2023 TIFF: Patricia Arquette, Mehdi Fikri, Ninna Pálmadóttir & Molly Manning Walker Line Up Discovery Programme

With the exception of a trio of titles including the big Un Certain Regard winner in Molly Manning Walker‘s How to Have Sex, this year’s Discovery section is indeed a section full of discovery filled with several feature film debuts. At the top of the list we find Patricia Arquette‘s directorial debut opening the section with Gonzo Girl – which is inspired by a true story that follows Alley Russo an aspiring writer who takes on an assistant job to iconoclast and founder of gonzo journalism, Walker Reade. Willem Dafoe, Camila Morrone, and Arquette star. Of the twenty-six films we also find Ninna Pálmadóttir‘s much anticipated Solitude (an item on our Most Anticipated Films list) and After the Fire (aka Avant que les flammes ne s’éteignent) by Mehdi Fikri (an another item on our Most Anticipated Films list) and a curious title by Thomas Napper called Widow Clicquot which chronicles the gritty journey in the early years of the Veuve Clicquot vineyard in 19th century France and brings to life the fascinating young woman behind the iconic orange label. This features Haley Bennett. Here is the line-up:

Achilles – Farhad Delaram | Iran/Germany/France
After the fire – Mehdi Fikri | France
A Match (Sthal) Jayant Digambar Somalkar | India
Andragogy Wregas Bhanuteja | Indonesia/Singapore
An Endless Sunday Alain Parroni | Italy/Germany/Ireland (International Premiere)
Arthur&Diana Sara Summa | Germany
Backspot D.W. Waterson | Canada
Frybread Face and Me Billy Luther | USA (International Premiere)
Gonzo Girl Patricia Arquette | USA – OPENING FILM

Hajjan Abu Bakr Shawky | Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Jordan
How to Have Sex Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom (North American Premiere)