“Daniela Forever,” in which Henry Golding stars as a man who joins a clinical drug trial in an attempt to reunite him in his dreams with a girlfriend who died, will be the opening-night film in the Platform section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Tuesday.
The film was made by Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo, whose previous films include the features “Colossal” and “Paradise Hills” and the Oscar-nominated short “7:35 in the Morning.”
Other entries in the 10-film section will include “Pedro Páramo,” the directorial debut of “Barbie” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto; Tallulah K. Schwab’s “Mr. K,” starring Crispin Glover as a traveling magician; “Triumph,” the third part in a trilogy of films from Bulgarian filmmakers Petar Valchanov and Kristina Grozeva (the others being “The Lesson” and “Glory”); and Olivier Sarbil’s “Viktor,” a documentary made during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 10 films will compete for the Platform Prize, a $20,000 CAD award given to the section’s best film as chosen by a jury of three filmmakers: Canadian director Atom Egoyan, South Korean director Hur Jin-ho and filmmaker and American writer Jane Schoenbrun.
All 10 films will be world premieres, and all except “Pedro Páramo” (a Netflix title) will be at TIFF looking for distribution.
Last year, the Platform section opened with Kristoffer Borgli’s “Dream Scenario,” starring Nicolas Cage. Other Platform selections over the nine years of the section’s existence included Darius Marder’s Oscar-nominated “Sound of Metal,” Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin,” Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie” and William Oldroyd’s “Lady Macbeth.”
The biggest film to come out of the section was Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight,” which premiered in Platform in 2016 and went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
TIFF announced its lineup of galas and special presentations was announced on Monday, with additional announcements coming later this week.
The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival will open on Sept. 5 and run through Sept. 15.
The Platform programme:
“Daniela Forever,” Nacho Vigalondo | Spain/Belgium
World Premiere
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“Daughter’s Daughter,” Huang Xi | Taiwan
World Premiere
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“Mr. K,” Tallulah H. Schwab | Netherlands/Belgium/Norway
World Premiere
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“Paying For It,” Sook-Yin Lee | Canada
World Premiere
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“Pedro Páramo,” Rodrigo Prieto | Mexico
World Premiere
“The Wolves Always Come at Night,” Gabrielle Brady | Australia/Mongolia/Germany
World Premiere
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“They Will Be Dust” (“Polvo serán”), Carlos Marqués-Marcet | Spain/Italy/Switzerland
World Premiere
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“Triumph,” Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva | Bulgaria/Greece
World Premiere
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“Viktor,” Olivier Sarbil | Ukraine/USA
World Premiere
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“Winter in Sokcho,” Koya Kamura | France
World Premiere
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