2018 TIFF Masters Slate features Jean-Luc Godard, Hong Sang-soo, Carlos Reygadas, Jia Zhang-ke, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and more

Erik Anderson August 14, 2018

Paolo Sorrentino’s **Loro** will world premiere as a part of the 2018 TIFF Masters slate

The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for the 2018 Masters program, comprised of 11 daring new films by acclaimed, established auteurs with remarkable bodies of work. With projects that reflect on history, focus on personal introspection, and take a critical look at society, this year’s program proves that innovation in storytelling is not exclusive to newer generations of filmmakers.

“We are delighted to present incisive new works from master filmmakers from virtually every continent in the world,” said Piers Handling, TIFF Director & CEO. “While each of these filmmakers has undeniably already established a reputation, it is inspiring to witness that none of them have lost their commitment to bold and meaningful cinema — one that is alive with ideas.”

Included in the 2018 Masters lineup are new works by three acclaimed European directors that unwaveringly address contemporary adversities: the debut of the single-instalment version of Italian maestro Paolo Sorrentino’s corrosive comedy, Loro, which stars Toni Servillo as infamous politician Silvio Berlusconi; legendary French—Swiss auteur Jean-Luc Godard’s The Image Book, winner of the inaugural 2018 Special Palme d’Or at Cannes; and German director Christian Petzold’s daring Transit, an adaptation of Anna Seghers’ World War II novel set in an era resembling the present day, which offers subtle and timely reflections on rootlessness and exile.

Among the auteurs in the lineup are: Algerian visionary Merzak Allouache, who explores religious radicalization with Divine Wind, the latest in a remarkable filmography that spans over four decades; acclaimed Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who is known for his distinct cinematic use of landscape and who returns to the Festival with The Wild Pear Tree; Mexican master Carlos Reygadas, who delivers an existential meditation on a couple’s open relationship in Our Time; South Korean director Hong Sang-soo, who returns to the program with Hotel by the River, a black-and white-drama set in an isolated hotel during a cold winter; British director Mike Leigh, who explores the history of British parliamentary reform in Peterloo; and Iranian maverick Jafar Panahi, who presents 2018 Cannes Screenplay co-winner 3 Faces, a thoughtful examination of traditional gender roles and artistic independence.

Chinese pioneer Jia Zhang-ke will introduce his largest production to date, Ash Is Purest White, a look at the rapid evolution of Chinese capitalist society explored through the romance between two mismatched people, while veteran Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto will present Killing, an ambitious samurai genre film set in mid-19th century Japan.

The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

Films screening as part of the Masters program include:

3 Faces Jafar Panahi | Iran
North American Premiere

Ash Is Purest White ( Jiang Hu Er Nü) Jia Zhang-ke | China/France
North American Premiere

Divine Wind ( Rih rabani) Merzak Allouache | Algeria/France/Qatar/Lebanon
World Premiere

Hotel by the River ( Gangbyun Hotel) Hong Sang-soo | South Korea
North American Premiere

Killing ( Zan) Shinya Tsukamoto | Japan
North American Premiere

Loro Paolo Sorrentino | Italy/France
World Premiere

Our Time ( Nuestro Tiempo) Carlos Reygadas | Mexico/France/Germany/Denmark/Sweden
North American Premiere

Peterloo Mike Leigh | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere

The Image Book ( Le livre d’image) Jean-Luc Godard | Switzerland/France
North American Premiere

The Wild Pear Tree ( Ahlat Ağacı) Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Turkey/France/Germany/Bulgaria
North American Premiere

Transit Christian Petzold | Germany
North American Premiere

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.