Querido Trópico by Ana Endara
The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicks off today and runs through September 15, offering a rich selection of Latin American titles from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama across its various sections.
TIFF will host the world premiere of Pedro Páramo, the highly anticipated directorial debut by acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Killers of the Flower Moon), as part of its Platform competition, which champions bold directorial visions. Based on the landmark novel by Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo is a mesmerizing tale of desire, corruption, and inheritance, set in a seemingly abandoned Mexican town where past and present intriguingly coexist.
Two Brazilian films will screen in the Special Presentations program—one in its world premiere and the other in its North American premiere. Fernando Coimbra’s fourth feature, Carnival Is Over / Os Enforcados, a dark neo-noir, follows Regina and Valerio, a couple trying to escape their criminal family ties, only to find themselves pulled deeper into the very world they hoped to leave behind.
Walter Salles, director of The Motorcycle Diaries, returns with I’m Still Here / Ainda Estou Aqui, which chronicles the real-life story of Eunice Paiva (played by Fernanda Torres), whose tragic experience during Brazil’s military dictatorship turns her into a renowned activist, lawyer, and national hero.
Also featured in the Special Presentations section is the French-Mexican co-production Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard. Starring Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Karla Sofía Gascón, this bold film blends pop opera, narco-thriller elements, and a gender-affirmation narrative.
I’m Still Here by Walter Salles
The Centrepiece program, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, will screen five Latin American films and co-productions. Panamanian director Ana Endara will premiere her narrative debut, Beloved Tropic / Querido trópico, a tender and atmospheric drama starring Chilean actress Paulina García (Gloria) and Colombian actress Jenny Navarrete (The Other Son). Set in Panama City, the film explores the bond between two lonely souls: a high-class woman in the early stages of dementia, and her immigrant caregiver, who harbors a secret.
Following its world premiere in Venice’s Golden Lion competition, Argentine director Luis Ortega’s Kill the Jockey / El jockey will have its North American premiere at TIFF. The film stars Nahuel Pérez Bizcayart (120 Beats per Minute) as Remo Manfredini, a jockey whose self-destructive tendencies begin to eclipse his talent, jeopardizing his career and personal life. After a serious accident on race day, he disappears, embarking on a transformative journey through the city as a fugitive from both his identity and a dangerous criminal.
Colombian director Andrés Baiz (Griselda, Narcos) will present the world premiere of Pimpinero: Blood and Oil / Pimpinero: sangre y gasolina, a tense thriller set along the dangerous desert border between Colombia and Venezuela. The film follows gasoline smugglers, known as pimpineros, as they navigate life-threatening risks. The cast includes Juanes, Alejandro Speitzer, and Laura Osma.
Two Chilean co-productions will also debut in the Centrepiece sidebar: The Exiles / Los Tortuga, directed by Belén Funes, an emotionally rich drama about a fraught mother-daughter relationship starring Antonia Zegers (The Club), and The Mother and the Bear, a cross-cultural drama by Johnny Ma, about a widow’s complicated reunion with her grown daughter in Winnipeg.
TIFF’s Discovery program, which highlights emerging filmmakers, will feature two Latin American titles. Argentine drama Linda, directed by Mariana Wainstein and starring Eugenia "China" Suárez, examines how a mysterious young woman disrupts the facade of an affluent Buenos Aires family. Colombian director César Augusto Acevedo (Land and Shade) will present Horizonte, which follows a mother and her estranged son on a perilous journey through war-torn Colombia in search of redemption and healing.
Linda by Mariana Wainstein
Additionally, TIFF will host the world premiere of Do I Know You From Somewhere? by Argentine-Canadian director Arianna Martinez.
In the TIFF Docs section, Mexican director Santiago Esteinou will present The Freedom of Fierro / La libertad de Fierro, the only Latin American entry in this category. A follow-up to his 2014 documentary The Years of Fierro / Los años de Fierro, this new film tells the story of César Fierro, a man released after 40 years on death row in Texas for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, back in Mexico, Fierro must face the challenge of rebuilding his life in a world vastly different from the one he left behind.
TIFF’s Wavelengths section, which spotlights boundary-pushing works at the intersection of cinema and art, will feature the North American premieres of six films from Latin American filmmakers. Highlights include Collective Monologue / Monólogo colectivo by British-Argentine director Jessica Sarah Rinland, Lazaro at Night / Lázaro en la noche by Mexican director Nicolás Pereda, and Pepe, a Dominican film by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, which uses an imaginative approach to tell the true story of Pablo Escobar’s escaped hippopotamuses.
The Wavelengths Shorts section will showcase three Latin American short films: October Noon / Octubre al mediodía by Chilean filmmaker Francisco Rodríguez Teare, Archipelago of Earthen Bones — To Bunya by Chilean experimental filmmaker Malena Szlam, and Adrift Potentials / Potenciais à Deriva by Brazilian director Leonardo Pirondi.
