Overview
- The lineup was announced Thursday and features ten midnight screenings at the Royal Alexandra Theatre that all begin at 11:59 p.m.
- Joshua Giuliano’s River will open Midnight Madness with a world premiere, and outlets report that Shudder has acquired the title with a planned theatrical roll‑out.
- Curry Barker’s breakout hit Obsession returns for a special reprise on Sept. 11 with Barker and star Inde Navarette taking part in a Dialogues event, and Na‑Hong Jin’s Hope will receive a special screening on Sept. 9 after a strong South Korean box office showing.
- Six of the ten films are world premieres and the slate spans styles and countries, including Anna Biller’s The Face of Horror, Nick Kozakis’ Kick On, Samjad’s HALF, Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Vintage Violence, and Duncan Jones’ Rogue Trooper as the closing-night film.
- Midnight Madness has become a proven launching pad for commercial breakouts and Kuplowsky says programmers and buyers should focus on distinctive filmmakers rather than formulaic imitations, with further acquisition activity expected during TIFF’s Sept. 10–20 run.