Favorite Films from the Festival Director
Love, death, identity and personal challenges - here are seven of our Festival Director's favorite films from the program!
Publisert 09.01.2025 — TIFF

Our Festival Director Lisa Hoen has chosen her seven favorite films from the program to inspire you in your program deep-dive! Here you'll find everything from poetic dramas to nerve-wracking thrillers which will be screened at some of the festivals biggest screens!
They are absolutely worth checking out at the festival 13-19 January.

My Favourite Cake
Fokus: Iran is one of the sidebars you'll find at TIFF this year, and here you'll find the favorite My Favourite Cake by Maryam Moghadam og Behtash Sanaeeha.
In the film we meet a lonely elderly women who decides to make some changes and find herself a friend. However, this is not so simple for an elderly woman in Iran.
- It is upsetting how isolated women seems to be in the public space in Iran. At the same time, this film provides hope that it is possible to make changes to one's situation if only you dare, and that varmth and humor helps you along the way, says Hoen.
This is a tender and sensitive portrait of a mature woman, brilliantly played by Lili Farhadpour.

Memoir of a Snail
Memoir of a Snail is a top quality stop-motion animation by Adam Elliot. Grace is the snail mentioned in the title; she wears a hat with two tentacle-like eyes to resemble a snail, and the life story she tells is vulnerable, filled with heartbreak and trauma — but also, as it turns out, raunchy humor and slapstick comedy, literary puns, and clever jokes.
- I was impressed by the rich storytelling full of oddities and creativity. A delightful film, where you truly feel for the character while being captivated by the film's authenticity and realism through its stop-motion animation, says Hoen.

They Will Be Dust
This year, everyone should watch at least one musical! You will find these in the sidebar The New Musical, and They Will Be Dust is another favorite of our Festival Director.
In the film we meet Claudia and Flavio, an elderly couple forced to stare death in the face, because they have decided to travel to Switzerland to undergo assissted suicide together.
- They Will Be Dust has an exciting and innovative way to handle the difficult questions. The two elderly actors are so beautifully full of life, one would not think this film is about death! Says Hoen.

Carlos Marques Marcet has directed this life-affirming film filled with song- and dance numbers. The use of modern and contemporary music and dance is pushing the boundries for both the drama and the musical as a genre.
Paying for It
This is a daring, humorous, and unconventional dramedy about relationships, dating and love in our time. Based on the comic by Chester Brown that he wrote about his own experiences when he and his girlfriend broke up, but still tried to live together. The director of this film, Sook Yin-Lee, is the very ex-girlfriend Brown wrote about in his comic!
- A classic indie-film, which is both a little bit nerdy and provocative. Can it truly "pay off" to pay for sex because it is expensive and tiring to have your own girlfriend? That's one of the questions the film rises, says Hoen.

Vermiglio
In this family drama set in the Italian Alps, we meet a young woman who falls head over heels for a deserter hiding in her village. They live a harsh life in the shadow of World War II. But he also carries secrets—leading to tragic consequences for them both.
– Vermiglio by Maura Delpero is a warm and humanistic film. You grow fond of all the siblings in the family, each with their own motivations and goals. The film features beautiful cinematography and fantastic performances, says Hoen.

To Kill a Mongolian Horse
In the Chinese part of Mongolia, a young man is torn between the pastoral life of the countryside and the modern lifestyle of the city. Drought and climate change also serve as a backdrop in this beautiful and poetic film.
– I was fascinated by Saina, who plays the lead role in this film. The script is based on his life, and he portrays a strong and proud young man caught between tradition and modernity, says Hoen
To Kill a Mongolian Horse is director Xiaoxuang Jiang's debut film. Praised for its compelling storytelling and visual poetry, the film sensitively depicts the universal struggle between progress and tradition, while the striking cinematography draws viewers into the beauty and fragility of Saina's world.
The Wailing
Perhaps you’re the type of person who likes a nerve-wracking film experience? These types of films can be found in the Overdrive sidebar, and if you're a fan of It Follows or The Ring, you should definitely check out The Wailing by Pedro Martín-Calero.
In Martín-Calero's feature film debut, Andrea is haunted by something neither she nor anyone else can see. At the same time, she discovers that she was adopted from Argentina, and that her biological mother took her own life just before Andrea began experiencing this unsettling presence.
– This is a true thriller that creeps up on you. I highly recommend watching it at the night screening during the festival! says Hoen.

You can read more about all the films in the PROGRAM, and the screenings can be found directly in the CALENDAR. By creating an account on My Festival, you can easily save the films you want to see during the festival and create a personalized overview of your festival schedule!