by Tim Gordon
TIFF’s Short Cuts programme returns for the Festival’s 50th anniversary with a powerhouse lineup of 48 short films from 28 countries, including 20 Canadian titles, delivering everything from intimate dramas and high-energy comedies to cutting-edge animation and midnight-worthy genre work.
This year, Short Cuts expands its scope with seven distinct presentations, including the return of Strange Cuts, the Festival’s Midnight Madness, and an adjacent strand of bold, genre-bending shorts introduced in 2024. The programme also debuts a new honour: the Best Animated Short Film Award, joining the Best Canadian and Best International Short Film Awards.
The inaugural Best Animated Short Film Award will be decided by cinematographer Ashley Iris Gill (Black Community Mixtapes), Marcel Jean (Artistic Director, Annecy International Animation Film Festival; Executive Director, Cinémathèque québécoise), and actor-writer-director Connor Jessup, whose short Julian and the Wind premiered at TIFF 2024.
Programme highlights include the World Premieres of Dust to Dreams by Idris Elba; The Contestant by Patrick Xavier Bresnan and Ivete Lucas, starring David Hasselhoff; and DISC by Blake Winston Rice, co-written by and starring Victoria Ratermanis and Jim Cummings. Other high-profile premieres include Talk Me (North American Premiere) from Joecar Hanna, executive produced by Spike Lee; The Non-Actor (North American Premiere) starring Maya Hawke and Victoria Pedretti; and All the Empty Rooms (International Premiere) from Oscar nominee Joshua Seftel, executive produced by Adam McKay. Festival standouts include I’m Glad You’re Dead Now (North American Premiere), winner of the 2025 Cannes Short Film Palme d’Or, and Ali (North American Premiere), Special Jury Mention at Cannes.
Emerging Canadian voices debut new work in the programme, including Jazz Infernal by Will Niava; Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts by Shervin Kermani; Year of the Dragon by Giran Findlay-Liu; ripe by Solara Thanh Bình Đặng; Karupy by Kalainithan Kalaichelvan; Klee by Gavin Baird; and Poster Boy by India Opzoomer. Strange Cuts returns with genre hybrids like Nieto’s psychedelic animation UM, Hannah Cheesman’s micro satire Marriaginalia, and Richard Hunter’s absurdist comedy Thanks To Meet You!. Animation lovers can look forward to Cannes, Annecy, and Venice favourites, including Water Girl (Sandra Desmazières), The Girl Who Cried Pearls (Oscar-nominated Canadians Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski), and Praying Mantis (Yonfan & Joe Hsieh).
TIFF alumni also return with new work: Rich Williamson & Shasha Nakhai (Scarborough) with Bots; Kelly Fyffe-Marshall (When Morning Comes) with Demons; Chelsea McMullan (Swan Song) & Amar Wala (Shook) with Healer; Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (City of Wind) with A South Facing Window; and Heather Young (Murmur) with A Soft Touch.
With stories spanning every corner of the globe and running the gamut from surreal to heartfelt, the Short Cuts programme cements itself as one of TIFF’s most dynamic showcases, a place where audiences can experience the full spectrum of cinematic creativity in under 20 minutes at a time. TIFF 2025 runs September 4–14. The full Short Cuts schedule and ticketing information will be available at tiff.net on August 12.
