Matt Johnson’s ‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ to open TIFF’s Midnight Madness

Matt Johnson, director of "Blackberry" poses with his award for Achievement in Direction at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Gala in Toronto, on Friday May 31, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

TORONTO — Matt Johnson’s time-warping bromantic misadventure and a crime thriller starring Bob Odenkirk are headed to the Midnight Madness program at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

This year’s lineup of 10 genre-blurring comedies, action flicks and slashers will open with the Canadian premiere of Johnson’s Toronto-set “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” a mockumentary-style caper based on his Viceland series.

Lead programmer Peter Kuplowsky says the comedy is “steeped in Toronto lore circa the early aughts” and expects it to “levitate the entire theatre” at TIFF, after earning a standing ovation at its SXSW premiere in March.

Set to get pulses racing is the world premiere of “Normal,” which sees Odenkirk play a temporary sheriff who uncovers the criminal underbelly of a sleepy town. It’s directed by Ben Wheatley, who won the 2016 Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award for the crime drama “Free Fire.”

Also promising heart-pounding thrills is the world premiere of “Dust Bunny,” the feature debut of “Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller. The slasher stars Sophie Sloan as a young girl who asks her neighbour, played by Mads Mikkelsen, for help after she believes a monster under her bed ate her family.

Set to close the program is the Canadian premiere of “Dead Lover,” a horror comedy by Toronto’s Grace Glowicki about a gravedigger determined to bring her drowned lover back to life. TIFF runs Sept. 4 to 14.

Kuplowsky says he wanted to bookend the Midnight Madness program with “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” and “Dead Lover” because they’ve made “a substantial impact on the festival circuit.”

“I’m just really proud and feel very patriotic that these Canadian filmmakers made midnight movies that really resonated with international audiences,” Kuplowsky says.

“The prospect of having them finishing their festival tour with us in Toronto is really exciting.”

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” sees Johnson and longtime collaborator Jay McCarrol reprise their roles as two bumbling musicians still trying to achieve their dream of booking a show at local bar The Rivoli. This time, their quest sends them back in time.

Kuplowsky says he gravitated toward several comedies for this year’s lineup after noticing the success of “Friendship,” the dark comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson that premiered at last year’s program.

“I did really feel like there is this desire amongst contemporary audiences to laugh in cinemas again,” he says.

Other gut-busters in this year’s lineup include “The Napa Boys,” an alt-comedy by Nick Corirossi that sees a group of friends embark on a wine-related adventure led by a mysterious sommelier.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Aleksandar Radivojević serves up “Karmadonna,” a sharp-edged comedy about a pregnant woman who gets a call from God telling her to kill targets on his hit list or lose her baby.

Among other international offerings is “Junk World,” a sequel to Japanese filmmaker Takahide Hori’s “Junk Head,” a stop-motion sci-fi film following a cyborg navigating an underground dystopia in search of a way to save humanity from extinction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press