Team Experience's Most Anticipated Fall Festival Films
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 8:30AM 
Oscar season is upon the horizon, dear readers. And the (un)official starting siren for the race ahead is the fall festivals. Venice kicks off tomorrow, overlapping with Telluride and Toronto in September, the comes New York and Chicago before then AFI Fest in November.
Our host Nathaniel will be heading out to Toronto in a few short days, so expect to see his responses during those days. While we can't all take in the glut of a major film festival, the fun of watching from home is hearing how the films on your radar are being received. So to let you know what we'll be waiting for, Team Experience has rallied our:
Top 15 Most Anticipated Films of the Fall Festivals
Films narrowly missing the list included Una, Voyage of Time, Loving, American Pastoral, and The Salesman. On our list you'll find five films directed by women and nine from non-US directors. We weren't at Cannes or Sundance, so not everything on our list is a world premiere (and we know you're still looking forward to those as well). Let's just say our #1 made like Katie Ledecky at the Olympics or Mo'Nique at the Oscars, but the list is still bursting with enticements. You can see previous posts on the festival lineups here and here. Chicago is just beginning to announce and Telluride doesn't announce their lineup until the start of the festival.
See what made our list and the festivals they will play after the jump...
15. The Handmaiden (Toronto and Chicago)
Why The Handmaiden? Because Park Chan-Wook is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. Because we are in desperate need of some sexy cinema that is also GOOD cinema. Because there isn't a better person to direct an adaptation of Sarah Waters's novel of Victorian-era lesbians and con artists than the director of the Vengeance Trilogy and Stoker. And also because that trailer is gorgeous and haunting and everything we were looking for before we even knew what we were looking for. - Dancin' Dan
14. Julieta (Toronto and NYFF)
If the words "the new film by Pedro Almodóvar" aren't enough to excite you, Julieta is based on three short stories by Alice Munro which were so powerful they compelled the Spanish auteur to do one of his very few adaptations. After the lukewarm reception of his 2013 comedy I'm So Excited (which if you ask me, is one of his most underrated), Julieta was received with praise at the Cannes Film Festival in May. To play the leading roles, Pedro cast Adriana Ugarte and Emma Suarez, two actresses who are completely new to his oeuvre, and considering how often he works with the same people, this casting suggests we're in store for something we haven't seen from him. - Jose Solis
13. Personal Shopper (Toronto and NYFF)
Once you’ve transcendently twisted the lines between art and reality like Olivier Assayas and Kristen Stewart in their slippery, masterful Clouds of Sils Maria, which ethereal boundary do you blur next? The fabric dividing the living from the dead, apparently. In Personal Shopper, their second outing as director/muse duo, the beguiling Stewart scours Paris for more than just frocks of high fashion, but the ghost of her dead brother who’s got her number from beyond the grave. As in, she’s texting with a ghost. Throw in a Cannes’ Best Director prize alongside the psychological thrills and we're left screaming ASSAYASSS QUEEN! - Daniel Crooke
12. Queen of Katwe (Toronto)
Queen of Katwe, based on the true story of a young Ugandan girl who improbably becomes a chess star, looks at first glance like a textbook Disney underdog-to-champion inspirational narrative. But we could all use a little uplift these days, especially when it’s brought by so much talent: Mira Nair, who at her best makes foreign cultures feel both vibrant and familiar, directs the brilliant David Oyelowo and equally brilliant TFE fav Lupita Nyong’o, as the prodigy’s teacher and mother, respectively. Besides, how often do we get to see a chess movie that focuses on a girl of color? - Lynn Lee
11. American Honey (Toronto)
There’s a shot in Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank where Mia (Katie Jarvis) stands in a warehouse doorway; a tiny silhouette swallowed up by the gaping portal. It’s beautifully composed and still takes my breath away. Raw and unyielding, Fish Tank was like nothing we'd ever seen. That would be enough reason to be excited for the director’s new project, but it’s Arnold’s almost supernatural ability for discovering new talent that has us anxiously awaiting American Honey. Arnold plucked Jarvis from obscurity and her performance was revelatory. We can't wait to see what Arnold and her newest discovery, Sasha Lane, have in store. - Steven Fenton
10. The Bad Batch (Venice and Toronto)
Ana Lily Amirpour returns from the enormous praise and hype of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night with her first English-language film, The Bad Batch. Described as a cannibal-centered love story in a desolate post-apocalyptic Texas, the film stars Suki Waterhouse and features the surprising supporting cast of Jason Momoa, Diego Luna, Keanu Reeves, and, of all people, Jim Carrey. Amirpour’s distinctive knowledge of horror genre codes, slathered in feminist theory and neo-noir cool, makes her cinematic worlds true pleasures to experience. - Sean Donovan
9. Toni Erdmann (Toronto, NYFF, and possibly Telluride)
A three-hour, whimsical comedy about a father playing tricks on his daughter sounds suspiciously skippable but for the fact that every word from Cannes about Toni Erdmann reads like a prophesy. Maren Ade’s Everyone Else remains a brilliantly paced chronicle of a charged relationship, vigorously acted by Birgit Minichmayr and Lars Eidinger. Ade’s shift from intimate drama to severe comedy raises curiousity, and the plump part for Sandra Hüller is another reason to celebrate. As Germany’s Oscar submission and the most recent film to appear on this list, Toni Erdmann couldn’t come sooner. - John Guerin
8. The 13th (NYFF)
Any project from Ava DuVernay would seize us with bated breath, but when her next was announced as a documentary it brought a whole new level of intrigue. Marketing strategies force films down out throats years in advance, so a surprise project like this is always welcome. Focusing on America's history of racial injustice and its disproportionate incarceration of African American men, expect a film the draws the horrifying parallels between our past and present as passionately as she did with Selma. Details are otherwise under wraps, but the film will debut on Netflix soon after opening NYFF. - Chris Feil
7. Elle (Toronto, NYFF, and Chicago)
Isn’t it time Isabelle Huppert had a huge box office hit in the US? You know being considered one of the world’s greatest living actors isn't enough. Surely the director of Basic Instinct and Total Recall is the one to give her that hit. Ha! If only that was the world we live in... Elle promises more of the same. The Huppert we love from The Piano Teacher, White Material, La Ceremonie, to name just three. Uncompromising, difficult and utterly brilliant characterization - exactly what we need from her. Oscar may come knocking, as a big push is supposedly planned. As easier prediction: this Huppert performance will end up, once again, as the favorite of the year for many. - Murtada Elfadl
6. Arrival (Venice, Toronto, and possibly Telluride)
Denis Villeneuve has had a compelling career. All of his movies have been immensely watchable, yet different from each other. He went from an emotional melodrama (Incendies) to a cerebral thriller (Enemy) to a studio potboiler (Prisoners) to a suspenseful horror story about the war on drugs (Sicario). He brings different shades and surprises even when you think you’ve figured the movie out (looking at you, Melissa Leo). That trajectory is why Arrival is so intriguing. The logline sounds like Gravity crossed with Contact, but with Villeneuve at the helm, who knows? - Murtada Elfadl
5. Manchester By The Sea (Toronto, NYFF, and possibly Telluride)
As if the critical hosannas out of Sundance weren't enough , the recently debuted trailer preps us for the emotional powerhouse that awaits. With Casey Affleck's star turn, Michelle Williams's bold but brief role, and writer/director Kenneth Lonergan bouncing back from the ultimately redeemed hubbub that was Margaret, it looks like we might have three former Oscar nominees finally getting their due. That the film returns Lonergan to the intimate sentiment of You Can Count On Me is just a cherry on top. - Chris Feil
4. Nocturnal Animals (Venice and Toronto)
I was as surprised as everyone else by the sheer brilliance of Tom Ford's A Single Man back in 2009. We all knew it'd look gorgeous but did we also know the designer-turned-director would coax out (sadly not Oscar-)winning performances out of Colin Firth and Julianne Moore? Or that his adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's heartbreaking novella would be near perfect? The strength of A Single Man alone is enough to raise excitement about the follow up. That it's a Jake Gyllenhaal/Amy Adams meta-fiction yarn about novelists and revenge? Even better. Sold! - Manuel Betancourt
3. 20th Century Women (NYFF)
When looking at upcoming films with few details and no trailers yet available, you have to think about what looks good on paper. "Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, and Billy Crudup" is a good start. That's an eclectic mix for sure, but often that makes for the most interesting ensembles. "Written and directed by Mike Mills" should be music to anyone's ears, especially those who loved Beginners. And then you read that it's about a single mother teaching her teenage son about "love and freedom" in Santa Barbara in 1979 and you just have to say, 'Okay, yes, this sounds like we'll be smiling the whole way through.' Since Fall Season (capital letters required) so often feels oppressive and dour (so many men frowning!), we'll take a female-heavy, adult-driven dramedy any day. - Manuel Betancourt
2. Moonlight (Toronto, NYFF, Chicago and possibly Telluride)
Considering representation has been such a strong topic in film lately – and only getting louder – a film like Moonlight feels like perfect timing. The stories of queer people of colour have rarely been given the space to reach wider audiences and with A24 behind it, Barry Jenkins’ sophomore feature looks to have the goods to fill that void. And how! The recently released trailer was rapturously received, bathed in beautiful colours and featuring a cast that could offer us a whole swath of breakthroughs. Eight years after Medicine for Melancholy, Jenkins is poised to really shake things up. - Glenn Dunks
1. La La Land (Venice, Toronto, and possibly Telluride)
There aren't nearly enough film musicals, which would be reason enough to keep a torch lit for La La Land (and it's entirely original, rarer still). The trailer promises a neon-lit dream of stately elegance, with all of the rhythm and none of the aggression of director Damien Chazelle's last film, the Oscar-winning Whiplash. More importantly, with stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, it's showcases two of the prettiest people in contemporary Hollywood. Sometimes, all you want is for a movie to be a pleasurable indulgence, and La La Land looks to fill that role perfectly. - Tim Brayton
What festival films have you the most excited? Did one of your most anticipated miss our list?
Reader Comments (29)
I've seen three, Julieta, Elle and Toni Erdmann. Love the first two, but Toni Erdmann is one of the best filmes of the decade. I really hope you all like it. I want to spread the word!
I second that. Julieta is good, though not great Almodovar.
Toni Erdmann though is spectacular. Though they have no chance in hell, Ade, Hüller and Simonischek should be up for Oscars.
THE SALESMAN and THE HANDMAIDEN are on my current Best of 2016 list. Glad they are on, or just short of, your list.
I'd like to be the first person here to note that A Single Man is a truly awful movie.
If Elle turns out to be just that single frame you use in the article, projected without sound or movement for 90 minutes, it could still be one of the best films of the year.
Tim beat me to the punch, so I'd just like to add that Whiplash is a very, very overrated movie. Give me almost anything from Cannes over Nocturnal Animals and even La La Land.
one for billy lynn's long halftime walk, please
I'm somewhere between Manuel and Tim & AR on A Single Man in that I have a mix of extreme opinions about it - I think it looks gorgeous, maybe sounds even better (love that score), and that the scenes with Hoult/Firth on campus and in the bar are perfection, and that Firth, Hoult, and Moore are very, very good in it (I wish Firth had won his Oscar for that), but that as a whole I don't think the film works at all.
But given that I watch some scenes in it frequently, Nocturnal Animals, is high on my list of must-sees, along with 20th Century Women, Manchester by the Sea, and, especially, Elle and The Handmaiden.
ELLE >>>>> anything else
It was fun to participate and specially to write a few words about Huppert. Here's the top ten I submitted if anyone is interested:
1- Moonlight
2- La La Land
3- Elle
4- Arrival
5- Una
6- Maudie
7- Catfight
8- Nocturnal Animals
9- Toni Erdman
10- The Bad Batch
Chris - wondering if there were any other votes for Catfight?
Scott C -- i'm not a fan of the picture myself for the reasons you state except I think Hoult is a huge problem for the film (and i like him in other things!)
all that said i'm terribly excited for Nocturnal Animals anyway.
Murtada - You were not alone on Catfight!
My list as well for interested parties (I was horrified to be SUCH a consensus voter lol):
The 13th
Arrival
La La Land
Manchester By The Sea
Moonlight
The Bad Batch
Personal Shopper
Mascots
20th Century Women
Things to Come
Travis C- those two were the ones it pained me to leave off my list
I really like your list!! Really!
I'm looking for THE LOST CITY OF Z.
SILENCE and FENCES aren't in festivals, so... But they are on my list to see.
Here's my Top Ten:
1. Arrival
2. American Honey
3. La La Land
4. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
5. Manchester by the Sea
6. Moonlight
7. 20th Century Women
8. Personal Shopper
9. Elle
10. Loving
Bonus non-Festival title: Passengers
I'm thankful that many will be playing here in New York.
But Nat,Moore in A Single Man,that dirty joke,Hoult in that cardigan,the utter sex in the gigolo scenes.
Even though Whiplash was not only the worst movie of 2014, but one of the all-time worst I'm really looking forward to La La Land, right behind Manchester by the Sea and Toni Erdmann. They're really backloading the quality films this year. Just wish they'd spread 'em out a little more evenly.
The Chicago fest has announced a "Spotlight: Musicals" section, so I'm predicting they're negotiating for "La la Land" too.
The blurb for Moonlight talks of "representation",so it would've been nice to hear from one of the many POC writers about this movie.
I guess I was a TFE consensus voter, too (though if anything, more mainstream-y!) My list:
1. La La Land
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Nocturnal Animals
4. 20th Century Women
5. Queen of Katwe
6. The Light Between Oceans
7. Allied
8. Arrival
9. Julieta
10. The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez
Representation is such a thorny issue. For now, Moonlight should be Chiron's story. His experiences, changing voices, his life. They belong to him first, before he is burdened as the textbook spokesperson for other queer people of color. (We've been down this road before, and it's a double-edged sword for the performers to eventually carry.)
It's an obvious point frequently obscured by the burden and expectations of "representation". Such that Stone and Gosling get to be their characters or star personae, without some social responsibility to all young, white heterosexuals with Hollywood dreams.
But Chiron isn't even named in his blurb under the shadow of "representation". He's just one of "queer people of color", lacking the individuality (and dignity?) granted to Emma and Ryan (even if they're more established careers.) To be over the top about it, of course;)
Katz - good point. Maybe a POC writer would've seen more beyond the most obvious point about this film ie "representation".
This was my list, and I was also shockingly on the Team Experience consensus, but for two titles:
1. La La Land
2. A Monster Calls
3. The Handmaiden
4. Nocturnal Animals
5. Elle
6. Moonlight
7. 20th Century Women
8. American Pastoral
9. Julieta
10. Toni Erdmann
I can't be the only one who is dying to get his eyeballs on A Monster Calls after that tear-inducing trailer!
And what is this infatuation with A24? It's a corporation not an artist. Why the constant praise? They don't create the art, just try to sell it. Let's talk more about Jenkins or his cast instead of the company that stands to benefit the most of their labors are successful.
I didn't include films from Cannes on my list, plus I had already seen some like PERSONAL SHOPPER. Just throwing that out there.
1. La La Land
2. Moonlight
3. American Honey
4. Una
5. Toni Erdmann
6. Queen of Katwe
7. The Handmaiden
8. Manchester By The Sea
9. Arrival
10. Catfight (Sooo glad that Sandra Oh is back in movies!!!)
get all marathi songs here
Thanks for the information.
Check this awesome article on How to Jailbreak Roku
Thanks for the information.
Check this for mumbai to shirdi taxi
iTube Apk is an application which allows you to download and play your desirable videos, audio files, music albums on your device. You can easily download iTube Apk on any device no matter its tablet, smartphone or PC. Get it from here: https://itubeapkdownload.com