The Toronto International Film Festival is back, taking over the city from September 10 to 20 for its 51st year! For 10 glorious days, Toronto becomes a movie lover’s playground, with Canadian and international films, “In Conversation…” talks, Festival Street, red carpets, and, of course, plenty of star spotting along the way. Wondering what TIFF films to put on our must-see list?
Here are some of the TIFF films we’re already talking about…
PRIMA FACIE: Directed by Susanna White, Australia, UK. World Premiere
Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) stars in this adaptation of Suzie Miller’s globally acclaimed play that examines what happens when an ambitious barrister who primarily defends those accused of sex crimes unexpectedly becomes the accuser in a sexual assault case.
RUN TERRY RUN: Directed by Sean Menard, Canada
This intimate and inspiring portrait from filmmaker Sean Menard (TIFF ’17’s The Carter Effect) draws upon never-before-seen footage to reveal the arduous process and profound commitment behind Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope to raise awareness and money for cancer research. Definitely on our TIFF films to see!
BEING HEUMANN: Directed by Siân Heder. USA. World Premiere
Featuring a breakout performance by Ruth Madeley and Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo (TIFF ’15’s Spotlight), this inspiring historical drama from Oscar-winning filmmaker Siân Heder (CODA) celebrates the paradigm-shifting activist Judy Heumann, “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement.”
ALWAYS LALISA: Directed by Sue Kim, USA. World Premiere
K-pop idol–turned–global superstar Lisa stars in this intimate and transformative documentary tracing her journey from childhood ambition through BLACKPINK stardom into the artist she is today. K-Pop fans will want this on their TIFF films list this year.
THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK: Directed by Noah Segan, USA. Canadian Premiere
Anchored by John Turturro’s charismatic performance, this low-key crime drama from Noah Segan (Blood Relatives) harkens back to the character-driven films of 1970s New Hollywood. Cast also features Turturro’s fellow independent film legends Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito, and Canada’s own Tatiana Maslany.
BITTER CHRISTMAS: Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Spain. North American Premiere
Tells two alternating stories, one starring Elsa, an advertising director, in 2004, during a long weekend in December. The second takes place in 2026 and stars Raúl, a screenwriter and director who is writing a script that we soon discover is the story of Elsa, her boyfriend Bonifacio, and her friends Patricia and Natalia. Mixed with fiction, Elsa is, in a way, Raúl’s alter ego, who, like him, resorts to autofiction as a solution to a long period of creative drought. He looks inside himself, and he can’t help but also look at the people who make up his most intimate universe: his partner and his assistant. The film narrates the close relationship between reality and fiction, between inspiration and life, exploring the limits of autofiction and stories within stories.
THE UNKNOWN: Directed by Arthur Harari, France. Canadian Premiere
A highlight of this year’s Cannes Competition, the third feature by acclaimed French filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter Arthur Harari (co-writer of Anatomy of a Fall) is a moody, existential body-swap puzzler starring an extraordinary Léa Seydoux and a near-unrecognizable Niels Schneider.
WILD HORSE NINE: Directed by Martin McDonagh, USA. Canadian Premiere
Two CIA agents (John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell) are sent on a mission to Easter Island, where one faces an existential crisis over his past actions, in Martin McDonagh’s latest dark comedy.
BUNKER: Directed by Florian Zeller. France, Spain. North American Premiere
Oscar winners Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem play a couple whose bond is tested when a mysterious billionaire’s proposal prompts an ethical impasse in the latest from Oscar-winning writer-director Florian Zeller (TIFF ’20’s The Father).
MISTY GREEN: Directed by Chris Rock, USA. World Premiere
Featuring a career-making performance from Slow Horses’ Rosalind Eleazar and supporting turns from Daniel Kaluuya, Adam Driver, and Anna Kendrick, Chris Rock’s latest as writer-director brilliantly satirizes the bigotry and hustle at the heart of Hollywood.
TENZING: Directed by Jennifer Peedom. Australia, USA. Canadian Premiere
Starring Tom Hiddleston (TIFF ’24’s The Life of Chuck), Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, and Genden Phuntsok (TIFF ’18’s Jinpa), this wondrous biopic recounts the story of Himalayan Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay who, alongside Edmund Hillary, became first to top Everest in 1953.
UP AGAINST IT: Directed by Trudie Styler, UK. World Premiere
Post-marital acrimony and parental devotion make strange bedfellows in Trudie Styler’s wicked comedy, starring Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas (TIFF ’19’s Pain and Glory) and Eva Birthistle (TIFF ’05’s Imagine Me & You) as co-parenting divorcees faced with an indecent proposal.
POSSIBLE LOVE: Directed by Lee Chang-dong, South Korea. North American Premiere
Follow the intertwined relationship of two married couples facing different paths and hidden desires. Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives quietly with her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their young son Cheol until a funeral brings them into the orbit of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off workers, and her husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) — a couple whose affluent lifestyle stands in sharp contrast to their own. When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed, she grows close to Ye-ji, and finds herself uneasily drawn to the unreadable Sang-woo. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence. Marking his first release in eight years, highly acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong (Burning, Poetry, Secret Sunshine) brings his signature nuance to Possible Love, capturing shifting emotions, conflicts, and contrasting outlooks that shape these relationships.
THE BELOVED: Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spain. North American Premiere
Starring Oscar winner Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo (TIFF ’24’s The Room Next Door), the latest from Rodrigo Sorogoyen (TIFF ’18’s The Realm) chronicles an unnerving collaboration between a charismatic, manipulative director and the actor daughter he hasn’t seen in 13 years.
BABIES: Directed by Lauren Miller Rogen, USA. World Premiere
Seth Rogen and Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (TIFF ’09’s Up in the Air) star in Lauren Miller Rogen’s big-hearted comedy about the dilemma that eventually infiltrates every long-term relationship: to parent or not to parent?
EVIL GENIUS: Directed by Courteney Cox, USA. World Premiere
Featuring David Harbour (Stranger Things) and Oscar winner Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Courteney Cox’s second feature as director boldly dramatizes the chilling, darkly hilarious web of stories behind 2003’s infamous “pizza bomber” incident.
THE IDIOT(S): Directed by Małgorzata Szumowska & Michał Englert, Poland Germany. Canadian Premierę
BAFTA winner Aimee Lou Wood (SEX EDUCATION, THE WHITE LOTUS) and Johnny Flynn (RIPLEY, BEAST) bring to life the story of Anna and Fyodor Dostoevsky in the new feature from the directors of WOMAN OF… and NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN (Venice Competition). Newlyweds Fyodor and Anna’s European honeymoon leads them to Baden, which turns into an unexpected and explosive years-long stay as they struggle and overcome obstacles in pursuit of Fyodor writing his to-be masterpiece, The Idiot.
THE DREAMED ADVENTURE: Directed by Valeska Grisebach, Bulgaria
In Svilengrad, a small town on the Bulgarian border, Veska, crosses paths with Said, an old acquaintance whose car has been stolen. Offering her help, she brings him along to the excavation site where she is working as an archaeologist. As they reconnect, Veska is pulled more into the shady world that he (Said) has emerged from, soon embarking on her own exploration of the criminal ties that lurk beneath the surface of this seemingly innocent town at the outskirts of Europe. As figures from her own past start to close in, Veska is forced to confront the truth about the town and her experiences.
SPIRIT GUARDIAN: THE LAST SECRET OF THE FIRST EMPEROR: Directed by Nguyễn Phan Quang Binh, Vietnam. International Premiere
The largest production in Vietnamese history, this sweeping epic from Nguyễn Phan Quang Binh (The Floating Lives) transports us to the Đinh dynasty, when a band of fearless warriors set out on a secret mission to safeguard a sacred mystery. We expect this to be amongst the most buzzed TIFF Films this season.
ALICE: Directed by Virginie Verrier, Guillaume Lonergan. France, Canada. World Premiere
Amidst the advent of modern cinema, trailblazing artist Alice Guy becomes the first female film director in this lush historical series starring Academy Award–nominee Bérénice Bejo (The Artist).
CHILDREN UNTOLD: Directed by Miwa Nishikawa, Japan. World Premiere
Acclaimed filmmaker and author Miwa Nishikawa adapts her forthcoming novel into a compassionate and clear-eyed postwar drama about a 12-year-old orphan who disguises herself as a boy, featuring a striking performance by newcomer Ami Koyae and a memorable supporting turn by Koji Yakusho.
Ha-Chan! Shake Your Booty! Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka. USA. Canadian Premiere
Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi (TIFF ’06’s Babel) stars in this fantasy-fuelled fable from director Josef Kubota Wladyka (Catch the Fair One), which follows a Tokyo ballroom enthusiast as she dreams and dances her way through spells of bliss and sorrow.
A GIRL UNKNOWN: Directed by Zou Jing, China. North American Premiere
In Zou Jing’s assured debut, Cao Ruofan and Li Gengxi (Bi Gan’s Resurrection) portray a girl passed through three different families and identities under China’s one-child policy. Visually refined, this affecting coming-of-age drama explores resilience and self-determination.
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: Directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan, China. World Premiere
Peter Ho-Sun Chan directs Zhou Xun, Wen Qi, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Wang Xiao in a drama about early-onset Alzheimer disease. Combining expert storytelling with commercial appeal, The Road Not Taken reflects on what remains when our understanding of the world begins to disappear.
For the complete list of TIFF Films 2026 and how to secure your tickets. Visit www.tiff.net
If you’re also looking beyond the screens, find out what else is happening during TIFF 2026 including the popular Festival Street (Check out the Lavazza Festival Village Experience!), “In Conversation…” talks, and the Festival Street Art Market. See all the details at tiff.net.
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All photos courtesy of TIFF.
What else is happening this month? Visit our City Girl’s Guide to Toronto this September.