New films by Steven Spielberg, Darren Aronofsky and Sam Mendes. Rian Johnson’s second Benoit Blanc mystery. A documentary about the threats to Indian television journalism. The Toronto International Film Festival, which runs between September 8 and 18, has an incredible lineup that makes it hard to narrow down just the 10 films we’re most looking forward to. We gave it a shot anyway:

The Whale

Director Darren Aronofsky, whose films have long depicted the punishing extremes to which the human body can be pushed, adapts Samuel D. Hunter’s play about a 600-pound man (Brendan Fraser) whose life is upended when his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink) reappears.

The Menu

A group of fine-dining enthusiasts arrive at a remote island for the ultimate haute cuisine experience, only to discover that they can’t quite stomach what comes next. Succession director Mark Mylod’s satire stars Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy.

The Fabelmans

Steven Spielberg is the latest in a line of directors to reach back into their childhood and pull out enough material for a feature-length film (see also: Alfonso Cuaron with Roma and Kenneth Branagh with Belfast). In The Fabelmans, he reflects on the experiences that prompted him to pursue filmmaking while growing up in Arizona.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch This Fascinating Documentary On Spielberg

Kacchey Limbu

A pair of siblings (Rajat Barmecha, Radhika Madan) find themselves on opposing cricket teams in a sports film that’s less about competitiveness and more about the love of the game.

While We Watched

After his An Insignificant Man crafted a portrait of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, an unassuming man who upended Indian politics, filmmaker Vinay Shukla returns with a documentary about the loudest, most persistent voices in the country today — young television reporters who refuse to let the dangers of the job get in the way of a good scoop.

The Banshees of Inisherin

What starts as a lifelong friendship between two men gradually unraveling ends up as a tense standoff involving the entire fictional village of Inisherin when one of them issues a gory ultimatum. Writer-director Martin McDonagh reunites with his actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for the first time since his sublime dark comedy In Bruges (2008).

Zwigato

After delving into the past with her first two films Firaaq (2008) and Manto (2018), director Nandita Das tackles the uniquely modern problem of the gig economy with her next feature, Zwigato. Comedian Kapil Sharma, making his feature film debut, stars as a driver for a food-delivery app, gradually finding himself strangled by the noose of daily quotas and star ratings.

11th Dubai International Film Festival | #FCAtDIFF

Anupama Chopra

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