Siân Heder, the Oscar-winning director of "CODA," returns with "Being Heumann," a historical drama and biopic that dramatises the 1970s US Disability Rights movement through the story of activist Judy Heumann, played by Ruth Madeley. The film, reviewed at TIFF, is being praised as a worthy follow-up to "CODA," combining nuanced direction with a large ensemble cast to portray a pivotal moment in American civil rights history.

Set largely in 1977, the film follows Heumann's campaign to force the Carter administration to sign Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which protected federal civil rights for disabled Americans. Mark Ruffalo plays Joe Califano, the health secretary who resists signing due to its $3 billion cost, prompting Heumann and fellow activists to stage sit-ins and occupations in San Francisco and Washington DC that became one of the longest sit-ins in US history. The cast, including Anthony Ippolito, Antwan Tolliver, Roberta Colindrez and Dylan O'Brien, portrays a diverse coalition of activists, with the review highlighting how the film's ensemble scenes capture the movement's collective spirit.