9 new movies that could become big-time Oscar winners

With the Toronto International Film Festival kicking off on Thursday, award season is officially off and running.

Many of the movies heading north of the border hope to leave with the momentum that will lead to nominations at the top award shows at the end of the year. Though all of them won't get the buzz to make it to the finish, some of the much-anticipated titles going to TIFF will live up to the hype.

Here are nine that you're likely to hear about when the Oscars roll around. 

SEE ALSO: Here are the new movies and TV shows coming to Amazon Prime, iTunes, Hulu, and more in September

1. "Beasts of No Nation"

This drama is based on the civil war in Africa, and it could be a gamechanger for both Netflix — which will release the film simultaneously on its streaming service and in theaters in October — and for its director Cary Fukunaga.

With Oscar buzz for Idris Elba, Netflix's first-ever feature-length award contender will give the company the same clout it has in the TV world. For Fukunaga, who could have a nomination in his future, he'll finally have something on his resume to top his incredible work directing all the episodes of the first season of "True Detective."

2. "Black Mass"

Having already screened at the London and Telluride film festivals to rave reviews, Johnny Depp's portrayal of infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger could put him back into the category of top actors in the business. A Best Actor Oscar nomination is a good bet.

3. "The Danish Girl"

Winning the Best Actor Oscar last year for playing Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," Eddie Redmayne is looking for more Oscar glory in another biopic. In "The Danish Girl" he stars as Lili Elbe, the 1920s Danish artist who was one of the first recipients of sexual reassignment surgery.

NOW WATCH: People are going nuts over this app that lets users' friends virtually walk them home at night