The Toronto International Film Festival in 2026 is set to kick off with the premiere of the movie “Being Heumann,” as revealed by the event organizers on Tuesday. The film, based on a well-received 2020 memoir of the same name, directed by Siân Heder, chronicles the life of Judy Heumann, a notable advocate for disability rights. The cast includes Ruth Madeley playing the lead role and Mark Ruffalo portraying former U.S. health secretary Joseph Califano.
Siân Heder, whose film “CODA” earned the Best Picture award at the Oscars in 2022, will become the fourth female filmmaker to open the festival. This follows the footsteps of Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” in 2022, Deepa Mehta’s “Water” in 2005, and Patricia Rozema’s “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing” in 1987. Additionally, two other films scheduled for world premieres during the festival were announced: Susanna White’s “Prima Facie” and Hur Jin-ho’s “Assassin(s).”
“Prima Facie” featuring Cynthia Erivo, an Oscar-nominated actress, tells the story of a defense attorney defending accused sexual offenders who becomes a victim of sexual assault. It is an adaptation of Suzie Miller’s one-woman stage play of the same title, with Miller also handling the screenplay.
On the other hand, “Assassin(s)” delves into the real-life 1974 attempted assassination of South Korean president Park Chung-hee. Park Hae-il, known for his roles in “Decision to Leave” and “The Host,” will play a news editor striving to unravel the mysteries surrounding the assassination attempt.
The Toronto International Film Festival, running from September 10 to 20 this year, will unveil its lineup of films for the 51st edition on August 11. Last year’s festival showcased over 200 films, including North American or worldwide premieres of highly anticipated releases for the following year. Notable films included Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Curry Barker’s horror hit “Obsession,” and Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”
The 50th anniversary festival marked a resurgence for TIFF after facing challenges in previous years such as the impact of COVID-19, strikes affecting film productions, and the unfortunate death of Queen Elizabeth on the opening day of the 2022 festival. However, the success of the 2025 People’s Choice winner “Hamnet” receiving an Oscars nomination for Best Picture revived TIFF’s status as a significant player in the awards season.
Since 2008, every People’s Choice winner at TIFF has gone on to secure a top Oscar nomination, except for two films: “Where Do We Go Now?” in 2011 and “The Life of Chuck” in 2024. This track record has solidified TIFF’s reputation as the “people’s festival,” attracting major studios to showcase their premieres at an event deemed more accessible than other prestigious film festivals like Cannes or Venice.
The 51st annual Toronto International Film Festival will be hosted at various venues, including TIFF Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall, the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre, Cinema Park, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre. Additionally, the John Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre will host screenings for the first time this year.
Tickets for the festival will be available for TIFF members starting on August 21 and for the general public on August 31.