TIFF opens with A24, Netflix and Apple's bids for Oscar and commercial success

The Thursday death of Queen Elizabeth II dominated the news cycle, but the first day of the Toronto International Film Festival was filled with hope for the future. Presenting the opening night entrance to 'The Swimmers' at the Princess of Wales Theatre, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey addressed the two years of the pandemic that disrupted everything.

“They are artists, storytellers, filmmakers who have found ways to move us, to inspire us, to remind us what we live for,” he said. "I want to thank you, the best movie audience in the world, for being part of this experience again."

This experience takes many forms. The festival is a beacon for awards season titles as well as red carpet galas, documentaries, genre films and international cinema. It's also a glimpse into how the industry views commercial films at a most fragile time.

Netflix has launched “The Swimmers,” the thrilling yet familiar true story of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini (Nathalie and Manal Issa) who fled Syria for Europe while pursuing their dream of becoming Olympic athletes.

Directed by Sally El Hosaini, the film functions as wholesome audience fun and unlikely to break up the awards conversation. The streamer's awards team can sit back and let "The Swimmers" perform well on Netflix, where audiences looking for easy viewing will likely embrace it worldwide. It falls in line with TIFF openers like Magnolia's 'Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band' or Netflix's 'Outlaw King' and 'Borg McEnroe' – user-friendly films with moderate commercial potential.

Netflix, which is showing eight films at TIFF this year, ranging from "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" to animated "Wendell and Wild" and Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain's thriller "The Good Nurse," arrives at the festival with a list more suited to the general public than the members of the Academy.

"Swimmers"

Laura Radford/Netflix

Meanwhile, A24 has launched its gay military drama “The Inspection” in a late-night slot designed to mark the film as a hidden gem, but it has big plans. Writer-director Elegance Bratton's touching and likable debut feature follows the experience of a 25-year-old black man named Ellis (Jeremy Pope) who decides to enlist in the Marines after his mother (Gabrielle Union) kicked out because he was gay. The bulk of the film takes place in a Mississippi boot camp overseen by a rudimentary unit commander (Bokeem Woodbine) as Ellis develops an unfortunate attraction to his drill instructor (Raúl Castillo, in fine form). /p>

Bratton, who previously directed the documentary "Pier Kids," about homeless youth in New York City, based his first narrative feature on his own experiences as an active duty soldier from 2005 to 2010; e...