{"id":1320,"date":"2025-09-04T13:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T13:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/1320\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T13:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T13:10:14","slug":"tiff-schedule-today-john-candy-documentary-to-open-festivals-50th-edition-and-more-events-on-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/1320\/","title":{"rendered":"TIFF schedule today: John Candy documentary to open festival\u2019s 50th edition and more events on Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival begins, featuring 291 films and a slew of A-list celebrity red carpet appearances.Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

TIFF highlights for Sept. 4The Toronto International Film Festival<\/a> returns today for its 50th edition, and will run from Sept. 4 to 14. This year\u2019s festival includes an official selection of 291 films (215 features, 10 television series, 66 shorts), including buzzy titles, awards-season hopefuls and big-name documentaries. It will also bring a slew of A-list celebrities into town. The Globe has a list of our most anticipated TIFF 2025 titles<\/a> here. There has been more than a strong whiff of controversy over this year\u2019s programming. TIFF has reinvited<\/a> The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a Canadian documentary about Hamas\u2019s attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to screen as an official selection after earlier withdrawing its invitation last month. While TIFF celebrates its 50th birthday and keeps on growing, Wavelengths, its festival within a festival, finds itself on the brink of forced early retirement<\/a>. Wavelengths has a loyal and committed following, with its avant-garde shorts programs attracting numerous aficionados from abroad.A little known fact about the festival is that it would not have happened had a Toronto lawyer named Dusty Cohl not snagged a primo parking spot in front of Cannes\u2019s Carlton Hotel back in 1960. Film editor Barry Hertz explores the too-good-to-question origin story and the top 50 moments<\/a> that define Canada\u2019s glitziest cultural behemoth. The TIFF film premieres happening todayJohn Candy: I Like MeOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

John Candy: I Like Me will open the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday at Roy Thomson Hall.Supplied<\/p>\n

TIFF is set to open with the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me<\/a> (Sept. 4, 6 p.m., VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre). The documentary is a tribute to the Canadian comedic icon, who got his start on sketch comedy show Second City Television. Directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, the film features<\/a> candid stories and memories from Candy\u2019s family, closest friends and long-time collaborators such as Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O\u2019Hara and Martin Short, covering his life on and off camera. <\/p>\n

John Candy: I Like Me screens at TIFF on Sept. 4, 5 and 9.<\/p>\n

Sentimental ValueOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, left, and Elle Fanning in a scene from “Sentimental Value.”Kasper Tuxen\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

Joachim Trier\u2019s Sentimental Value<\/a>, which took the Grand Prix at this year\u2019s Cannes Film Festival, will have its Canadian premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre on opening night (Sept. 4, 9:30 p.m., VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre). The multigenerational drama, starring Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve, portrays a director\u2019s bid to revive his career and repair his family\u2019s broken bonds.<\/p>\n

Sentimental Value screens at TIFF on Sept. 4 and 5. <\/p>\n

Mile End Kicks Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A scene from Chandler Levack’s “Mile End Kicks” starring Barbie Ferreira.HO\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Canadian writer-director Chandler Levack\u2019s new rom-com, Mile End Kicks<\/a>, is also having its world premiere on the festival\u2019s opening night (Sept. 4, 8:30 p.m., Royal Alexandra Theatre). The autobiographical second feature sees Grace Pine (Barbie Ferreira), a skittish 24-year-old music critic, move to Montreal from Toronto in 2011 to write a book about Alanis Morissette\u2019s seminal album, Jagged Little Pill. Ahead of the film\u2019s TIFF premiere, Levack reflects on the experience<\/a>: \u201cI was terrified to even admit that I wanted to be a filmmaker because it felt like such a lofty dream,\u201d she said. \u201cBoth my movies are about people who are terrified to make art and avoid it the entire time, while constantly talking about the thing they want to make.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mile End Kicks screens at TIFF on Sept. 4, 9 and 13.<\/p>\n

Midnight Madness: Nirvanna the Band the Show the MovieOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A scene from Matt Johnson’s “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” starring Johnson and co-writer Jay McCarrol.HO\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The first screening featured in TIFF\u2019s Midnight Madness program this year is Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie<\/a> (Sept. 4, 11:59 p.m., Royal Alexandra Theatre) on opening night. Director Matt Johnson\u2019s newest film is a time-travel buddy comedy based on his cult web series with Jay McCarrol (which also spawned a two-season Viceland run). <\/p>\n

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie screens at TIFF\u2019s Midnight Madness on Sept. 4.<\/p>\n

Star watch Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Ryan Reynolds on the red carpet for a film during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.Darren Calabrese\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Ryan Reynolds will likely appear on the red carpet on Thursday to celebrate the premiere of John Candy: I Like Me. He is also set to participate in an \u201cIn Conversation With…\u201d session<\/a> to discuss his work as a producer on the documentary and the influence Candy had on his own career (Sept. 5, 2:30 p.m., Royal Alexandra Theatre). Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve are likely to walk the red carpet ahead of the Canadian premiere of Sentimental Value.The big parties and other eventsOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

TIFF\u2019s Festival Street returns for its 10th year, transforming a section of King Street West into a pedestrian-only zone.Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The festival\u2019s kickoff celebration will be held at Soluna nightclub on Sept. 4.There will be a \u201cHollywood North\u201d party on Sept. 4 at the Sutton Place Hotel Toronto and its Abrielle restaurant from 7 p.m. to midnight.\u00a0TIFF\u2019s Festival Street returns for its 10th year, transforming a section of King Street West into a pedestrian-only zone from Sept. 4 to 7. The celebrations will extend into David Pecaut Square from Sept. 4 to 13 for open-air movie screenings and other activities.The Rogers TIFF 50 Timescape event and installation runs from Sept. 5 to 7 in Yorkville. How to get TIFF tickets, and other common questionsOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The City of Toronto prepares for the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 03.Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

How do you buy TIFF tickets?<\/p>\n

You can buy curated ticket packages, member bundles or individual tickets<\/a> to film screenings. Tickets went on sale to the general public Aug. 25, but you are still able to purchase individual tickets to screenings throughout the festival. Prices for regular screenings start at $29 and prices for premium screenings start at $43. Browse films and purchase tickets on TIFF\u2019s website.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Where can I see this year\u2019s festival schedule?<\/p>\n

The TIFF schedule is available on the festival\u2019s website<\/a> and can be sorted by venue, type of screening and date. <\/p>\n

What are \u201crush\u201d tickets, and how do they work? <\/p>\n

Festival-goers who are unable to secure a ticket online are able to wait in rush lines for screenings. About 15 minutes prior to a screening\u2019s start time, staff will count the amount of empty seats in the cinema and sell rush tickets to those in line on a first-come, first-served basis. The TIFF website recommends<\/a> arriving no earlier than 60 minutes before the screening to wait in the rush line. <\/p>\n

TIFF25: Essential reads<\/p>\n

The 15 buzziest movies you can\u2019t miss at this year\u2019s Toronto film festival<\/a><\/p>\n

On TIFF\u2019s 50th anniversary, 50 moments that define Canada\u2019s glitziest cultural behemoth<\/a><\/p>\n

In defence of TIFF’s Wavelengths, the incredibly shrinking film festival program<\/a><\/p>\n

Scarlett the great: At TIFF, Johansson leaves Marvel behind for a deeply Jewish story of forgiveness<\/a><\/p>\n

The Decibel podcast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: The 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival begins, featuring 291 films and a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[276,261,277,251,249,278,275,248,268,269,264,250,247,219,84,156,273,267,259,289,252,253,266,262,263,256,279,409,257,284,111,285,139,287,282,286,69,280,283,254,271,272,135,270,281,260,145,274,265,258,255,288],"class_list":["post-1320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-entertainment","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-movies","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-new-zealand","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-newzealand","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-nz","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}