TIFF 2025: North American Premiere of Renoir by Palme d’Or Nominee Chie HayakawaThe Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025 welcomes the North American premiere of Renoir, the latest work from acclaimed Japanese director Chie Hayakawa (Plan 75, TIFF ’22). Selected as part of TIFF’s prestigious Centrepiece program, the film has already generated global buzz as a Palme d’Or nominee, and now makes its way to Canadian audiences.
A Story of Childhood, Loss, and Imagination
Renoir is set in the late 1980s, drawing from Hayakawa’s own formative years. The film follows Fuki (Yui Suzuki), an 11-year-old girl grappling with her father’s terminal illness while navigating the fragile transition from childhood to adolescence. With her mother (Hikari Ishida) overwhelmed by caregiving and work, Fuki is left to process grief in unconventional ways — retreating into her imagination, experimenting with hypnosis, and making risky phone calls to a dating agency.
Suzuki’s performance has been hailed as extraordinary, capturing the complex emotions of wonder, guilt, and detachment with rare subtlety.
TIFF 2025: North American Premiere of Renoir by Palme d’Or Nominee Chie HayakawaArtistic Vision and Cinematic Style
Much like the brushstrokes of French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Hayakawa’s visual storytelling emphasizes fleeting emotions and delicate moments. The luminous cinematography by Hideho Urata enriches the film’s emotional depth, weaving episodes that blur the lines between memory, dream, and reality. The result is a tender yet haunting exploration of how children process grief and resilience.
Director Spotlight: Chie Hayakawa
Born in Tokyo, Chie Hayakawa has built a reputation for deeply humanist cinema. Her feature debut, Plan 75 (2022), premiered at Cannes and screened at TIFF, sparking conversations on aging and dignity. With Renoir (2025), Hayakawa continues her exploration of life’s intimate transitions, cementing her place among today’s most significant voices in world cinema.
Her filmography also includes acclaimed shorts such as Niagara (2014) and May in the Winter (2016).
TIFF 2025: North American Premiere of Renoir by Palme d’Or Nominee Chie HayakawaTIFF 2025 Screening Times for Renoir
- Press Screening: Thursday, Sept. 4, 9:15 a.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre
- Public Screening #1: Saturday, Sept. 6, 9:15 p.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre
- Public Screening #3: Thursday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre
Director Chie Hayakawa will be present at TIFF for media opportunities, making Renoir one of the must-see highlights of the festival season.
