# Sian Heder Says “Collective Action Matters” as ‘Being Heumann’ Opens Toronto Film Festival

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/sian-heder-says-collective-action-matters-as-being-heumann-opens-toronto-film-festival/
- Published: 2026-09-11T08:37:07+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-11T14:44:04+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/toronto-film-festival-2026-opening-night-being-heumann-1236697379/
- Topics: Americas, Business, Entertainment, Film, Markets, World

## Key points

- Being Heumann, a disability-rights drama, opened TIFF's 51st edition
- Director Sian Heder said "collective action matters" amid rights rollbacks
- US-Canada trade tensions and patriotism coloured the opening night

## Summary

Director Sian Heder opened the 51st Toronto International Film Festival with the premiere of Being Heumann, her drama about disability-rights activist Judy Heumann, telling the Roy Thomson Hall audience that "collective action matters" at a time when "a lot of groups of people are getting left behind." Heder, the Oscar-winning director of CODA, said rights won in the 1970s "are under threat" and admitted to feeling uncertain about the value of protest despite having joined demonstrations herself this year. The screening carried added resonance in Toronto amid strained US-Canada relations under President Donald Trump, with a groundswell of Canadian patriotism evident among the audience.

The Apple Original Films production stars Ruth Madeley as Heumann, dramatising her landmark 1977 protest campaign that helped launch the US disability-rights movement and paved the way for the Americans With Disabilities Act. Following the screening, Heder brought her cast of disability actors on stage for a Q&A, while Madeley thanked the director for trusting her with the role. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also spoke at the opening, alluding to Trump's renaming of a Great Lake as "Lake America" by affirming the city's waterfront would "always be Lake Ontario." The trade dispute is expected to loom over the festival, given that roughly two-thirds of Canadian film and TV exports go to the US market; TIFF runs until 20 September.

## Coverage

- [The Hollywood Reporter: Sian Heder Says “Collective Action Matters” as ‘Being Heumann’ Opens Toronto Film Festival](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/toronto-film-festival-2026-opening-night-being-heumann-1236697379/)
- [Deadline: ‘Being Heumann’ Review: Siân Heder & Talented Disabled Ensemble Recount Historic Protest That Paved Way For ADA — Toronto Film Festival](https://deadline.com/2026/09/being-heumann-review-sian-heder-disabled-historic-protest-1237073302/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.