Prestigious film festivals in the world, known as the “Big Five,” are (listed chronologically according to the date of foundation) – Venice, Cannes, Berlin (the original Big Three), Toronto, and Sundance.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Dates: September 5 through September 15
TIFF has been a huge success with all the screenings of movies and films that were being played. This year has 287 films from all over the world. Some are great action-packed movies coming, and some are cute ones to watch with kids. Having movies for younger audiences are a few movies that are one of my favourites, The Wild Robot, and the many on my list that are upcoming movies. The fans and audiences will love to see it.
What to have on your watchlist?
The movies you should have on your watchlist are Anora, The Substance, Emilia Pérez, Maria, and Babygirl, and The Wild Robot. I would also recommend The Sharp Corner because it is about a man who becomes obsessed with saving the lives of the car accident victims on the sharp corner in front of his house.
If you like action-packed movies, then you should definitely watch The Shadow Strays. It is a Japanese and Indonesian film about a 17-year-old assassin suspended due to a sloppy mission in Japan. She meets 11-year-old Monji, who loses his mother and sets out to rescue him.
Vienna International Film Festival (Viennale)
Dates: October 24 through November 4
Vienna International Film Festival 2024 featured 300 films, including international premieres of Dahomey by Mati Diop, The Damned by Roberto Minervini, and Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard, offering a wide range of genres and showing different narratives in the world of cinemas. The Viennale Festival highlighted experimental and historical cinema with special programs.
There was also high anticipation for the Korea Film Archive (KOFA), a rarely seen retrospective of Japan’s colonial rule in Korea.
Sundance Film Festival
Dates: January 23 through February 2
Sundance Film Festival is renowned for spotlighting diverse voices and fostering dialogue around pressing social issues while celebrating creative cinematic achievements. This year’s key highlights were The Outrun, Power, and Love Lies Bleeding.
All these three are in the noteworthy premieres:
- The Outrun, featuring Saoirse Ronan on an emotional narrative about personal recovery set in a beautiful place in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.
- Power, Yance Ford’s documentary with a critical exploration of policing in the United States.
- Love Lies Bleeding is Kirsten Stewart’s directorial debut, showcasing bold and genre-defying storytelling. She received a visionary award for her contribution to the film industry both as an actor and director.
Berlin International Film Festival (Belrinale)
Dates: February 15 through February 25
The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) is a global highlight for cinephiles and is renowned for its expensive program and international prestige. In 2024, Berlinale had approximately 400 films spanning different genres and categories, emphasizing its commitment to cinematic innovation and storytelling.
There are five categories Berlinale 2024 covers: Competition, Panorama, Generation, Berlinale Shorts, and Forums.
Key highlights of the Berlin International Film Festival 2024 are:
Competition
Look at the primary category that features globally recognized films competing for the Golden and Silver Bears, which showcases diverse genres with a focus on narratives. The Dahomey documentary, directed by Mati Diop, was awarded The Golden Bear for Best Film. The documentary gained critical acclaim for its unique storytelling and powerful themes. Zone of Interest had a standout and thought-provoking exploration of complex human themes.
Panorama
It is known for its bold and independent voice presented to challenged works that are looked into socially and artistically. Silver Haze, directed by Sacha Polak, stood out about love and healing but has an emotionally intense narrative focusing on unconventional storytelling.
Generation
It focuses on catering to children and teenagers more to a younger audience, where the themes explore family, youth, and coming of age. For this category, it was Totem, directed by Lila Avilés, an emotional film about childhood resilience, which resonated with younger audiences.
Berlinale Shorts
The Berlinale Shorts emphasized experimental and innovative storytelling that brought more animated techniques showcased in Ice Merchants.
The Golden Bear for the Best Short Film had short format cinema pushing boundaries was recognized in An Odd Turn by Francisco Lezama.
Forum
This category is dedicated to avant-garde films, especially to those that bring their experimental to life like The River Is a Place, which is about a meditative exploration of humanity’s connection to the environment. These align with the political and artistic themes of the film.
Awards and special mentions
- Berlinale Documentary Award – No Other Land by Yuval Abraham
- Direct Action was recognized by the Encounter Section at the same time. Guilliame Cailleau and Ben Ressel won the Best Film.
- For the Best Director, Juliana Rojas took home Cidade; Campo film.
Cannes Film Festival
Dates: May 14 and 15
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival featured an impressive lineup of 95 films from around the world, with around 65 films presented in the Official Selection. Many include the Competition, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, Special Screenings, and Cannes Premiere categories. There are 30 films showcasing in parallel for Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week.
The cinematic excellence for sparking debates over the challenges and ambitions are:
- Anora – Palme d’Or Winner
- Directed By Sean Baker, it had compelling drama, poignant storytelling and character-driven narrative
- Emilia Perez – Audience Favourite
- Star-studded cast with a vibrant musical that has captivated viewers with lively energy and memorable
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl and The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Critical Standouts
- Acclaimed for their captivating performance and for creating unique perspectives
- Parthenope – Noteworthy Premiers
- Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, the film is about his roots and puts an introspective lens on his hometown of Naples through the female point of view.
- Francis Ford Coppola’s Megapolis and Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – High Profile Challengers
- The audience had a mixed reaction, yet there is a polarizing nature towards the entries.
Highly recommended films
Film festivals are vital for PR. It helps build the gaps for films and festivals supporting it by using creative storytelling and strategic communications. Then focuses more on visibility, engagement, and building a legacy with its audience to showcase credibility.
2024 has been an outrage with films being discovered and diverse for audiences to see different perspectives of directors’ creativity and points of view. The connection between PR and films itself in crafting an anticipation and perception of their audiences, whether they are influencers or Critics. Festivals bring appearances and awards to gain recognition that highlights the film’s themes and characters, which then uses PR strategies to engage with the community and set campaigns to encourage the audiences. More efforts from the PR team review highly recommended films to be kept top-of-mind, like streaming releases or anniversaries.
Top 4 recommendations
The Wild Robot (DreamWorks)
The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
Emilia Pérez
A Mexican lawyer is offered an unusual job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman, fulfilling a long-held desire.
The Shadow Strays (Netflix)
Skilled in the art of killing, a young assassin defies her mentor to save a boy from a ruthless crime syndicate — and she’ll destroy anyone in her path.
I, the Executioner (Korean action movie)
A veteran detective teams up with a rookie cop to track down a serial killer who taunts the police by identifying the next victim.
You may also enjoy...
Read more great articles like this, or return to the main articles page…
Yes…and?
Ariana Grande has been in the spotlight lately, and there have been various discussions surrounding her. However, I think it’s time to discuss something more important she’s done recently. Let’s…
How AI is Changing the Marketing Landscape
Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation Marketing, shares how AI-powered tools are being used in marketing The buzz around new products is always exciting in today’s tech-driven world. One of the…
Blogs Are Not Dead: Copywriting Blogs That Are Alive and Thriving
It was a morning just like many others before it. I was sipping my extra-large latte, minding my business, and scrolling social media. The words from a sponsored post caught…
