The 13th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 17, 1988. Midnight Madness programme was introduced at the festival. The festival screened 279 films from 38 countries. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown by Pedro Almodóvar won the Classic Film Award at the festival.
Dead Ringers by Toronto born David Cronenberg was selected as the opening film. Madame Sousatzka was the closing night film, with Shirley Maclaine attending.
The Ryerson Theatre was the venue for most of the 10 nightly galas. The only Canadian one was The Revolving Doors.
The festival featured a retrospective of 47 films from the Soviet Union, including the early films of Elem Klimov, and a tribute to Finnish brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, including the 1983 Crime and Punishment and Helsinki Napoli All Night Long (1987).
Runners-up for the Classic Film Award were Earth Girls Are Easy, The Thin Blue Line, The Revolving Doors and Hawks. Runners-up for the Critics' Award were Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Commissar and A Short Film About Killing.