The fall festival season is upon us! Each year, dozens of movies premiere at festivals with distributors looking to launch them before they’re released in theaters or on streaming services. But dozens more are independent films without distribution that come to the festivals looking to be discovered and acquired for release. This year, over 200 movies are making their world premieres across the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival, and we’re anticipating some big name movie sales across all four.
Right as Venice got underway, we saw U.S. deals for two of the biggest competition titles on the slate, Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” to Netflix and Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” to A24. In the list below, we’ll be updating this post throughout the festivals listing out every movie that a distributor buys for domestic release.
“The Turnaround”
Section: Telluride Short Film
Distributor: Higher Ground
Director: Ben Proudfoot and Kyle Thrash
Buzz: The Obamas’ film company picked up this short film about the story of Jon McCann, a Philadelphia Phillies superfan who orchestrated a standing ovation rally that helped turn the team around in 2023 and led them on a major postseason run. Co-director Proudfoot has had two other doc shorts win the Oscar, “The Last Repair Shop” and “The Queen of Basketball,” so this one is in good company. No official release information was announced, but Higher Ground has a first look deal with Netflix, so it could plausibly land there.
“Queer”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: A24
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Buzz: Like “Maria,” “Queer” was another starry Venice title produced by Fremantle that sold just ahead of its world premiere. The film stars Daniel Craig in a steamy adaptation of a William S. Burroughs book. A24 also committed to releasing it later this year in a sign that between this and “Challengers,” Guadagnino will likely have two viable awards contenders in the 2025 Oscar race.
“Maria”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Pablo Larraín
Buzz: Netflix only picked up U.S. rights, but they made a big splash for the Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie just a day before it screened. Figure it to be a big Oscar player and soon.
“Oh, Canada“
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Director: Paul Schrader
Buzz: Schrader’s latest has been considered challenging since its Cannes premiere, but it also features an awards-caliber performance from Richard Gere.
World Premiere Movies Arriving with Distribution
“2073”
Section: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Neon
Director: Asif Kapadia
Buzz: This non-fiction film bends genre in its examination of what the world will look like 50 years from now if climate action isn’t taken immediately.
“Babygirl”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: A24
Director: Halina Reijn
Buzz: Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in this erotic thriller from the “Bodies Bodies Bodies” director.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
Section: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Director: Tim Burton
Buzz: Michael Keaton is back…this time with Jenna Ortega.
“Better Man”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: Saban Films
Director: Michael Gracey
Buzz: “The Last Showman” filmmaker Michael Gracey directs this satirical musical biopic about British pop star Robbie Williams.
“Blink”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: Nat Geo
Director: Daniel Roher, Edmund Stetson
Buzz: This documentary follows a family that goes on a tour around the globe after learning that three of their four children will soon suffer from a condition that leads to permanent blindness.
“Blitz”
Section: NYFF
Distributor: Apple TV+
Director: Steve McQueen
Buzz: Saoirse Ronan stars in this drama about the German bombing of London during WWII.
“Bring Them Down”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Mubi
Director: Christopher Andrews
Buzz: Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott star in this directorial debut about a feud between families in rural Ireland.
“The Brutalist”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Brady Corbet
Buzz: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce star in the latest from the “Vox Lux” director about the life of a Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust.
“Caught by the Tides”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Janus Films
Director: Jia Zhang-Ke
Buzz: The latest from the “Ash Is Purest White” director is a love letter to one of his recurring stars, Zhao Tao.
“Conclave”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Edward Berger
Buzz: Ralph Fiennes leads a stellar cast in this stylish political thriller from the “All Quiet on the Western Front” director about the selection of a new Pope.
“Disclaimer“
Section: TIFF Primetime/Telluride
Distributor: Apple TV+
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Buzz: Cate Blanchett stars in Cuarón’s turn to the small screen.
“Eden”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: Ron Howard
Buzz: Ron Howard directs this survival thriller starring Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby and Daniel Brühl.
“Elton John: Never Too Late”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Disney+
Director: RJ Cutler, David Furnish
Buzz: Elton John reflects on 50 years of performing. The film will get a limited theatrical release on November 15 and launch on Disney+ on December 13.
“The End”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Neon
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Buzz: Tilda Swinton stars in “The Act of Killing” director’s narrative feature that’s a genre-bending mix of musical drama.
“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara”
Section: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Hulu
Director: Erin Lee Carr
Buzz: This documentary is a whodunnit and thriller about the catfishing scheme that ensnared the indie rock duo.
“The Fire Inside”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: Rachel Morrison
Buzz: Barry Jenkins wrote this biopic as directed by the “Mudbound” filmmaker about one of the greatest female boxers who ever lived, Clareesa Shields.
“Hard Truths”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Director: Mike Leigh
Buzz: Mike Leigh reunites with his “Secrets & Lies” star Marianne Jean-Baptiste in what is the director’s 23rd feature.
“Heretic”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: A24
Director: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Buzz: The “Quiet Place” writers direct this horror-thriller that features Hugh Grant ensnaring two religious young women in his home with an elaborate test of their faith to earn their escape.
“Hold Your Breath”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Director: Will Joines, Karrie Crouse
Buzz: Sarah Paulson and Ebon Moss-Bachrach lead this supernatural thriller set in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
“Horizon: An American Saga – Part 2”
Section: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Kevin Costner
Buzz: After premiering Part 1 at Cannes, Venice is screening both parts of Costner’s Western epic, which is now releasing some time in 2025.
“I’m Still Here”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Walter Salles
Buzz: The “Central Station” and “Motorcycle Diaries” director worked on this Brazilian political drama for seven years in his return to directing.
“Joker: Folie A Deux”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Todd Phillips
Buzz: After winning the Golden Lion with the first “Joker,” Joaquin Phoenix and now Lady Gaga are back for more.
“The Last of the Sea Women”
Section: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Apple
Director: Sue Kim
Buzz: Malala Yousafzai produces this documentary about “real life mermaids,” grandmothers who battle underwater, oceanic threats. It hits Apple TV+ in October.
“Leonardo Da Vinci”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: PBS
Director: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
Buzz: The four-hour documentary about the original Renaissance man will air on PBS on November 18 and 19.
“Martha”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: Netflix
Director: RJ Cutler
Buzz: Martha Stewart will be in attendance at Telluride to accompany her definitive bio doc.
“Men of War”
Section: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Neon
Director: Jen Gatien and Billy Corben
Buzz: This doc follows Jordan Goudreau, who helped organize an attempt to overthrow the government of Venezuela in 2020 with a plan to install the preferred opposition leader of the Trump administration, only for the plan to end in disaster.
“Nightbitch”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Director: Marielle Heller
Buzz: Based on Rachel Yoder’s novel, will this surreal turn be the movie that finally wins Amy Adams her Oscar?
“Nickel Boys”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: RaMell Ross
Buzz: The adaptation of the Colson Whitehead novel starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sam Malone, and Jimmie Fails figures to be a major Oscar contender.
“The Order”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Vertical
Director: Justin Kurzel
Buzz: Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult star in this true-story thriller about an FBI agent who connects a string of bank robberies and car heists to a terrorist plot. Vertical is releasing the film in theaters December 6.
“Patrice: The Movie”
Section: TIFF Docs
Distributor: ABC News/Hulu
Director: Ted Passon
Buzz: This documentary follows the work of Patrice Jetter, an advocate for disability rights.
“Pedro Paramo”
Section: Platform Programme
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Rodrigo Prieto
Buzz: The directorial debut of the great Mexican cinematographers is part of Netflix’s massive push into Latin America this year.
“The Piano Lesson”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Malcolm Washington
Buzz: Another of Denzel’s sons makes his directorial debut while directing his brother John David Washington in this adaptation of another August Wilson play.
“Piece By Piece”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Morgan Neville
Buzz: Pharrell’s biopic doc in Lego form.
“The Return”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Buzz: Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche reunite for the first time since “The English Patient” in this take on the Odyssey as told from Penelope’s perspective.
“Rez Ball”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Sydney Freeland
Buzz: This Indigenous basketball drama from the co-creator of “Reservoir Dogs” is produced by LeBron James.
“Riff Raff”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Director: Dito Montiel
Buzz: Jennifer Coolidge, Brian Cox, Dustin Hoffman, and Gabrielle Union star in this film about a former criminal whose life is thrown upside down when his old family shows up.
“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band”
Section: TIFF Docs
Distributor: Hulu
Director: Thom Zimny
Buzz: The latest Thom Zimny doc about The Boss becomes a fly on the wall of look at the E-Street Band’s live shows.
“The Room Next Door”
Section: Venice Competition
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Buzz: The Spanish auteur’s first English-language feature stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.
“Saturday Night”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Director: Jason Reitman
Buzz: The 90-minutes before the first ever “SNL,” starring “The Fabelmans” breakout Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. The first trailer for “Saturday Night” was ripe with Sorkin-esque goodness.
“Social Studies”
Section: Telluride
Distributor: FX
Director: Lauren Greenfield
Buzz: This documentary series was filmed over a year in Los Angeles public schools as it examines the effect social media has on teenagers’ lives.
“Superboys of Malegaon”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: Reema Kagti
Buzz: This lively comedy set in India follows an amateur filmmaker hoping to make it big in the world of Bollywood.
“Unstoppable”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentations
Distributor: Amazon MGM
Director: William Goldenberg
Buzz: Jharrel Jerome leads the cast of this wrestling drama that also stars Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Anthony Robles, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Lopez.
“We Live In Time”
Section: TIFF Special Presentation
Distributor: A24
Director: John Crowley
Buzz: The “Brooklyn” director pairs Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in this indie romance that spans decades.
“The Wild Robot”
Section: TIFF Gala Presentation
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Chris Sanders
Buzz: Get out the hankies for this gorgeous looking DreamWorks animated feature starring Lupita Nyong’o as a robot living among nature.
“Without Blood”
Section: TIFF Special Presentations
Distributor: Fremantle
Director: Angelina Jolie
Buzz: Salma Hayek-Pinault and Demian Bichir star in this film from Jolie that’s described as a parable about war and revenge.
“Wolfs”
Section: Venice Out of Competition
Distributor: Apple TV+
Director: Jon Watts
Buzz: The crime film that reunites Brad Pitt and George Clooney won’t get much of a theatrical release any more, but it will get a sequel.
