The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival opened on 10 September with its official opening-night film Being Heumann, the latest from Oscar winner Siân Heder, director of Best Picture winner CODA. Now in its 51st year, the ten-day festival forms the third leg of the autumn festival circuit alongside Venice and Telluride, helping to shape the forthcoming awards season with a raft of world premieres, gala screenings and other events.

Notable premieres include new work from Peter Farrelly (I Play Rocky), John Madden (Onwards & Sideways), Chris Rock (Misty Green) and Anton Corbijn (A Talent for Murder), alongside Susanna White's Prima Facie starring Cynthia Erivo and Hur Jin-ho's The Assassin(s). Other selections feature Courteney Cox's directorial debut Evil Genius, Tim Blake Nelson's prison thriller The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, and Rebel Wilson's Girl Group. Deadline is publishing reviews of films from the festival on a rolling basis, including early coverage of Being Heumann and Ben Shirinian's feature debut starring Naomi Watts.