The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has selected Canadian filmmaker Durga Chew-Bose to receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented at its annual Tribute Awards.

Montreal-based Chew-Bose is making her feature film debut as both director and screenwriter of Bonjour Tristesse (pictured), which world premieres in the Discovery programme.

The English-language film is a contemporary adaptation of late French author Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novel of the same name. It stars Chloe Sevigny and Lily McInerny.

Babe Nation Film’s Katie Bird Nolan and Lindsay Tapscott are producers on Bonjour Tristesse alongside Elevation Pictures’ Noah Segal and Christina Piovesan, U.S.-German-Swiss prodco Barry Films’ Wolfgang Mueller and Benito Mueller, and Paris-based Cinenovo’s Julie Viez.

Sales for the film are represented by UTA Independent Film Group, U.K. and France-based sales agent Film Constellation and Elevation.

Executive producers include Constellation Productions’ Fabien Westerhoff, Elevation’s Laurie May, Adrian Love, Emily Kulasa, Suzanne Court and Sagan’s son Denis Westhoff.

Previous recipients of the TIFF Emerging Talent Award include Carolina Markowicz in 2023; Sally El Hosaini in 2022; Danis Goulet in 2021; Tracey Deer in 2020; and Mati Diop in 2019.

The TIFF Tribute Awards are an annual gala fundraiser, and will take place on Sept. 8 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. This year’s recipients include David Cronenberg, who will receive the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award, with Sandra Oh serving as the inaugural Tribute Awards honorary chair.

TIFF runs from Sept. 5 to 15.

Photo courtesy of Babe Nation Films