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TIFF Docs Showcases New Works from Walker, Morris, Peck

Toronto has unveiled its TIFF Docs line-up, a spade of 22 features at time of writing which comprises premieres of new work by Lucky Walker, Errol Morris, and Raoul Peck. By: Yan Yun

The section will be kicking off with the world premiere of Copa 71, Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s timely tale about a 1971 international women’s football tournament in Mexico City which drew record crowds and has been largely dismissed in sports history. Walker’s Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa also gets its world debut and features a single mother working as a dishwasher at a Connecticut Whole Foods which living another life as a record-breaking mountain climber.

Among the numerous acquisition titles in the selection, Copa 71 and Mountain Queen stand out as significant highlights for TIFF as they aim to amplify Toronto’s standing as a growing sales market.

Other world premieres include Raoul Peck’s Silver Dollar Road (Amazon) which narrates the fight of a Black family over several decades to save their North Carolina property from land grabbing developers; and Anand Patwardhan’s The World Is Family, which chronicles the personal history of the filmmaker’s parents and their association to the leaders of India’ independence movement.

Morris’s The Pigeon Tunnel (Apple TV+) also gets its international debut, indicating its first public screening at Telluride. The documentary serves as a portrait of the renowned spy novelist David Cornwell, better known as John Le Carré, featuring his final interview before his passing.

These TIFF Docs titles join several documentaries previously announced in the Gala and Special Presentations programmes including Alex Gibney’s In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, Chelsea McMullan’s Swan Song, Leigh Brooks’ Hate To Love: Nickelback, and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters.

“We believe documentaries have a unique power to illuminate untold stories, challenge perspectives, and inspire meaningful change,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “We are committed to celebrating the artistry and impact of documentary filmmaking, and it’s an absolute privilege to provide a platform for these remarkable storytellers.”

TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers added that the selection promised “big emotions that run the gamut over extraordinary accomplishments, quests for justice, and poignant personal journeys. Many of these attention-getting titles will be coming to the festival looking for buyers.”

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