkson are bringing law and order to the Toronto International Film Festival. Both play detectives in films set to screen at TIFF. The fest just announced its Platform lineup, a juried program that champions bold directorial visions. Of 12 films in the program, four are women-directed or co-directed, amounting to 33 percent of the slate.
Directed by Karyn Kusama (“The Invitation”), “Destroyer” sees Kidman taking on the role of an LAPD detective who’s dealing with trauma from a past undercover operation. Clarkson portrays a homicide detective investigating the shooting of a leading astrophysicist and black-hole expert in Carol Morley’s (“The Falling”) “Out of Blue.”
Also screening in the Platform section is “The Good Girls,” Alejandra Márquez Abella’s (“Semana Santa”) portrait of a well-to-do socialite and her husband, who are forced to reckon with the impact of Mexico’s 1982 economic crisis. Platform’s Closing Film is Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel’s “Jessica Forever.” Set in a dystopian world, the collaborators’ debut feature centers on a woman fighting for peace against the violent misfits who rule society.
Last year TIFF’s Platform program was 50 percent women-directed.
“This year’s Platform selection stands out for the assured and precise directing on display,” said TIFF Director and CEO Piers Handling. “We are thrilled to present a slate that perfectly embodies the essence of the program with so many risk-taking, challenging, and, at times, formally inventive titles that are the result of audacious directors making bold choices.”
A three-person jury selects the winner of the Toronto Platform Prize, which includes an award of $25,000 CAD (about $19,100 USD).
TIFF runs from September 6-16.
Destroyer Karyn Kusama | USA
International Premiere
When a new case uncovers traumas from a past undercover operation, an LAPD detective (Nicole Kidman) is forced to face her personal and professional demons, in this genre-defining work from Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body).
The Good Girls (Las niñas bien) Alejandra Márquez Abella | Mexico
World PremiereA well-to-do socialite and her husband must wrestle with the impact of Mexico’s 1982 economic crisis, in this meticulously crafted feature from Alejandra Márquez Abella (Semana Santa).
Platform Closing Film
Jessica Forever Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel | France
World Premiere
Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel’s visually striking debut feature presents a dystopian world where violent misfits reign supreme, counterbalanced by one woman and her makeshift family of rehabilitated marauders fighting for peace.
Out of Blue Carol Morley | UK
World Premiere
A homicide detective’s (Patricia Clarkson) investigation into the shooting of a leading astrophysicist and black-hole expert destabilizes her view of the universe and herself, in the third fiction feature from Carol Morley (Dreams of a Life).
