2024 TIFF preview: 10 must-see movies for music lovers

The Toronto International Film Festival is back, and with it comes a star-studded lineup of films. This year's TIFF lineup features a wide range of movies for music fans, including musicals, documentaries, dramas and more. Whether you're a Tragically Hip aficionado, or a lover of August Wilson plays, there's something entertaining on the big screen for every music lover.

We've selected 10 music-themed films to catch at TIFF, which runs Sept. 5-15. From Canadian rock to pop opera to K-pop and more, each film immerses viewers in a new sonic world.

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara 

Starring Tegan and Sara Quin
Directed by Erin Lee Carr 

Tegan Quin from pop duo Tegan and Sara had her identity stolen in the early 2010s, and a new documentary explores how someone impersonated her and terrorized the band's fans. A synopsis in Deadline explains how the film attempts to unmask the fraudster: "Told through Tegan's own voice, the voices of deceived fans, a trove of visceral communications between fake Tegan and their victims and the visual history of the band's behind-the-scenes archive, this documentary feature is a thriller, a caper, a whodunnit and an intimate personal journey rolled into one." The movie assesses the pitfalls of fandom and social media, looking at how relationships can become fractured due to online harassment. 

Elton John: Never Too Late 

Starring Elton John
Directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish

Elton John is among the most successful musical artists in history, and his story is that of a young piano virtuoso from a London suburb who became internationally renowned for his timeless music and fearless flamboyance. A new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, presents the highs and lows of that illustrious life — and it promises a deeper level of access to the star, since his husband, David Furnish, is one of the directors. Never Too Late looks back at John's childhood and his decades-long career, while also following the star as he prepares for his 2022 farewell show at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. It's a special venue for him: John played two sold-out shows at the stadium in 1975, at the height of his fame — and it's where he donned this iconic bedazzled baseball uniform. Never Too Late includes never-before-seen archival footage and candid interviews with the 77-year-old legend as he reflects on his 62 years in show business. The film will have its world premiere at TIFF on Sept. 6, and for fans who can't catch it at the festival, it will debut on Disney+ on Dec. 13. 

The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal 

Starring Gord Downie, Gord Sinclair, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Johnny Fay 
Directed by Mike Downie 

Whether you're a diehard fan or a curious newcomer, you will definitely learn something new about Canadian rockers the Tragically Hip in this new docuseries directed by Mike Downie, brother of late singer Gord. This four-part, four-hour documentary is as comprehensive as it gets. The series covers everything including: the band's origins as its members experimented in different high-school bands; the Hip's rise to success; the challenges of breaking into the U.S.; the building tensions that threatened to end the band; and finally their triumphant final tour in 2016, a year before Gord Downie's death. The series features extensive archival footage, in-depth interviews with the band and testimonials from Will Arnett, Geddy Lee, Jay Baruchel, Sarah Harmer, Dan Aykroyd and Justin Trudeau. The full series will be available on Amazon Prime on Sept. 20.

K-Pops 

Starring Anderson .Paak
Directed by Anderson .Paak

Grammy-winning rapper Anderson .Paak stars alongside his son Soul Rasheed in his debut feature film. In this comedy, the music star plays a failing musician who goes to South Korea to write for K-pop artists, and then finds out that his long-lost son is about to be a superstar in one of the country's biggest groups. Anderson .Paak, who is part Korean, drew inspiration from his family when writing the film, telling Hypebeast that it's a "comic book version of [his] life, a way to examine [his family's] roots within Korea and our African-American roots and how they come together." In Paper Magazine, he also explained that the movie gave him a way to spend quality time with his son, while also depicting something that's "very unique to my experience and is going to be something that people haven't really seen before on the screen."

Mother Mother

Starring Maan Youssouf Ahmed, Hassan Najib, Elmi Rashid Elmi, Ubah Egal 
Directed by K'naan Warsame 

K'naan Warsame is best known as the Juno Award-winning rapper behind hits like "Wavin' Flag" and "Bang Bang." But over the years, he has also transitioned into the film and TV world, acting in David Cronenberg's 2012 film Cosmopolis, executive producing the 2016 film Mogadishu, Minnesota, and being a consulting producer on the 2019 Hulu series Castle Rock. Mother Mother will mark Warsame's directorial debut. It tells the story of a widow and her son living on a farm in rural Somalia, and the tough decision she must make when tragedy strikes.

A Sister's Tale

Starring Nasreen Amini
Directed by Leila Amini

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many things changed for women in Iran. Their movement, their clothing and how they could present themselves in public shifted overnight, as repressive laws were enacted. In A Sister's Tale, director Leila Amini follows her sister, Nasreen, on a seven-year journey as she attempts to make it as a singer — the main obstacle being that since 1979 women have been banned from performing in public throughout the country. Nasreen wants to reflect the lived experiences of Iranian women through her music, but patriarchy, societal expectations, and even her own husband stand in the way of her dream. Leila's compassionate camera follows her over the years, as she strives for control of her career and her life. 

Measures for a Funeral

Starring Deragh Campbell
Directed by Sofia Bohdanowicz

Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow serves as the inspiration for this film, which follows the life of fictional Audrey Benac (Deragh Campbell), a student doing her PhD thesis on Parlow. While Benac travels around the world conducting research — Parlow studied in Russia and toured Norway, Germany and more — she decides to put on a concert after finding a composition dedicated to Parlow. The film uses the drama within Benac's own family to show the importance of Parlow's career, while also highlighting the magnitude of one's passion for music.

The Piano Lesson 

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Erykah Badu, Stephan James 
Directed by Malcolm Washington

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson play (and adapted from a 2022 Broadway revival), The Piano Lesson follows a family in 1936 who owns a precious family heirloom. Siblings Boy Willie and Berniece Charles disagree on whether or not they should sell the piano — Boy Willie wants money to buy the land his ancestors were enslaved on — but matters escalate when a ghost descends on their home. The Piano Lesson marks the directorial debut of Malcolm Washington, son of Denzel, and stars Malcolm's brother John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson (both of whom starred in the 2022 Broadway revival), as well as Danielle Deadwyler, Stephan James and musician Erykah Badu. 

Takin' Care of Business 

Starring Randy Bachman, Tal Bachman, KoKo Bachman, Bannatyne Bachman Matson 
Directed by Tyler Measom 

Part biography and part mystery, Tyler Measom's Takin' Care of Business takes a look at the life and career of Canadian rock icon Randy Bachman. As Bachman leads us through his journey as a musician and co-founder of the hit-making bands Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, an orange 1957 Gretsch guitar keeps coming up in his stories. It's Bachman's muse, and when the guitar goes missing on tour, he sets out on a wild, obsessive search for the missing instrument.  

Emilia Pérez

Starring Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón
Directed by Jacques Audiard 

Jacques Audiard's latest feature, Emilia Pérez, was the talk of this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it earned a nine-minute standing ovation and an award for best actress for the film's ensemble featuring Zoe Saldana, Adriana Paz, Karla Sofía Gascón and pop star Selena Gomez. TIFF describes the film as a merge of genres including "pop opera, narco thriller and gender-affirmation drama." Manitas Del Monte (Gascón) is a notorious kingpin who goes through a secret transition, and after a staged murder emerges as Emilia Pérez. But as she attempts to build a new life, her past comes creeping back.