Steven Spielberg's 'deeply personal' semi-autobiographical movie The Fabelmans sets TIFF premiere

Steven Spielberg is moving from West Side Story to his own life story (sort of) with The Fabelmans, his upcoming historical drama that has set its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

TIFF announced Friday that the Oscar-winning legend will bring his latest directorial effort to the festival's 2022 edition. The project is a "deeply personal" coming-of-age story about "20th-century American childhood," following a "young man's discovery of a shattering family secret and an exploration of the power of movies to help us seethe truth about each other and ourselves."

Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Paul Dano lead the ensemble cast of the film, while Spielberg crafted the script with inspiration from his own upbringing. Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Tony Kushner co-wrote the script after previously collaborating with the director on Oscar-nominated screenplays for Lincoln and Munich.

Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images; Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images Michelle Williams, Steven Spielberg, and Seth Rogen team for the semi-autobiographical drama 'The Fabelmans.'

The movie has already begun generating Oscars buzz ahead of the 2022-23 season, and the news of its impending TIFF premiere solidifies its good standing at the top of the race. TIFF often launches awards-bound projects into the fray, as nine TIFF People's Choice Award winners have gone on to win or be nominated for the Academy's Best Picture prize over the past 10 years — including last year's Best Picture nominee Belfast.

Other films previously announced as part of the TIFF 2022 lineup include Billy Eichner's gay rom-com Bros, Viola Davis' warrior epic The Woman King, Harry Styles' My Policeman, and Daniel Craig's highly anticipated sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, among others.

The Fabelmans is due for release on Nov. 11, following its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs Sept. 8-18.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.

Related content:

• 2023 Oscars predictions: Viola Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Avatar, and more contenders to watch

• See where 15 Academy Award winners keep their Oscars

• Billy Eichner's gay rom-com Bros eyes awards season with TIFF world premiere