The prestige movie season officially begins at Toronto International Film Festival

Think of it as the 10-day equivalent of a sneak preview.

The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival gets under way Thursday, with a slate of more than 300 films from around the world and a guest list that would rival any 10 red-carpet events. And movie watchers, after a summer of popcorn, will turn their gaze northeast to get an inkling of what titles we just might be hearing about this fall and during awards season.

Last year, "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire," won the big audience prize at Toronto; it went on to receive six Academy Award nominations, winning two. In 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire" was the toast of Toronto, and later went eight-for-10 at the Oscars. And what will this year's winner be?

Among the films scheduled to make a splash at Toronto are the world premiere of Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter," a drama about the afterlife starring Matt Damon and Cécile de France, written by Peter Morgan ("The Queen"). Another A-list actor-turned-director, Robert Redford, will be in Toronto with his new film, "The Conspirator," about the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln and starring James McAvoy, Robin Wright Penn and Kevin Kline.

Darren Aronofsky, in Toronto two years ago with "The Wrestler," has Natalie Portman donning pointe shoes for the ballet thriller "Black Swan," co-starring Vincent Cassel. Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter play royalty in "The King's Speech," about the unexpected ascendancy to the throne of England's George VI (the father of the current Queen). Alejandro González Iñárritu ("Babel," "21 Grams") will attend with his drama about a Barcelona man in free fall, "Biutiful," starring Javier Bardem.

Danny "Slumdog Millionaire" Boyle returns to TIFF with something far from Bollywood: "127 Hours," an outdoor adventure based on the true story of climber Aron Ralston, trapped in a Utah canyon for five days under a boulder. Woody Allen will be in Toronto, with his latest ensemble comedy "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." Carey Mulligan, who made a splash in Toronto last year with "An Education," is back with "Never Let Me Go," based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel and co-starring Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield.

All of these films are set with U.S. release dates, to be seen before the end of the year. But Toronto's also a ripe breeding ground for deal making — "A Single Man," the drama that snagged Colin Firth his first Oscar nomination, arrived at TIFF last year without a distribution deal, and quickly landed one. What might be in play this year? Possibly "Rabbit Hole," directed by John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch") and starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, based on David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a grieving family. Or "Barney's Version," based on Mordecai Richler's comic novel and starring Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman.

The latest documentary from Academy Award winner Errol Morris ("The Fog of War," "Standard Operating Procedure," "The Thin Blue Line") might just kick off a bidding war: Called "Tabloid," it's the story of a former beauty queen and the mysterious turns her life has taken. French actor/filmmaker Guillaume Canet (who directed the terrific thriller "Tell No One") will be looking for buyers for "Little White Lies," a drama set at a beach house and starring François Cluzet and Marion Cotillard.

Much more will be unveiled at Toronto this year — including the festival's just-completed flagship theater and year-round home, the sparkling-new Bell Lightbox. And, attending along with most of the names above and many more (including Bill Gates, Helen Mirren, Jon Hamm, Catherine Deneuve, Hilary Swank, Robert De Niro, Werner Herzog — in 3D! — and the list goes on ... ) will be me, racing along the Toronto sidewalks to catch as many movies and interviews as possible, and blogging all the way. Come join me — and bring some caffeine, OK? See you in Toronto.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com