#TIFF26: TIFF welcomes acclaimed filmmakers and talent to its 2026 Gala and Special Presentations programmes

World Premieres include: Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky, Sue Kim’s Always Lalisa, John Madden’s Onwards and Sideways, Hans Petter Moland’s Growth of the Soil, Chris Rock’s Misty Green, Yeon Sang-ho’s Paradise Lost and Mina Shum’s Whatcha Want

 Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend announced as Closing Night Gala 

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

Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend | Yan Lanouette Turgeon | Canada

World Premiere 

Closing Night Film

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.

____________________________________

(Poster/Photo/Video credit: TIFF)

#TIFF #TIFF26 #GalaPresentations #SpecialPresentation #Film #Toronto