Montreal-set rom-com ‘Mile End Kicks’ among world premieres at TIFF’s 50th edition

TORONTO — A rom-com about a love triangle set in Montreal’s music scene is among the films making their world premieres at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.

“Mile End Kicks,” from Toronto director Chandler Levack, stars Barbie Ferreira as a young music critic who moves to Montreal in 2011 to write a book about Alanis Morissette’s album “Jagged Little Pill.”

Her plans take a turn when she falls for two members of the same fledgling indie rock band and decides to become their publicist.

The film portrays the music scene in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood, which gave rise to acts including Arcade Fire, Grimes and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

It’s one of five special presentations announced by TIFF, including Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers,” about siblings who hire a forger to finish their late father’s art.

TIFF runs from Sept. 4 to 14 and will open with “John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary on the late Canadian comic.

The taste of the lineup revealed Thursday also includes Alejandro Amenábar’s “The Captive,” which tells the story of “Don Quixote” author Miguel de Cervantes.

Meanwhile, “Hedda,” by “The Marvels” director Nia DaCosta, is a reimagining of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s play “Hedda Gabler,” about the daughter of a general who is trapped in a loveless marriage.

Another premiere at TIFF is “Good News,” a drama by South Korean director Sung-hyun Byun about a covert mission to land a hijacked airplane.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement that this first wave of world premieres reflects the “innovation, heart, and global perspective” that have defined the festival for the last five decades.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.