Elton John Documentary and ‘Nightbitch’ Among First Titles at Toronto Film Festival; Amy Adams, David Cronenberg to Receive Honors

“Elton John: Never Too Late,” a feature documentary about pop legend Elton John, will have its world premiere as a gala screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. So too will “Nightbitch,” an Amy Adams-starring dark comedy about a stay-at-home mom whose life takes a surreal turn.

The pair are among the first six titles announced by the high-profile festival, as Toronto organizers pulled back the curtain on some of the prestige presentations and honorees planned for this year’s 49th edition, as well as preparations for Toronto’s 2026 launch of an organized film market.

More from Variety

• David Cronenberg on the 'Promise and Threat' of AI in Filmmaking: 'Do We Welcome That? Do We Fear That? Both'

• David Cronenberg's 'The Shrouds,' About a Corpse-Obsessed Widow, Gets Polite 3.5-Minute Standing Ovation at Cannes

• How the Death of David Cronenberg's Wife of 43 Years Inspired 'The Shrouds': 'Grief Is Forever'

Read Cameron Bailey’s full interview here.

In addition to the screening of “Nightbitch,” which Adams produced via her Bond Group Entertainment company, the six-time Oscar nominee will receive Toronto’s 2024 TIFF Tribute Performer Award.

Canadian director David Cronenberg will receive the 2024 Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award. Organizers described Cronenberg as having “developed a dramatic oeuvre of outstanding depth and breadth, and consequently [he] has been lauded as one of the world’s most influential filmmakers.”

Sandra Oh, the Ottawa-based actor with credits including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Killing Eve” and “The Sympathizer,” will receive the 2024 TIFF Tribute Awards Honorary Chair.

Describing Oh as “incomparable,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said, “We’re grateful that artists of this stature will gather in Toronto to help TIFF turn the spotlight on increasing inclusion throughout our industry.” While the festival runs Sept. 5-15, the tribute awards gala will be held on Sept. 8 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

The other gala titles are: South Korean war actioner “Harbin,” directed by Woo Min-ho and starring Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, Park Jeong-min and Jeon Yeo-been; Tom Hiddleston-starring “The Life of Chuck,” directed by Mika Flanagan and based on the 2020 Stephen King short story of the same name; “Rez Ball,” a Netflix-backed coming-of-age film about Indigenous basketball directed by Sydney Freeland and produced by LeBron James; and Dreamworks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” a live animation film directed Chris Sanders. It features a huge ensemble cast, including Lupita Nyong’o as a robot forced to come to terms with its new surroundings.

“Elton John: Never Too Late” hails from Disney+ and is jointly directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish, John’s husband. “Nightbitch” is directed by Marielle Heller and is represented by Searchlight Pictures.

Best of Variety

• New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 

• What's Coming to Disney+ in June 2024

• What's Coming to Netflix in June 2024

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.