The Toronto International Film Festival is kicking off. Here are 5 things to look for this year

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TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival is the clean-up hitter of the fall festival circuit. Coming on the heels of Venice and Telluride, Toronto tends to pull together many of the top films from those festivals, as well as a whole bunch more.

However, it has been a few years since TIFF has truly felt like its usual self. The pandemic spanned several editions, and last year, the actors’ strike resulted in unusually empty red carpets in Toronto.

This year’s festival, running until Sept. 15, kicks off on Thursday with the premiere of David Gordon Green’s “Nutcrackers,” starring Ben Stiller as a workaholic who is forced to care for his nephews in rural Ohio.

More than in previous years, it’s difficult to pinpoint which films will stand out most at this year’s TIFF. But with over 200 feature films scheduled to be screened, the festival is bound to showcase many of the fall’s most anticipated films. Here are five key questions leading up to North America’s largest film event.

Last year’s TIFF was relatively smaller than usual, but it still saw the debut of a truly successful film and eventual Oscar winner, Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction.” Many people weren’t talking about this film before it premiered in Toronto — a reminder that TIFF can bring surprises.

This year, some of the most anticipated films debuting in Toronto include Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch,” starring Amy Adams; “Hard Truths" by the British filmmaking legend Mike Leigh; John Crowley's emotionally charged drama “We Live Inside,” featuring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield; the Scott Beck and Bryan Woods thriller “The Heretic,” with a menacing Hugh Grant; cinematographer Rachel Morrison's first directorial project “The Fire Inside"; the DreamWorks animated film “The Wild Robot”; and the Anthony Robles true-life story “Unstoppable,” starring Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez.

Aside from the films premiering in Toronto, many others will be looking to build on the buzz they gained at Venice, Telluride, or Cannes. At this early stage, the Oscar race appears very open — especially compared to last year when “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” were clear frontrunners by September. No film has emerged as a favorite yet, though several – like Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning “Anora,” Jacques Audiard’s trans drug lord musical “Emilia Perez” and the Vatican drama “Conclave” — have a lot of momentum.

Many of Toronto’s premieres are more focused on attracting buyers than on the awards race. This is partly intentional. In two years, TIFF will formally launch a marketplace for film sales, similar to the one during the Cannes Film Festival. This year, some of the notable films on offer include Ron Howard's “Eden,” starring Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney ; the Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck,” featuring Tom Hiddleston; Rebel Wilson's first directorial project “The Deb”; “The Last Showgirl,” starring Pamela Anderson; David Mackenzie's “Relay,” with Riz Ahmed; and “On Swift Horses,” starring Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Studios and streaming services will be looking closely at these films and many more.

One thing you can always count on is the predictive power of TIFF’s People’s Choice award. While various Oscar statistics are discussed every year, this one is virtually always true: The winner of Toronto’s top prize will receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. This has been the case every year since 2012. It was true when “Green Book” became a surprise hit in Toronto, and it was true last year when “American Fiction” won. Because TIFF brings together so many of the fall’s movies, and because it attracts a large audience made up of not just industry professionals but regular moviegoers, films that are well-received in Toronto typically perform well with the Academy, too.

While the majority of Toronto’s selections will be hitting theaters or streaming services in the next few months, some films — including some very good ones — might not be released for another year or more. Azazel Jacobs’s “His Three Daughters,” which stood out at last year’s festival, just recently arrived in theaters. Anna Kendrick’s debut as a director, “Woman of the Hour,” will be available on Netflix next month, over a year after its premiere in Toronto. For some of Toronto's most prominent films, patience may be necessary.