The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is in town, and while there are movies shot around the globe screening at the event, there are also several filmed right here in the city.

From a drama set in Parkdale to a documentary about one of the most popular TV series set in Toronto, here are six films based in Toronto that are playing at TIFF this year.

100 Sunset

Set in Parkdale, 100 Sunset is a mysterious thriller following Kunsel (Tenzin Kunsel) and Passang (Sonam Choekyi), two young women in an apartment complex whose relationship threatens to have wider repercussions throughout their community. 

The movie follows introverted Kunsel, whose interests include petty theft and using her new camera to spy on her neighbours. She soon meets Passang, a newcomer married to an older man. This dark tale of desire sees the duo explore both feelings of cultural dislocation and the desire to escape.

Interwoven through the plot of the movie, filmmaker Kunsang Kyirong creates a detailed portrait of a wider network of Tibetan immigrants living in the west Toronto neighbourhood, whose lives intersect in various ways through the 99-minute movie. 

The film is having its world premiere on Saturday, Sept. 6, with other screenings slated for later in the festival.

Butterfly on a Wheel

Set in Toronto, Butterfly on a Wheel is a short film following a talented young musician, Jacen Davis (Curran Walters), who is studying jazz at the Royal Conservatory of Music while battling with mental health challenges like OCD and anxiety.

As he struggles with his mental health, he dreams of overcoming these challenges to perform at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. After meeting fellow student Sorrel (Brielle Robillard) and with the help of his brother (Michael Provost), Jacen begins a journey that will change the way he sees the world around him as he tries to find his most authentic self. 

This movie is exclusively screening for all Accredited Industry passholders on Saturday, Sept. 6.

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Modern Whore

Modern Whore is a documentary challenging toxic assumptions, misconceptions, and faulty representations about sex workers while exploring the industry they work in. 

Running at 80 minutes, the documentary is an expansion of the 2020 short film and book of the same name from director Nicole Bazuin and documentary subject and co-writer Andrea Werhun. Through the piece, Werhun shares the story of her career as an escort and exotic dancer. She explores the lessons she learned throughout her journey, including the challenges posed by a lack of protection from toxic clients, and her own internalized shame surrounding societal views around women’s pleasure and the sex industry.

But the doc goes beyond Werhun’s experiences, validating and celebrating other people in the industry and exploring who they are as individuals. It includes the experiences of other workers whose experiences differ from Werhun’s to create a more inclusive and accurate portrait of the sex worker community.

The film is having its world premiere on Friday, Sept. 5 and has several other showings between then and Sept. 12.

You Had to Be There

You Had to Be There, AKA You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way) is another documentary set in Toronto – this one telling the story of a theatre production that rocked the city more than 50 years ago.

Way back on June 1, 1972, Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre opened its doors for a run of Godspell, a musical version of the Book of Matthew. What started as a small production went on to dazzle audiences during its 14-month run, which featured a cast of stars like Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Jayne Eastwood, as well as a cast featuring the likes of musical director Paul Shaffer.

Featuring interviews, archival footage, animated recreations, and more, the documentary explores Godspell’s impact and influence on the wider comedy genre, both on television, stand-up, and movies. 

The movie has its world premiere on Sunday, Sept. 7, but it’s also showing at several dates and times throughout TIFF 2025.

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Degrassi: Whatever it Takes

Calling all fans of Degrassi, have we got a documentary for ya’ll.

Featuring archival footage and new interviews with everyone from the show’s creators and fans to former cast members like Drake, Degrassi: Whatever it Takes gives viewers an in-depth look at one of the most popular teen television shows in Canadian history.

It started as a series of short films developed by Toronto teacher Linda Schuyler and her then-partner Kit Hood. The first season, The Kids of Degrassi Street, ran from 1979–1986, eventually going on to have several spin-offs, extensions and remakes. 

The new movie looks at how the decades-spanning franchise changed teen TV, exploring topics like abortion, disability, and more, which weren’t commonly discussed on youth programming at the time.

The film is having its world premiere on Monday, Sept. 8, with other showings set for TIFF’s run.

Frankenstein

Believe it or not, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein was partially shot here in the six. 

A remake of a classic based on the 1818 book by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein follows the story of the titular character, Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a scientist fascinated with life, who pieces together parts of several corpses to create “the monster” (Jacob Elordi).

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Frankenstein soon abandons the monster, who goes on to wreak havoc on the surrounding area after facing rejection from both his creator and the humans he interacts with.

Shot in a studio in Toronto and on location in Scotland, the long-awaited North American premiere of del Toro’s Frankenstein is slated for Monday, Sept. 8. 

For TIFF’s complete lineup, visit here.