What to Expect at TIFF 2026

Being Heumann

Getting a taste of what Apple has to be offer in the area of feature films is the 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival which opens with Siân Heder’s Being Heumann and then comes to dramatic finish with Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend by Lanouette Turgeon which chronicles the life of Canadian Formula 1 icon Gilles Villenueve.  “We’re thrilled to open this year’s Festival with Siân Heder’s inspiring follow-up to her Oscar-winning CODA,” stated Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “Being Heumann features an electric performance from Ruth Madeley in the story of Judy Heumann, a world-changing advocate for accessibility.”

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

Returning once again for a World Premiere is cinematographer-turned-director Rachel Morrison with Love of Your Life which revolves around the international romances of a nurse from Boston. Things get really surreal as the underdog story about how Sylvester Stallone got Rocky made gets the Hollywood treatment in I Play Rocky courtesy of Peter Farrelly while the Bad Lieutenant franchise gets the Takashi Miike treatment in Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo.  Danny Boyle will be having a Canadian Premiere of his tabloid biographical drama Ink and so does his countryman Mike Leigh with Tender Loving Care which caries on his tradition of exploring the turmoil associated with everyday life.  Among the most inventive movie titles is the crime thriller The Only Living Pickpocket in New York by Noah Segan and of the more succinct variety is Coward by Lukas Dhont, a queer romance set during World War I.

Rachel Morrison

Attendees with be able to go behind the screen with TIFF’s In Conversation With series as Lee Min-ho, Rachel Morrison, Chris Rock, Andrew Scott, and Hudson Williams provide insights into their current festival contribution as well as previous and potential future projects.    Some career-worthy attention has been given to a select group of actors and filmmakers. “Now in its eighth year, the TIFF Tribute Awards celebrates some of cinema’s most exciting artists at an event dedicated to the transformative power of film,” remarked Bailey.  “From the captivating performances of Isabelle Huppert, Penélope Cruz, and Rosalind Eleazar to Lee Chang-dong and Siân Heder’s vital filmmaking, each has shown a profound impact on screen storytelling. It’s our privilege to recognize their achievements as we gather to celebrate another exceptional year in film and rally support for TIFF’s ongoing work.”

The World Before

As to which one of the dozen features competing for the Platform Award remains to be seen, contenders include Amanda Kernell’s Brace Your Heart, Ferit Karahan’s Djinn Wedding, Irene Dionisio’s Idda, Nyla Innuksuk’s In the Heart of the South, Bertil Nilsson’s Masc, Gabriel Martins’ On Behalf of My Son, Lawrence Fajardo’s Silenced Nights, John Trengove’s The Smell of Apples, Yoon Dan-bi’s The World Before, and Jan Holoubek’s Wild Wild East and Miwa Nishikawa’s Children Untold.  For horror aficionados who love masked killers, medieval ghosts, mobster druggies, martial arts vampires, interstellar infantrymen then take note as Midnight Madness will open with River by Joshua Giuliano, close with Rogue Trooper by Duncan Jones and in-between there will be a special screening of sci-fi action thriller Hope.

Memories of a Forest

54 titles and from 40 countries are found on the slate of features for the Centrepiece that include Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, and Thailand.  Counted among the filmmakers taking part are Valeska Grisebach, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Diego Luna, Avi Nesher, and Banjong Pisanthanakun.  For those on the verge of becoming established names are Anna Foglietta with A Common Story, Lars Vega with Arne Goes to Space, Katharina Rabl with Memories of a Forest, Tom Nicoll with Salvation, Ione Hernández with Sisters and Amalie Næsby Fick with What Lies Between Us which were selected for the Discovery programme.

Bleeding Hearts

Documentaries are plentiful with 21 screening from 20 countries ranging from Rapinoe which profiles US soccer star Megan Rapinoe to celebrating the life of Palestine-American writer Edward Said in Edward Said: Between Worlds to getting in tune with the love story surrounding alt-country band Chaparelle in Bleeding Hearts to a migrant trying to save his kidnapped wife and children in Rescue.In some ways overshadowing rather than being overshadow, television shows reign supreme in the Primetime programme which a mixed of established offerings like Slow Horses, remakes Carrie, biographical Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically and procedurals Blindspot Beriln.

Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically

Never underestimate the significance of Short Cuts, especially for up-and-coming filmmakers which consists of 45 short films from 30 countries spread across seven programmes consisting of live-action narrative, documentary, animation and multimedia. Three in particular to watch out for are Nollywood love letter The Spectacular Death of Prisca by Kaelo Iyizoba, sibling drama Fried Chicken & Strip Checkers by Ophelia Harutyunyan, and celebrity-voiced stop-motion animated comedy The End by Niki Lindroth von Bahr.

Fried Chicken & Strip Checkers

“Each year, we strive to curate a selection of films that feels most relevant to the moment with the power to spark a rich dialogue with our public audience,” noted Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “From debut directors to the most anticipated sophomore films of the year to vanguard voices.  We’re delighted to share these original works with TIFF audiences in September.”

Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-20, 2026, and for more information visit tiff.net.   

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.