The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival is set to kick off with the premiere of the biographical film “Being Heumann,” as announced by organizers on Tuesday. The movie, based on the acclaimed 2020 memoir of the same name, is directed by Siân Heder and chronicles the life of Judy Heumann, a well-known advocate for disability rights. The lead roles will be portrayed by Ruth Madeley as Judy Heumann and Mark Ruffalo as former U.S. health secretary Joseph Califano.
Siân Heder, whose film “CODA” won the best picture award at the 2022 Oscars, will become the fourth female director to have her film open the prestigious festival, following 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.
In addition to “Being Heumann,” the world premieres of two other films were announced on Tuesday: Susanna White’s “Prima Facie” and Hur Jin-ho’s “Assassin(s).” “Prima Facie,” featuring Cynthia Erivo, tells the story of a defense attorney who gets sexually assaulted while representing accused sexual offenders. The film is based on the one-woman stage play of the same title by Suzie Miller, who also penned 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 will portray a news editor striving to uncover unanswered questions surrounding the assassination attempt.
The 51st edition of TIFF is scheduled to run from September 10-20, with the lineup of films for this year’s festival set to be revealed on August 11. Last year’s festival showcased over 200 titles and featured North American or world premieres of highly anticipated films such as 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 of the festival marked a resurgence after previous years were impacted by various challenges. However, the success of “Hamnet” at the Oscars reaffirmed TIFF’s position as a significant player in the awards season. With a track record of People’s Choice winners often securing top Oscar nominations, TIFF has gained a reputation as the “people’s festival,” attracting major studios to showcase their films at the event.
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival will be held 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, screenings will take place at the John Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre 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.