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With the 2023 fall film festival circuit officially in full swing, filmmakers from around the world are ready to share their wildly different, risk-taking works at some of the most prestigious events of the year. From up-and-coming indie directors to veteran auteurs, festival lineups are stacked with a host of highly anticipated releases and hidden gems yet to be discovered.

Screenings this year are a little more unconventional, however. Members of the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild are not present (with a few notable exceptions) as they continue to strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for fair wages. Nevertheless, directors from around the world are gathering at the Venice International Film Festival (VIFF) and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to promote their work.

Here are five films from both festivals that you should look out for:

“The Boy and the Heron”

A grand return from Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron” is the celebrated animator’s first film since his 2013 masterpiece “The Wind Rises.” Described as “a semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship,” the film follows a 12-year-old boy named Mahito Maki who is told by a talking heron that his dead mother may still be alive. Mahito enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which transports him to another world.

“The Boy and the Heron” had its theatrical debut this summer in Japan (where it was originally titled “How Do You Live?”) before premiering internationally at TIFF. In addition to featuring a score from long-time collaborator Joe Hiashi, Miyazaki’s film marks Ghibli’s return to their signature hand-drawn animation style after experimenting with 3D animation with “Earwig and the Witch.”

Though infamous for going into and out of retirement, “The Boy and the Heron” may not be Miyazaki’s final film after all. Even still, the opportunity to see a new hand-drawn feature from Studio Ghibli in theaters is one you shouldn’t pass up on. The film releases in the U.S. on Dec. 8.

“Ferrari”

Michael Mann, the director of such action classics as “Heat” and “Collateral,” also returns to the big screen with “Ferrari.” Starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz, Mann’s first film since 2015’s “Blackhat” is a biopic on Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the Italian car manufacturer named after him.

It is no wonder that Mann’s latest is centered on cars and their drivers, given his unique ability to capture light and vehicles. With “Ferrari,” which premiered at VIFF, cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt told The Film Stage that it was very important to make the audience feel the impact of being inside of a race car. From the smell of gasoline to the rocks flying up from the ground, Mann and Messerschmidt want us to become viscerally invested in the work of Enzo Ferrari.

However this intention will translate into the film, it appears that Mann and his collaborators are taking a unique approach to capturing the “frenzied energy of racing.”

“Ferrari” releases in the U.S. on Dec. 25.

“Hit Man”

Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” is an action crime comedy starring Glen Powell, who also co-wrote the film. It is an intriguing shift in genre for the filmmaker behind the “Before” trilogy and “Boyhood.” The movie follows Gary Johnson, an undercover police officer in Houston, Texas, who poses as a hitman in order to arrest criminals. The Hollywood Reporter’s Patrick Brzeski reported that when Johnson “break(s) protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive boyfriend, (he) finds himself becoming one of his false personas, falling for the woman and flirting with turning into a criminal himself.”

Premiering at VIFF, “Hit Man” is based on a 2001 true-crime magazine article written by Skip Hollandsworth published in Texas Monthly. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Linklater has been attempting to make this film for years, though it wasn’t until Powell reached out during the pandemic that the story came together. Linklater and Powell have previously collaborated on the 2011 film “Bernie” and last year’s underrated “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood.” This is also the “Top Gun: Maverick” star’s first writing credit.

The film’s wide release date is currently unknown.

“Poor Things”

Winner of the Golden Lion award at VIFF, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” is the Greek filmmaker’s first feature since the Academy Award-winning “The Favourite” in 2018. The film follows a young Victorian woman named Bella (Emma Stone) who is brought back to life by a scientist (Willem Dafoe) after her suicide. Free from the prejudices of the Victorian era and eager to learn more about the world, she travels across continents with a lawyer (Mark Ruffalo).

Based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray of the same name, “Poor Things” appears to contain striking, lavish set designs more akin to “The Wizard of Oz” than Lanthimos’ own “The Lobster.” The British Film Institute called the film’s production “astonishing, at times bewildering” as well as “vibrant, otherworldly, and sprawling.” Just looking at the film’s trailer, which shifts from black-and-white to color while giving us a taste of the film’s steampunk locations, “Poor Things” contains the kind of spectacular visuals that were made to be experienced in the theater.

The film releases in the U.S. on Dec. 8.

“Priscilla”

Also premiering at VIFF is Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” based on the life of Priscilla Beaulieu as she enters a relationship with rock and roll superstar Elvis Presley. The latest film from “Lost in Translation” and “The Beguiled” director depicts their marriage (and the thorny implications of the age gap between them) from the perspective of the teenage Priscilla, played by Cailee Spaeny, who learns to find her voice as she comes of age.

The Elvis estate is reportedly enraged with the depiction of Elvis (played by Jacob Elordi), going so far as to prohibit the use of his music in the film. Coppola is unbothered by this criticism, declaring that she is “not making it for them.”

Furthermore, Priscilla Presley herself says that Coppola “did an amazing job” in bringing her story to life. “It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love … (Coppola) did her homework.”

The film releases in the U.S. on Nov. 3.

Published on September 12, 2023 at 9:07 pm