TIFF50: Discovery Program Unveils John Early’s ‘Maddie’s Secret,’ Nadia Latif’s ‘The Man in My Basement,’ Taratoa Stappard’s ‘Mārama,’ and more
Today, TIFF announced its 2025 Discovery program, presented by Air France, offering audiences a rare treat to witness talented, visionary filmmakers from across the globe premiering their debut and sophomore features.
This follows the previous TIFF announcements this week, the Galas and Special Presentations, and the Platform section and its jury. Midnight to come this week.
This year’s diverse lineup kicks off strong with its opening night film, Maddie’s Secret, an unmissable directorial debut satirizing and skewering content culture from iconic alt-comedian John Early, who, alongside a troupe of comedians including Kate Berlant, Vanessa Bayer, and Conner O’Malley, plays the titular role. Other anticipated films include Cato Kusters’ Julian, produced by Michiel and Lukas Dhont; Nadia Latif’s The Man in My Basement, starring Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe; Zamo Mkhwanazi’s Laundry, a rare co-production between South Africa and Switzerland; Taratoa Stappard’s Māori Gothic Mārama; and Canadian director and TIFF alum Eva Thomas’ Nika & Madison.
2025 Discovery program (in alphabetical order):
100 Sunset | Kunsang Kyirong | Canada
World Premiere
Amoeba | Siyou Tan | Singapore/Netherlands/France/Spain/South Korea
World Premiere
As We Breathe | Şeyhmus Altun | Turkey/Denmark
World Premiere
Babystar | Joscha Bongard | Germany
World Premiere
Bayaan | Bikas Ranjan Mishra | India
World Premiere
Dinner With Friends | Sasha Leigh Henry | Canada
World Premiere
Egghead Republic | Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja | Sweden
World Premiere
Forastera | Lucía Aleñar Iglesias | Spain/Italy/Sweden
World Premiere
Ghost School | Seemab Gul | Pakistan
World Premiere
Julian | Cato Kusters | Belgium/Netherlands
World Premiere
Laundry | Zamo Mkhwanazi | Switzerland/South Africa
World Premiere
Little Lorraine | Andy Hines | Canada
World Premiere
Maddie’s Secret | John Early | USA
World Premiere
Mārama | Taratoa Stappard | New Zealand
World Premiere
Nika & Madison | Eva Thomas | Canada
World Premiere
Noviembre | Tomás Corredor | Colombia/Mexico/Brazil/Norway
World Premiere
Oca | Karla Badillo | Mexico/Argentina
World Premiere
Our Father | Goran Stankovic | Serbia/Italy/Croatia/North Macedonia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
World Premiere
Out Standing | Mélanie Charbonneau | Canada
World Premiere
Retreat | Ted Evans | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sink | Zain Duraie | Jordan/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/France
World Premiere
The Man in My Basement | Nadia Latif | United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere
The Son and the Sea | Stroma Cairns | United Kingdom
World Premiere
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), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) 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.
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