With the conclusion of the fall festival trio of the Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival, it’s time for the regional festivals to step up to the plate. Throughout the next four to six weeks, festivals all over the country will bring together a collection of the best that world cinema has to offer this year. Many of these festivals are nearly as famous and prestigious as the ones that birth those films, with two examples being the New York Film Festival and AFI Fest

Now celebrating its 15th year, the Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) provides that central space of celebration for cinephiles within the state of Minnesota. The festival recently announced its full lineup, which featured its usual mixture of awards season contenders from large studios, smaller films that have made a name for themselves throughout the festival circuit, and productions that shine a spotlight on local artists.

Opening the festival is Conclave, Focus Features’ papal thriller from Edward Berger, director of the recent Netflix adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. Ralph Fiennes leads an all-star cast comprised of Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. I was able to see the film at TIFF and greatly admired it, so I hope that my positivity spreads to the Minnesota crowd.

Searchlight Pictures will be pulling double duty at the festival with Nightbitch and A Real Pain. The former premiered at TIFF, while the latter debuted at Sundance all the way back in January. Amazon MGM studios won’t be outdone as they also bring two notable titles from their catalog. Premiering on the first weekend is Unstoppable, the true underdog story of one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles starring Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, and Don Cheadle. RaMell Ross’s avant-garde adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel Nickel Boys will be seen on the final day of the festival. Screening immediately after that and rounding out the big studio features will be Steve McQueen’s World War II film Blitz, which premieres at the BFI London Film Festival in a few days.

Stopping here as part of its regional tour since its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival is La Cocina, which tells the story of the lives of the employees working at a New York restaurant. Winner of the Best Director prize in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival is On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, which A24 will show midway through the festival ahead of its December release.

The Centerpiece film of this year’s edition will be Magpie, a thriller about a married couple whose relationship begins to fracture when a glamorous movie star enters their lives. Writer Tom Bateman and star Daisy Ridley will be in attendance to introduce the film and receive the TCFF Indie Vision Awards. Also awarded will be Josh Duhamel, who will receive the NorthStar Award and headline an “In Conversation” event. The top prize at the festival is the Best Feature Film Award. Previous winners over the years have been Marriage Story, Women Talking, American Fiction, Green Book, and Moonlight.

Officially closing the festival will be a sneak preview of the Minnesota-connected feature Days When the Rain Came. Writer and actress Marisa Coughlan will be present for a post-film discussion alongside actors Beau Bridges and Eliza Coupe.

A new prize this year is the Minnesota Film Critics Association (MNFCA) Critics Prize, of which I will be heading the selection process. Myself and a few other critics from the organization will glean through the lineup and award a standout film with the special prize. Films that will be a part of this process are: Boundary Waters, Schiroka: In Lies We Trust, We Strangers, Luther: Never Too Much, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Bob Trevino Likes It, All We Carry, Camp Ricstar, Band on the Run, and Queen of the Ring. It’s an eclectic mix of films, including several from local filmmakers. I look forward to seeing what all these works have in store, and giving a boost to one that stood out from the crowd.

More than 140 films will be screened during the ten-day event, with almost half of them simultaneously streaming via the TCFF Streams platform. Details for the lineup and other events can be found at the festival website (twincitiesfilmfest.org). Expect full reviews for several of the studio titles listed above, and a recap article at the conclusion of the festival.