TIFF 2025: 5 Must-See Films Everyone Will Be Talking About
TIFF 2025: These Are the 5 Buzziest Films You Can’t Miss This Year
TIFF is back and it’s safe to say Toronto is about to be the main character again. Whether you’re a red carpet regular or just trying to get tickets to something, the lineup for the Toronto International Film Festival 2025 is already stacked with world premieres, Oscar hopefuls, and can’t-stop-talking-about-it screenings. We combed through the schedule, the trailers, and yes, the early buzz, to bring you the top 5 must-see TIFF 2025 films that are going to dominate the conversation this year both during the Festival and all over your social feeds.
Swiped: The Dating App Origin Story That’ll Have Everyone Talking
Directed by: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
Starring: Lily James, Dan Stevens
Let’s be honest a biopic about the founder of Bumble could’ve gone a lot of ways. But Swiped is not your average girlboss retelling. Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Unpregnant) and starring Lily James, this film brings Whitney Wolfe Herd’s story to the screen with both punch and heart. Set in the early 2010s, it follows Whitney’s rise from Tinder marketing prodigy to launching her own app, all while battling the very boys’ club culture she was trying to disrupt.
James gives Wolfe Herd grit, wit, and surprising vulnerability and the film doesn’t shy away from the sexism and scandal that nearly derailed her. Instead, it shows us how she took it all and flipped the script. If you liked Erin Brockovich or The Social Network, this is your TIFF pick.
🔥 Buzz Level: High. It might not make it to the Oscars, but it will be a film that everyone will be talking about
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery : Benoit Blanc Is Back
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington
You didn’t think we were done with Benoit Blanc, did you? After Knives Out and Glass Onion, Rian Johnson returns with Wake Up Dead Man and this time, it’s darker, grittier, and way more Poe-core than ever before.
Set in a sleepy small town with church secrets and impossible crimes, the latest Blanc mystery leans into gothic territory while keeping all the signature wit and chaos we love. The cast is stacked (Mila Kunis! Jeremy Renner! Andrew Scott!) and Craig delivers what might be his most layered Blanc performance yet.
🕵️ Buzz Level: Massive. Netflix will be everywhere, and this is likely TIFF’s most star-packed red carpet.
Christy: Sydney Sweeney’s Breakout TIFF Moment
Directed by: David Michôd
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster
You’ve never seen Sydney Sweeney like this. In Christy, she plays boxing icon Christy Martin and it might just be the role that shifts how Hollywood sees her. Directed by David Michôd (Animal Kingdom), this film isn’t just about a female athlete breaking boundaries in a male-dominated sport… it’s about survival, trauma, and triumph.
From underground Toughwoman contests to the world stage, Christy is as physical as it is emotional. The film doesn’t shy away from the abuse and addiction Christy endured behind the scenes, but it also gives her a powerful arc of reclamation.
🥊 Buzz Level: One to watch for Best Actress chatter.
Frankenstein : Guillermo del Toro’s Gothic Masterpiece
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth
Let’s just call this what it is: Frankenstein is del Toro’s magnum opus. This isn’t your dusty high school English version. This is big, bold, beautifully haunted filmmaking brought to life (pun intended) with a fully reimagined take on Shelley’s classic.
Oscar Isaac stars as Victor Frankenstein, but it’s Jacob Elordi’s creature that might haunt you long after the credits roll. Shot partially in Toronto, this one will feel especially close to home.
🧟♂️ Buzz Level: Critical darling. Expect long lines and long ovations.
Hamnet : A Lush Shakespearean Family Drama
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal
If you’ve ever wondered what inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet, this is the film that’ll crack your heart open. Hamnet, directed by the always-poetic Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), centers not on The Bard himself, but on his wife, Agnes played with quiet power by Jessie Buckley.
This is a film about grief, motherhood, and how loss shapes art. With cinematographer Łukasz Żal, it’s bound to be visually stunning and emotionally rich. Mescal brings depth to a young Shakespeare, but this is Buckley’s film through and through. Don’t be surprised if this one becomes TIFF’s sleeper hit.
🎭 Buzz Level: Festival fave for the emotional crowd. Tissues advised.
TIFF 2025 is delivering across the board and whether you’re into dark mysteries, real-life power moves, classic monster lore, or emotional period dramas, there’s something this year that’ll stay with you long after the festival lights dim.
Bookmark this list, plan your screenings, and let us know what’s at the top of your watchlist. We’ll see you at Roy Thomson Hall (or waiting in the rush line with a coffee in hand).
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