2026 Toronto Film Festival Photos: Premieres, Red Carpet & Parties

The 51st Toronto Film Festival is celebrating a major milestone this year, and the festivities are about to begin. Kicking off on Thursday, September 10, and running through September 20, the festival will showcase a massive program of 293 feature films, 45 shorts and 32 premieres.

This year’s festival kicks off with Siân Heder’s inspiring drama Being Heumann, starring Ruth Madeley as disability rights activist Judith Heumann, which serves as the opening night film at Roy Thomson Hall. Premiering films today include the musical horror Stuffed, starring Jodie Comer and Harry Melling, and the Rebeca Huntt documentary Rapinoe, about soccer star Megan Rapinoe.

The Gala Presentations section also features high-profile world premieres including Anton Corbijn’s A Talent for Murder, John Madden’s Onwards and Sideways, Chris Rock’s Misty Green, Hur Jin-ho’s South Korean political thriller The Assassin(s) and Tim Blake Nelson’s The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd.

Genre fans and late-night moviegoers are in for a fright-fest with TIFF’s 2026 Midnight Madness program. The lineup opens with Joshua Giuliano’s slasher River and closes with Duncan Jones’ comic-book adaptation Rogue Trooper. The section also features the world premiere of Anna Biller’s long-awaited follow-up to The Love Witch, medieval ghost story The Face of Horror, alongside Paolo Strippoli’s psychological thriller The Spiral.

The closing-night film is the Canadian director Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s sports drama Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend, about the early years of Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve. Other standout Gala and Special Presentations titles across the festival include new works from international favorites, featuring world and North American premieres from directors like Diego Luna (Ashes), Valeska Grisebach (The Dreamed Adventure) and Anthony Chen (We Are All Strangers).

The festival also debuts a major structural expansion this year with the launch of TIFF: The Market at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, hosting industry activity alongside new venue additions like the John Bassett Theatre. The pre-announced TIFF Tribute Awards will continue to honor standout international filmmakers, stars, and emerging voices during the opening weekend.

Additionally, several awards will be voted on during the festival, with the most significant being the People’s Choice Awards, which are chosen by the audience and often predict Oscar success.

The 51st edition of the Toronto Film Festival takes place Thursday, September 10–20, 2025.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Being Heumann” Premiere

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Dylan O’Brien attends the premiere of “Being Heumann” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Being Heumann” Premiere

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Dylan O’Brien attends the premiere of “Being Heumann” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival

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D’Arcee Neal, Antwan Tolliver, Charlie Rush-Reese, Rein Barcel, Roberta Colindrez, Jon Beavers, Matthew August Jeffers, Will Brill, Sian Heder, Ruth Madeley, Dylan O’Brien, Ray Fisher, Rio Finnegan, Daniel Durant, Siena Rafter, Andrew Pilkington, Madeline Delp and Russell Harvard at the “Being Heumann” premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario,Canada.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Rapinoe” Premiere

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Megan Rapinoe attends the premiere of “Rapinoe” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Rapinoe” Premiere

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Rebeca Huntt and Megan Rapinoe attend the premiere of “Rapinoe” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Stuffed” Premiere

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(L-R) Harry Melling, Joss Holden-Rea, Theo Rhys and Jodie Comer attend the premiere of “Stuffed” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival

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Harry Melling and Jodie Comer at the “Stuffed” premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario,Canada.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Stuffed” Premiere

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Jodie Comer attends the premiere of “Stuffed” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival

Image Credit: Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images

Harry Melling at the “Stuffed” premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario,Canada.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Stuffed” Premiere

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(L-R) H.S. Naji, Chris Dickens, Holly Rebecca, Wyatt Garfield, Dimitra Tsingou, Jackie Langelier, Kat Morgan, Sam Ritzenberg, Theo Rhys, Danny Roberts, Joss Holden-Rea, Kathleen Crawford, Myles Payne, Beck Rainford and Eoin Mallon attend the premiere of “Stuffed” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

2026 Toronto International Film Festival – “Toy Gun Bandit” Premiere

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David Beaudoin, Mathieu Bourret, Brandon Truong, Xavier Bossé, Clélia Brissaud, Chau-Phi Van Quirion, Felix Munger, Rémi St-Michel, Jenny Mark Turmel Pichette, Anaëlle Béglet, Sara Montpetit, and Rémi Dufresne attends the premiere of “Toy Gun Bandit” during the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.

TIFF Film Festival 2026

Image Credit: Earl Gibson III/Deadline