A sex-work comedy, a Tragically Hip documentary and a wartime family drama are among the Canadian titles premiering at the 49th annual Toronto International Film Festival.

After Hollywood strikes dampened last year鈥檚 event, the festival returns Thursday with 59 homegrown films from established and emerging directors.

The Canadian Press caught up with five directors bound for the movie marathon taking place Sept. 5 to 15.

SOOK-YIN LEE, director, 鈥淧aying For It鈥�

Lee says she 鈥渞eally loved鈥� her ex-boyfriend Chester Brown鈥檚 2011 comic strip memoir 鈥淧aying For It,鈥� about his experiences with Toronto sex workers after their real-life breakup. So much so that she adapted it for the big screen, resulting in a dramatized look at how they navigated their complicated relationship in turn-of-the-millennium Toronto.

On turning her breakup into a film: 鈥淲e loved each other and the idea of breaking up was inconceivable. So, as I began to look for love and connection through dating 鈥� the culturally approved way of doing that 鈥� he was going to explore the world of paying for sex. The key to turning it into a movie was to focus on the relationship between Chester and I, as well as our separate pursuits to find love and connection.鈥�

On recreating Y2K-era Toronto: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know what you鈥檝e got till it鈥檚 gone. All of the cities are changing. They鈥檙e gentrifying. I knew that I wanted to have a grungier, rawer feel of Toronto. I didn鈥檛 want to show a touristy Toronto that was all dazzled up. I also didn鈥檛 have very much money. So, I was like, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to shoot it in the house where the real events occurred.鈥欌��

Release dates: Premieres at TIFF on Thursday; hits theatres in early 2025.

ARSHILE EGOYAN, director, 鈥淏efore They Joined Us鈥�

For his second short film, Atom Egoyan鈥檚 son chose to share his mother Arsin茅e Khanjian鈥檚 journey of immigrating to Canada from war-torn Lebanon in the 1970s. The 30-year-old only learned the specifics of the 鈥淓xotica鈥� actress鈥� story a few years ago. 鈥淚t鈥檚 this insane sequence of events she experienced that I couldn鈥檛 believe she never talked about before,鈥� he says.

On what made his mom鈥檚 story so compelling: 鈥淪he went to live with her aunts, who believed that at the end of that calendar year, Armageddon would come upon them. So, having escaped the horrors of the Lebanese civil war, she entered this psychological space where the world is going to end. It just gets worse. With immigrant stories, we like to think people find new lives and everything works out well, but this is an example where it goes the other way.鈥�

On whether his dad gave him any notes: 鈥淗e鈥檚 a fantastic father. He鈥檚 an incredible mentor to me. But I think when it comes time for me to be in my creative space, he knows to remove himself. Unless there鈥檚 something I want to ask him, he really gives me room to be on my own journey. That being said, he鈥檚 really excited when he sees the work I do, and sharing the film with him and my mother was really special for all three of us.鈥�

Release dates: Premieres at TIFF on Sept. 11.

MIKE DOWNIE, director, 鈥淭he Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal鈥�

Several decades of documentary filmmaking and a side gig directing the Hip鈥檚 鈥淧oets鈥� music video ably equip Downie for this four-hour dive into one of Canada鈥檚 most beloved bands. He also happens to have unrivalled access to the band as the brother of late frontman Gord Downie.

On telling the Hip鈥檚 story: 鈥淎s a brother, I wanted to cement his legacy in the minds of Canadians and music fans all over the world. And when I say my brother, I mean the band. For me, my entry is through my brother. (When) I experienced the band all those years, Gord was always the portal.鈥�

On the target audience: 鈥淲e were thinking of people on the other side of the world that were thinking, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know much about Canada, and I don鈥檛 know anything about this band. What, if I start right here?鈥� We wanted people like that to be drawn into the story.鈥�

Release dates: Premieres at TIFF on Thursday, begins streaming on Prime Video on Sept. 20.

ALI WEINSTEIN, director, 鈥淵our Tomorrow鈥�

After she 鈥渞ediscovered鈥� Ontario Place during the COVID-19 pandemic, Weinstein says she became obsessed with researching its history and architecture. In 2021, when Premier Doug Ford鈥檚 government announced plans to redevelop the Toronto waterfront area as a massive spa and indoor waterpark, she began work on a documentary.

On the communities she captured: 鈥淚 was seeing people on the beach and bird watchers who knew each other had formed this community down at Ontario Place. I thought, what is so special about this place as it is right now, as a public park, that is attracting so many people? My aim was to document this very unique moment in the life cycle of Ontario Place, after its heyday. That鈥檚 what kept me going over nearly 100 days of shooting.鈥�

On why it鈥檚 a universal tale: 鈥淲hile it鈥檚 a very local story in its particulars, I think the themes will resonate across the world. I鈥檓 hopeful that audiences see (the film) because it鈥檚 such a timely topic. I was excited to get it out quickly while the conversation is still going on about what should happen there.鈥�

Release dates: Premieres at TIFF on Sept. 12; hits theatres in late 2024.

ARIANNA MARTINEZ, director, 鈥淒o I Know You From Somewhere?鈥�

A couple鈥檚 happy relationship is upended when the small pieces of their universe unexpectedly shift, altering their romantic history and everything around them. The Fredericton-based filmmaker describes the screenplay, co-written with her husband Gordon Mihan, as a story set in 鈥渢he alternative reality of a missed connection.鈥�

On drawing from their lives: 鈥淎t one point in our relationship it was a question of, do we want to make movies or do we want to have a family? (The film is) playing with the idea of something we鈥檝e all asked ourselves: What would my life look like if I鈥檇 made a different choice?鈥�

On cinematic inspirations: 鈥淲e love Korean cinema 鈥� (writer-directors) Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho 鈥� just how much fun those films are. They鈥檙e not selective with how they play with genre and can pack so many different genres into one story. We tried our hand at that with our storytelling to give the audience a little taste of everything.鈥�

On filming in New Brunswick: 鈥淢ost of our cast and crew was made up of New Brunswickers. People that we鈥檝e been making short films with for a decade, we finally make this big project together. It feels like a labour of love from the whole community.鈥�

Release dates: Premieres at TIFF on Friday, screens at Atlantic International Film Festival on Sept. 14.

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鈥� Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Alex Nino Gheciu and David Friend, The Canadian Press