TIFF Next Wave is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario.Emma Badame, "The 2023 TIFF Next Wave Film Festival lineup is here!". That Shelf, March 15, 2023. An offshoot of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Next Wave festival is held in spring each year, screening films of interest to teenagers and young adults selected by a committee of students from the city's high schools.Kelly Townsend, "Summer With Hope among TIFF's Next Wave lineup". Playback, March 16, 2023.
The festival was launched in 2012.Kate Wilkinson, "Not another teen film festival; TIFF's Next Wave brings a youth perspective to cinephilia". National Post, May 10, 2012. It programs both a lineup of Canadian and international feature films, and a Young Creators Showcase program of short films by Canadian film students. The festival has also included special programs such as Battle of the Scores, a battle of the bands competition in which emerging musicians compete to compose and perform the best live score for a short film,Jason Anderson, "TIFF Next Wave puts youth in focus: Festival's busy lineup presents range of stories for teen set that doesn't necessarily involve dystopian hunks". Toronto Star, February 12, 2016. the Next Wave Film Challenge, a competition which gives emerging filmmakers three days to make and complete a short film,Linda Barnard, "Big dreams and small budgets pay off for teen filmmaker 'Always think big,' says young filmmaker: Nate Wilson was able to fund more movies after winning the 2013 TIFF Next Wave Film Challenge". Toronto Star, February 8, 2014. and the Young Creators Co-Lab, which gives young content creators a chance to meet and network with film industry professionals.Jason Anderson, "TIFF Next Wave reels in young movie buffs: Family Day weekend programming honours teens with free access to regular screenings". Toronto Star, February 17, 2017.
Prior to 2012, film programming for both children and young adults was screened as part of a single Sprockets film festival.Etan Vlessing, "Breaking up Sprockets: How TIFF targets young film-goers one festival at a time". Playback, March 7, 2012.
Admission to the festival screenings is free for people under age 25, and $14 for people older than 25.
In addition to the standalone TIFF Next Wave festival, films of youth interest in the primary TIFF program also bear a "TIFF Next Wave" designation alongside their main program tag,Taylor Simmons, "How these GTA teens helped shape the lineup at this year's TIFF". CBC News Toronto, September 3, 2019. and the organizing committee served as the jury for the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award from 2020 to 2023."Canadian chart-topper Shawn Mendes to perform at TIFF Tribute Awards". Toronto Star, September 9, 2020.
Programs
2012 English title Original title Director(s) Production country 17 Girls 17 filles Delphine and Muriel Coulin France Fat Kid Rules the World Matthew Lillard United States
2013 English title Original title Director(s) Production country 5-25-77 Patrick Read Johnson United States Bushido Sixteen Bushidō Shikkusutīn Tomoyuki Furumaya Japan Dead Before Dawn April Mullen Canada Earthbound Alan Brennan Ireland Fame High Scott Hamilton Kennedy United States Family Weekend Benjamin Epps United States Ghost Graduation Promoción fantasma Javier Ruiz Caldera Spain Molly Maxwell Sara St. Onge Canada Otelo Burning Sara Blecher South Africa Struck by Lightning Brian Dannelly United States
2014 English title Original title Director(s) Production country A Birder's Guide to Everything Rob Meyer United States Camp Takota Chris Riedell, Nick Riedell United States Final Recipe Gina Kim South Korea Fly Colt Fly Adam Gray, Andrew Gray Canada For No Eyes Only Tali Barde Germany G.B.F. Darren Stein United States Gone Too Far! Destiny Ekaragha Nigeria, United Kingdom I Learn America Jean-Michel Dissard, Gitte Peng United States Leap 4 Your Life Gary Hawes Canada Palo Alto Gia Coppola United States
2015 English title Original title Director(s) Production country 52 Tuesdays Sophie Hyde Australia Boy 7 Lourens Blok Netherlands Dessau Dancers Jan Martin Scharf Germany Girlhood Bande de filles Céline Sciamma France Leave to Remain Bruce Goodison United Kingdom Lily & Kat Micael Preysler United States McFarland, USA Niki Caro United States No Cameras Allowed James Marcus Haney United States Partners in Crime Kong Feng Chang Jung-chi Taiwan Wet Bum Lindsay MacKay Canada The Word Obietnica Anna Kazejak-Dawid Poland
2016 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Ayanda Sara Blecher South Africa Flocking Flocken Beata Gårdeler Sweden I Am Thalente Natalie Johns South Africa, United States The Idol Hany Abu-Assad United Kingdom, Palestine, Qatar, Netherlands Los Ángeles Damian John Harper Germany Microbe & Gasoline Microbe et Gasoil Michel Gondry France Sing Street John Carney Ireland Songs My Brothers Taught Me Chloé Zhao United States Takin' Place Cyrus Dowlatshahi United States
2017 English title Original title Director(s) Production country 1:54 Yan England Canada 2 Fists Up Spike Lee United States As You Are Miles Joris-Peyrafitte United States Barakah Meets Barakah Barakah yoqabil Barakah Mahmoud Sabbagh Saudi Arabia Before I Fall Ry Russo-Young United States Before the Streets Avant les rues Chloé Leriche Canada Divines Houda Benyamina France Japanese Girls Never Die Azumi Haruko wa yukue fumei Daigo Matsui Japan The Young Offenders Peter Foott Ireland
2018 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Axolotl Overkill Helene Hegemann Germany Bad Genius Chalard Games Goeng Nattawut Poonpiriya Thailand Bad Lucky Goat El dia de la cabra Samir Oliveros Colombia Barley Fields on the Other Side of the Mountain Tian Tsering United Kingdom Beyond Dreams Dröm vidare Rojda Sekersöz Sweden Dayveon Amman Abassi United States Fake Tattoos Les faux tatouages Pascal Plante Canada High Fantasy Jenna Bass South Africa A Kid from Somewhere Adam Beck, Paul Johnston Canada Love, Simon Greg Berlanti United States Person to Person Dustin Guy Defa United States Thoroughbreds Cory Finley United States
2019 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Blue My Mind Lisa Brühlmann Switzerland Carmen & Lola Carmen y Lola Arantxa Echevarría Spain Jinn Nijla Mu'min United States Ladyworld Amanda Kramer United States Meteorites Les Météorites Romain Laguna France Minding the Gap Bing Liu United States Respeto Treb Monteras II Philippines Slut in a Good Way Charlotte a du fun Sophie Lorain Canada Socrates Alexandre Moratto Brazil Virus Tropical Santiago Caicedo Colombia
2020 English title Original title Director(s) Production country And Then We Danced Da chven vitsek'vet Levan Akin Georgia, Sweden Angelfish Peter Lee United States Children of the Sea Kaijū no Kodomo Ayumu Watanabe Japan CRSHD Emily Cohn United States House of Hummingbird 벌새 Kim Bora South Korea Kuessipan Myriam Verreault Canada Papicha Mounia Meddour Algeria Premature Rashaad Ernesto Green United States Selah and the Spades Tayarisha Poe United States Sequin in a Blue Room Samuel Van Grinsven Australia Take Me Somewhere Nice Ena Sendijarević Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina Your Turn Espero tua (re)volta Eliza Capai Brazil
2021 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Beans Tracey Deer Canada Cocoon Kokon Leonie Krippendorff Germany Death of Nintendo Raya Martin Philippines La Leyenda Negra Patricia Vidal Delgado United States My Name Is Baghdad Meu nome é Bagdá Caru Alves de Souza Brazil The Night of the Beast La noche de la bestia Mauricio Leiva Cock Colombia, Mexico Scales Sayidat Al Bahr Shahad Ameen Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq Summertime Carlos López Estrada United States Tahara Olivia Peace United States Unapologetic Ashley O'Shay United States
2022 English title Original title Director(s) Production country 4 Feet High Maria Belen Poncio, Rosario Perazolo Masjoan Argentina/France The Braves Entre les vagues Anaïs Volpé France Casablanca Beats Haut et fort Nabil Ayouch Morocco, France The Fam La Mif Fred Baillif France Freda Gessica Généus Haiti Girl Picture Tytöt tytöt tytöt Alli Haapasalo Finland I Don't Wanna Dance Flynn von Kleist Netherlands It's a Summer Film! Summer Film Ni Notte Soushi Matsumoto Japan Slash/Back Nyla Innuksuk CanadaStop-Zemlia Стоп-Земля Kateryna Gornostai Ukraine
2023 Official selections English title Original title Director(s) Production country Adolfo Sofía Auza Mexico, United States Egghead & Twinkie Sarah Kambe Holland United States Liquor Store Dreams So Yun Um United States The Lost Boys Le Paradis Zeno Graton Belgium Motherhood La Maternal Pilar Palomero Spain The Ordinaries Sophie Linnenbaum Germany Scrapper Charlotte Regan United Kingdom Summer Scars Nos cérémonies Simon Rieth France Summer with Hope Tabestan Ba Omid Sadaf Foroughi Canada, Iran
Young Creators Showcase English title Original title Director(s) Production country Castaway Shamiso Chigwende Canada Execution Triptych Giran Findlay Liu Canada Hoa Tram Anh Nguyen Canada, Vietnam In the Whiteness Niya Ahmed Abdullahi Canada Inside Groove Elizabeth Wei Yun Albrecht Canada Late Bloomer Emma Cheuk Canada The Mess We're In Jamie Lam Canada Ms. Butterworth's Cherry Pie Cameron Lightly Canada On the Cosmic Shore Luvleen Hunjan Canada, India Ozigwan (Tail of Serpent) Cole Forrest Canada Shallots and Garlic Bawang Merah Bawang Putih Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto Canada, Indonesia What Will You Do When I'm Gone? majboor-e-mamool Haaris Qadri Canada The Year Long Boulder Brielle LeBlanc Canada
2024 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Big Boys Corey Sherman United States Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story Luck Razanajaona France, Madagascar, Germany, Mauritius, South Africa Gamma Rays Les Rayons gamma Henry Bernadet Canada Girls Will Be Girls Shuchi Talati India Hoard Luna Carmoon United Kingdom Paradise Is Burning Paradiset Brinner Mika Gustafson Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden Power Alley Levante Lillah Halla Brazil, France, Uruguay She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones Kai Shi De Qiang Youjia Qu China A Song Sung Blue Xiao Bai Chuan Zihan Geng China
2025 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Brides Nadia Fall United Kingdom The Dog Thief El ladrón de perros Vinko Tomičić Salinas Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, France, Ecuador Manas Marianna Brennand Brazil, Portugal Pools Sam Hayes United States Queens of Drama Les reines du drame Alexis Langlois France, Belgium Rape Play Gabriella Mykal United States Seaside Serendipity 海辺へ行く道 Satoko Yokohama Japan The Virgin of the Quarry Lake La Virgen de la Tosquera Laura Casabé Argentina, Spain, Mexico We Were Dangerous Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu New Zealand Where the Wind Comes From Amel Guellaty Tunisia, France, Qatar
2026 English title Original title Director(s) Production country Big Girls Don't Cry Paloma Schneideman New Zealand Burn Makoto Nagahisa Japan CAMP Avalon Fast Canada High School Musical 3: Senior YearInteractive screening hosted by Miss Moço Kenny Ortega United States If I Go Will They Miss Me Walter Thompson-Hernández United States Ish Imran Perretta United Kingdom Isle Child Thomas Percy Kim United States Kids Niñxs Kani Lapuerta Mexico Our Hero, Balthazar Oscar Boyson United States Roommates Chandler Levack United States Thanks for Nothing Danke für nichts Stella Marie Markert Germany
References