‘Nino,’ ‘The Hen’ and other avant-garde films that TIFF programmers are obsessed with

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This article was published 22/07/2025 (444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – A French film about a young man facing a devastating diagnosis and a portrait of humanity from the perspective of a chicken are among the movies in the Toronto International Film Festival’s competitive Platform program.

TIFF announced contenders for the $20,000 prize on Tuesday ahead of the festival’s 50th edition in September.

It’s also the 10th anniversary of Platform, which programmer Robyn Citizen says was developed to spotlight “bold directorial visions” at the vanguard of filmmaking.

This year’s lineup includes “Nino,” the Pauline Loquès’ directorial debut that had its world premiere at Cannes earlier this year.

Citizen describes the film as a character study of a twentysomething, portrayed by Quebec’s Théodore Pellerin, who is diagnosed with cancer and reflects on life while wandering around Paris.

The program also includes “Hen,” a live-action film from Hungarian director György Pálfi that follows a chicken that escapes a grisly fate and tries to build a new life.

TIFF programmer Dorota Lech says “Hen” also offers a look at Europe’s migration crisis through the hen’s eyes. 

“This is live action. It’s not animated in any way,” Lech said on a video call with reporters last week. 

“I honestly have no idea how he made it because there is so much drama in that chicken’s eyes and behaviour. I’m obsessed with this film and thrilled that it’s in Platform.”

An international jury will choose the Platform winner, to be announced at TIFF’s closing awards ceremony on Sept. 14.

The program also includes a film from Mi’kmaq director Bretten Hannam, “Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts).”

The Canada/Belgium production has elements of horror and magical realism, but Citizen says it’s a family drama at heart.

It’s about two Indigenous brothers who reconnect in the forest near their home to confront someone from their past, who is visualized in the film as a monster. 

“Bretten’s view of the natural world and how they integrate their characters in it is what makes their work exceptional,” Citizen said. 

Opening the Platform program this year is “Steve,” a film from Belgian director Tim Mielants starring Cillian Murphy as the headmaster of a reform school for boys.

TIFF runs Sept. 4 to 14. 

On Monday, festival organizers dropped their most robust announcement to date, touting films from big-name directors including Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” and Scarlett Johansson’s feature directorial debut “Eleanor the Great.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.