Has it been 51 years already? The 2026 edition of Toronto International Film Festival starts Thursday, and I am back in the big city to take on as many movies as possible in 11 days without passing out on King Street next to a streetcar.
As I get older and ascend into 20+ years of covering festivals, I figured that for this time in Canada’s largest city, that I need backup. Luckily, I have my fellow film writer and friend Paul Gratton with me on the journey. With thanks and gratitude to TIFF, we are now both armed with press passes and taking on TIFF full steam on from September 10th to 20th. I’m flying in from Western Canada for my 11th year at the festival whereas Paul lives IN Toronto and lives and breathes cinema here, and has had many more years and stories about doing not only this festival, but moviegoing itself in the city.
With decades of movie watching, reviews and coverage under my belt AND the former Programming Director of the Whistler Film Festival at my side, we’re back at the 2026 edition to go serious and see as many things as we can and write about them.
The festival opens this year with Sian Heder’s new film Being Heumann, from the filmmaker behind the Apple Originals title Coda which made its way to a Best Picture win. There is already a lot of buzz for this new movie, also an Apple Originals title, about Judy Heumann, the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement”. Heumann is played by Ruth Madeley that is already getting Oscar buzz even though no one has seen the movie yet, and the movie also has a terrific looking cast. Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O’Brien & Rob Delaney are also featured in the cast. I will definitely be checking at least one of the screenings out, and hoping to report that I got a spare ticket to the opening gala. Hope hope! The movie is coming to theatres in early November before getting a release on Apple TV a few weeks later.
Closing the festival is the French Canadian narrative Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend which tells the story of Gilles Villeneuve, a young kid from Quebec who revolutionized Formula One racing in the 1970s and shows his progress over time. I have only seen a few fleeting images so far but the excitement for anything racing is something that will hit my cinematic pleasure centres.
With over 275+ features, shorts, a buyer’s and seller’s market in its first year, a Festival Street on King Street to do great interactions, park screenings and one house after another all over the King & John Street area of Toronto, the city is an open and exciting time. Once again this year, all of the venues are within walking distance from each other including the Toronto Convention Centre, making its debut for the inaugural TIFF Market, a place for upcoming movies to sell to the Industry market. But we’re here for the movies, and it’s great to know that I can simply walk to and from the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, the heavenly Bell Lightbox and Princess of Wales, Royal Alexandra Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall not too far from each other. Just have a good pair of walking shoes!
If you are also here and attending and looking to build a schedule of films, head on over to TIFFR (2026.tiffr.com) where the entire schedule is in the most easiest to read grid and is interactive. I wanted to mention the TIFFR team specifically this year as they have been essential to not only finding the right movies to see but also DURING the festival when I am trying to update my schedule. Just see as many as you can and take chances on anything!
And again, we are here for the movies. Along with the aforementioned galas, here are five more that I am excited to check out, big and small.
I PLAY ROCKY – I’m here in Toronto to attend this screening. Big time. The reason? I am a huge fan of Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK, which won the audience award at TIFF 2018. I was in attendance for the very first ever screening of this movie and loved every second, so as per usual I like to keep tradition when I follow a filmmaker. Here this stars () as Sylvester Stallone and the pivotal point in his life when he wants to make the now famous boxing movie ROCKY, but on his own terms. From what I can tell, the lead here Anthony Ippolito is fascinating and there will be some serious awards buzz out of TIFF this year.
Fjord – Another tradition of mine here in Toronto is to always see the P’alme D’or winner, and this new film is from Cristin Munguiu, who I remember first experiencing with 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS which made my Top 10 year end list. This is a courtdroom drama that apparently deals in some very serious topics, and since it’s such a prestigious and acclaimed film I have not read too much into it yet and will save it for when I see it at the festival this year. It also features my favourite actress right now, Renate Rensive (Sentimental Value, which I saw here last year and chose it as the best movie of 2025) which doesn’t take much convincing from me to see her on the big screen.
The Debut – One of the best filmmakers working today is none other than Jesse Eisenberg, whose A REAL PAIN from 2024 was near the top of my list of that year’s best movies (it only lost to FLOW, also a TIFF alum) and he’s back here with Julianne Moore & Paul Giamatti. The early trailer looked so much fun, fascinating and a movie that’s really made for adults and encourages intelligence, and I’ll be at the very first show of this to support Jesse.
Whatcha Want – Forever a fan of Mina Shum, who is a filmmaker I have run into many times on the circuit and has directed such great films like Double Happiness & Mediation Park among many, many others. She’s back this year with a new movie about a young woman who marries a richer man and moves to Vancouver, where she is taken in by a chauffeur (Tzi Ma) and convinced to just enjoy her new life instead of challenging it. Shum has always been known to balance drama with comedy very well and especially showcasing Asian-Canadian talent very well, so I’m excited to check this out at the festival this year.
The Stunt Driver – Another Canadian title! Though it’s coming out in a few weeks time, I’m pumped for anything from filmmaker Michael Dowse (The Fubar Movies & The F Word, the latter of which I saw at my very first TIFF in 2013) and this is about legendary Canadian stuntman Ken Carter who wanted risk it all, especially in what will likely be a wonderful segment in, where I quote from the official festival notes, “a historic jump in a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental across a mile-wide expanse of the St. Lawrence River”.
And that’s only just a few! I really wish I could list ALL of the great looking films at the festival this year, but there’s only so much time! Throughout the festival, watch for reactions from both Paul & myself, or follow me on Instagram where I really love to post stories whenever I can.
Our thanks to TIFF and the media team for having us as press at the festival this year! To find out about more about the movies and for more updates, point your browser to TIFF.net!