The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled the Gala and Special Presentations programmes for its 51st edition, with Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend set to close the festival on September 19.
TORONTO: The Toronto International Film Festival is kicking off its week of announcements with its Gala, presented by Lavazza, and Special Presentations programmes, welcoming acclaimed filmmakers, celebrated talent, and some of the most anticipated films of the year to Toronto. Showcasing a dynamic mix of World Premieres, critically acclaimed international cinema, and compelling storytelling from directors to watch, the films announced today reflect TIFF’s ongoing commitment to bringing audiences together through exceptional film experiences from around the globe. The 51st edition of TIFF, presented by Rogers, will run September 10–20, 2026.
This year’s Gala and Special Presentations feature films from nearly 30 countries, highlighting distinctive artistic visions by leading global directors including: Pedro Almodóvar, Danny Boyle, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Lee Chang-dong, Jesse Eisenberg, Gael García Bernal, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Mike Leigh, John Madden, Rachel Morrison, Cristian Mungiu, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Florian Zeller and Andrey Zvyagintsev.
The Gala and Special Presentations programmes are popular with TIFF audiences for their glitzy A-list red carpets and future award winners, as well as for presenting a curated collection of films that reflect the diversity and creativity of today’s filmmaking landscape.
TIFF is also announcing that its Closing Night Film will be Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend, a biographical sports drama that chronicles the early years of Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve’s career, taking place on Saturday, September 19.
2026 Gala Presentations (in alphabetical order)
*PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
A Talent for Murder | Anton Corbijn | United Kingdom, Italy
World Premiere
All About Corinne | Marc Fitoussi | France
North American Premiere
Always Lalisa | Sue Kim | USA
World Premiere
Atonement | Reed Van Dyk | USA
North American Premiere
Babies | Lauren Miller Rogen | USA
World Premiere
*Being Heumann | Siân Heder | USA
World Premiere
Opening Night Film
Bunker | Florian Zeller | France, Spain
North American Premiere
Diary of a Mad Old Man | Wayne Wang | USA
World Premiere
Evil Genius | Courteney Cox | USA
World Premiere
Girl Group | Rebel Wilson | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story | Adrian Buitenhuis | Canada
World Premiere
Misty Green | Chris Rock | USA
World Premiere
Onwards and Sideways | John Madden | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Pretenders | Joss Crowley | United Kingdom
World Premiere
*Prima Facie | Susanna White | Australia, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Run Terry Run | Sean Menard | Canada
Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret of the First Emperor | Nguyen Phan Quang Binh | Vietnam
International Premiere
Tenzing | Jennifer Peedom | USA, Australia
Canadian Premiere
*The Assassin(s) | Hur Jin-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd | Tim Blake Nelson | USA
World Premiere
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York | Noah Segan | USA
Canadian Premiere
Up Against It | Trudie Styler | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Closing Night Film
Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend | Yan Lanouette Turgeon | Canada
World Premiere
2026 Special Presentations (in alphabetical order)
*PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
A Long Winter | Andrew Haigh | Canada, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
All of a Sudden | Ryûsuke Hamaguchi | France, Japan, Germany, Belgium
North American Premiere
All That She Wants | Scarlett Bermingham, Andrew Rhymer | USA, Canada
World Premiere
*Alpha Gang | David Zellner, Nathan Zellner | USA
International Premiere
Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo | Takashi Miike | USA, United Kingdom, Japan
World Premiere
Bitter Christmas | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain
North American Premiere
Clarissa | Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri | Nigeria, USA
North American Premiere
Club Kid | Jordan Firstman | USA
Canadian Premiere
Coward | Lukas Dhont | Belgium
North American Premiere
Elsinore | Simon Stone | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Everest: The Other Side | Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | USA
Canadian Premiere
Everybody Wants To F*** Me | Jonathan Schey | United Kingdom, France, USA
World Premiere
Faith | Paul Andrew Williams | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Fjord | Cristian Mungiu | Romania, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
Canadian Premiere
Gentle Monster | Marie Kreutzer | Austria
Canadian Premiere
*Glaxo | Benjamín Naishtat | Argentina, Brazil
World Premiere
Growth of the Soil | Hans Petter Moland | Norway
World Premiere
Happily Ever After | Feng-I Fiona Roan | Taiwan
World Premiere
Hombre al agua | Gael García Bernal | Mexico
North American Premiere
I Play Rocky | Peter Farrelly | USA
World Premiere
In Alaska | Jaap van Heusden, Vinnie Karetak | Netherlands, Canada
World Premiere
Ink | Danny Boyle | United Kingdom, France, USA
Canadian Premiere
Josephine | Beth de Araújo | USA
Canadian Premiere
La Bola Negra | Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi | Spain, France
Canadian Premiere
Le Faux Soir | Michaël R. Roskam | Belgium, France
World Premiere
Look Back | Hirokazu Kore-eda | Japan
North American Premiere
*Love of Your Life | Rachel Morrison | USA
World Premiere
Minotaur | Andrey Zvyagintsev | France, Germany, Latvia
Canadian Premiere
Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? | Shinya Tsukamoto | Japan
North American Premiere
Paradise Lost | Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
Phoolan | Richie Mehta | India
World Premiere
Possible Love | Lee Chang-dong | South Korea
North American Premiere
Tender Loving Care | Mike Leigh | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
The Age of Goodbyes | Edmund Yeo | Taiwan, Malaysia
World Premiere
The Beloved | Rodrigo Sorogoyen | Spain
North American Premiere
The Debut | Jesse Eisenberg | USA
International Premiere
*The Housewife | Ben Shirinian | USA
World Premiere
The Julia Set | Niki Byrne | USA
World Premiere
The Man I Love | Ira Sachs | USA
North American Premiere
The Stunt Driver | Michael Dowse | Canada
World Premiere
The Unknown | Arthur Harari | France
North American Premiere
Whatcha Want | Mina Shum | Canada
World Premiere
*Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Bassam Tariq | USA
World Premiere
The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 10–20, 2026. The inaugural edition of TIFF: The Market takes place the first week of Festival, September 10–16, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
About TIFF: TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. A global leader in film and entertainment, TIFF initiatives include the annual Toronto International Film Festival® in September; TIFF Lightbox, which features five cinemas, plus learning and entertainment facilities; the Donald Shebib TIFF Film Circuit, an innovative national distribution programme; and TIFF: The Market launching in 2026. The organization generates an estimated annual economic impact of $240 million CAD. TIFF Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel, and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation, and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.
TIFF is generously supported by Festival Presenting Sponsor Rogers Communications. TIFF is generously supported by Major Sponsors RBC and Visa, and Major Supporters Telefilm Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of Toronto. TIFF’s Gala Presentations programme is presented by Lavazza.
With nearly 30 countries represented and directors ranging from Almodóvar to a first-time filmmaker in Chris Rock, this is one of the deepest Gala and Special Presentations slates TIFF has assembled in years — and the first indicator of how stacked the fall festival circuit is shaping up to be. Expect several of these titles to carry directly into the awards conversation once September wraps.
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