#TIFF: TIFF MAY 2026 PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

This season, creative partnerships take centre stage at TIFF Cinematheque, alongside a curated slate in honour of Asian Heritage month in May, a lineup that celebrates and amplifies the work of Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ filmmakers in June, and (indoor and outdoor) programming inspired by the city’s love of the Beautiful Game. TIFF welcomes American independent filmmaker and author John Sayles for his first-ever TIFF Cinematheque retrospective, who will be joined by producing partner Maggie Renzi, curated by Toronto film critic Adam Nayman. Other notable guests coming to the Lightbox include bestselling author Maggie O’Farrell (Hamnet); Ashley Clark, Curatorial Director at the Criterion Collection; and Philipp Fleischmann, filmmaker and Artistic Director, School Friedl Kubelka for Independent Film. Another creative duo, here to celebrate National Canadian Film Day on April 15, are filmmakers Barbara Ulrich and Renaud Lessard for the Toronto Premiere of Barbaracadabra — free to the public!

TIFF celebrates Asian Heritage Month this May with a curated lineup including Hayao Miyazaki’s soaring adventure Porco Rosso; a series of features and shorts highlighting the 26‑year legacy of the JEONJU International Film Festival and its enduring commitment to independent and experimental filmmaking; Islands, a coming-of-middle-age film from Filipino Canadian filmmaker Martin Edralin; and a spotlight on the Seoul‑born, Toronto‑based filmmaker Helen Lee in Outside the Frame: The Films of Helen Lee. TIFF is also collaborating with Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) for a Silver Screenings presentation of Yasujirō Ozu’s first colour film Equinox Flower, introduced by Akiko Takesue, ROM’s Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art & Culture.

TIFF’s Pride Month this June features a special 10th‑anniversary screening of Barry Jenkins’ Academy Award–winning Moonlight (TIFF ’16); the new 4K restoration of James Bidgood’s underground classic Pink Narcissus; a free Silver Screenings presentation of Blake Edwards’ musical‑comedy Victor/Victoria; the 10th anniversary screening of Shoko Nakamura’s Dou kyu sei – Classmates; and rounding out the lineup, TIFF Next Wave partners with Trans Film Mentorship for a spirited 20th‑anniversary screening of Andy Fickman’s She’s The Man, starring Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, and Alexandra Breckenridge. The month wraps up with Miss 501: A Portrait of Luck, a documentary about Toronto’s drag scene in the early 2000s.

Downtown Movie Nights return to David Pecaut Square with six weeks of free outdoor screenings. In partnership with Toronto Downtown West BIA, the series launches Wednesday, June 24 with a sports‑themed film lineup celebrating the energy of the FIFA World Cup in Toronto. Each Wednesday night screening will start at 9:30pm, with a pre-show at 9pm featuring photo ops, live performances, film introductions, music and more. All screenings will include open captions.

Looking ahead to the fall, anime arrives at TIFF in a big way, with a new major marquee series opening in November building on the 2023 Pop Japan series, and growing popularity of Cinematheque’s new Animate series. More details on the lineup and guest curator will be announced soon!

Tickets for May programming will be available for TIFF Members on Wednesday, April 15 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, April 17. Tickets for June programming will be available for TIFF Members on Wednesday, May 13, at 12pm and to the public on Friday, May 15. Information is subject to change. Please visit tiff.net for up-to-date programming details.

TIFF CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

António Reis & Margarida Cordeiro, Restored

May 8–17

With a modest yet extraordinary body of work, the Portuguese filmmaking duo António Reis (1925–1991) and Margarida Cordeiro (b. 1938) shaped their national cinema across successive generations, despite remaining ripe for discovery abroad. António Reis & Margarida Cordeiro, Restored introduces their films, alongside attendant work by Manoel de Oliveira, Paulo Rocha, and Reis’ most celebrated student, Pedro Costa, showcasing the duo’s deep focus on the people and land of Portugal’s remote Northeast Trás-as Montes region, where they elaborated their singular pastoral visual poetry blending rigorous ethnographic observation with a wraithlike lyricism. Featuring new restorations of their three features — Trás-os-Montes, Ana, and Rosa de Areia — recently acquired for theatrical distribution by Cinema Guild, this retrospective offers a rare opportunity for Toronto audiences to finally discover these foundational films and their enduring legacy. The series includes in-person introductions by local critics and programmers Ryan Krahn and Saffron Maeve, as well as exclusive video introductions by renowned directors Pedro Costa and João Pedro Rodrigues.

TIFF and Korea Story Festival present JEONJU Projects

May 21–26

Since 2000, JEONJU International Film Festival has been a vital platform for independent and experimental cinema — not just screening bold work, but commissioning, distributing, and investing in it. Through the JEONJU Digital Projects and JEONJU Cinema Project, the festival had the vision to recognize digital technology’s transformative role in cinema’s future, championing filmmakers featured in this series, including Hong Sangsoo, Bong Joon-ho, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Ted Fendt, and György Pálfi, whose film Hen recently screened in the TIFF ’25 auteur competition programme, Platform. As JEONJU marks its 27th edition, this series celebrates that legacy with a selection of features and shorts that have expanded the horizons of film aesthetics and reimagined the festival as an active force in film production itself.

This series is supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Toronto.

Declarations of Independence: The Cinema of John Sayles

June 11–18

It’s been more than a decade since John Sayles’ last feature, Go For Sisters (2013), and he’s seen as an elder statesman of the American indie boom, having ceded the screen to more radical practitioners. But the fundamental things still apply, and in a moment when we’re more desperate than ever for cogent, cohesive, and principled political moviemaking, it seems like a good time to go back and look at Sayles’ body of work as a writer and a director; his subversive satires, probing character studies, and sturdy, hand-crafted dramas were built from the ground up to stand the test of time. Audiences can look forward to some of his early works including Return of the Secaucus Seven, The Brother From Another Planet, and Matewan. This series is guest-curated by film critic and author Adam Nayman.

From the Collection with Cameron Bailey

May 5, 6:30pm: Weekend (1967) dir. Jean-Luc Godard, 35mm print!

June 9, 6:30pm: The Portrait of a Lady (1996), dir. Jane Campion, 35mm print!

TIFF Cinematheque Special Screenings:

May 7, 7pm: Outside the Frame: The Films of Helen Lee, in-person Q&A with Lee

May 9, 6:30pm: Ashley Clark on This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (2019), dir. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

Supported by Visa

May 10, 3:30pm: Ashley Clark on Yeelen (1987) dir. Souleymane Cissé

May 10, 11:15am & May 16, 2:15pm: Giant (1956) dir. George Stevens, 35mm and 70th anniversary!

May 19, 6:30pm: Mikey and Nicky (1976) dir. Elaine May, new 4K restoration and 50th anniversary!

June 19, 6:00pm: Dry Leaf (2025) dir. Alexandre Koberidze, recorded introduction from the director.

June 21, 3:30pm: Miss 501: A Portrait of Luck (2002) dir. Clint Alberta under the pseudonym “Jules Karatechamp”

Animate

May 6, 6:30pm: Porco Rosso (1992) dir. Hayao Miyazaki

June 17, 6:30pm: Dou kyu sei – Classmates (2016) dir. Shoko Nakamura, 10th anniversary!

See the North presented by MUBI

Join Lead Canadian Programmer and series curator Jason Anderson

May 12, 6:30pm: Islands (2021) dir. Martin Edralin

June 16, 6:30pm: Wildhood (2021) dir. Bretten Hannam

TIFF Wavelengths Presents

May 13–14, 7:30 & 7pm: School Friedl Kubelka For Independent Film: Programmes 1 and 2 with Philipp Fleischmann

June 2, 6:30 PM: Selections by Diego Marcon with Diego Marcon in person

Co-presented with The Vega Foundation

TIFF Next Wave Presents

May 20, 6:30pm: Young Female Playwright (2026) dir. Pony Nicole Herauf, post-screening Q&A with director, Toronto Premiere!

June 24, 6:30pm: She’s the Man (2006) dir. Andy Fickman, 20th anniversary!

MDFF Selects

May 28, 6:30pm: Strange River (2025) dir. Jaume Claret Muxart, Toronto Premiere!

TIFF Cinematheque New and Restored

May 24, 3:45pm: Bitter Rice (1949) dir. Giuseppe De Santis, New 4K restoration!

June 23, 6:30pm: Pink Narcissus (1971) dir. James Bidgood, New 4K restoration and 55th anniversary!

Midnight Madness Presents

June 20, 6:45pm: The Masque of the Red Death (1964) dir. Roger Corman, 35mm print!

TIFF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

May 8, 12pm: Silver Screenings: Equinox Flower (1958) dir. Yasujirō Ozu, with ROM curator Akiko Takesue — Free!

The Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art & Culture at ROM joins us for a talk before this free screening of Yasujirō Ozu’s first colour film about a traditional father grappling with his modern daughter’s refusal of an arranged marriage. Shot in glorious Agfacolour, Ozu’s reverence for everyday objects and domestic spaces is on full display. Coinciding with the ROM-original exhibition Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art (April 4 to September 7, 2026). Presented in partnership with ROM and the Japan Foundation, Toronto.

May 14, 6pm: TIFF Advance Screening of Modern Whore (2025) dir. Nicole Bazuin, post-screening Q&A with the director and co-writer Andrea Werhun

Werhun and Bazuin challenge toxic misconceptions about sex work with great audacity and high style in this documentary from TIFF ’25.

June 19, 12pm: Silver Screenings: Victor/Victoria (1982) dir. Blake Edwards

Notable for its nuanced exploration of performativity and queer representation in 1980s Hollywood cinema. Julie Andrews stars as Victoria, a struggling singer who, with help from her friend and acting manager Toddy (Robert Preston), finds success by posing as a “female impersonator” named Victor. This event will include a pre-screening activation inspired by the film’s focus on performance.

June 20, 6pm: Moonlight (2016) dir. Barry Jenkins – 10th Anniversary!

TIFF Community Impact celebrates the enduring impact of Barry Jenkins’ intimate and poetic breakthrough 10 years after its Canadian Premiere at TIFF 2016 and its record-breaking release at the Lightbox. A watershed moment for Black queer representation and independent cinema, this coming-of-age story chronicles three chapters in the life of Chiron, a young Black man growing up in Miami navigating identity, masculinity, and connection.

June 28: In Conversation With… Maggie O’Farrell

Maggie O’Farrell, the bestselling author and Academy Award–nominated co-writer of the TIFF People’s Choice Award–winning film Hamnet, joins us in person for the exclusive Canadian launch of her latest work of fiction, Land: A Novel, one of 2026’s most anticipated books. Presented in partnership with Penguin Random House Canada and the Toronto International Festival of Authors, tickets for this event will go on sale in early May.

FILM REFERENCE LIBRARY

May 23–24, 10am-5pm: Doors Open Toronto

Each May, Doors Open Toronto invites the public to explore the city’s most-loved buildings and sites, free of charge. This year’s theme is “The World in a City,” and the Film Reference Library located on the fourth floor of TIFF Lightbox will highlight TIFF’s international scope through guided building tours and archival activations.

#TIFF: TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE NEW MELISSA CHUNG STUDIO

The Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF) today announced the opening of its new, state-of-the-art production hub inside TIFF Lightbox. The TIFF Melissa Chung Studio will enhance TIFF’s in-house content team’s ability to produce, capture, and amplify world-class content featuring established and emerging talent for audiences around the world. The studio is made possible through a generous philanthropic gift from the Toronto-based Ibrahim Family Foundation.

“We are grateful to Sam Ibrahim and Melissa Chung for their extraordinary generosity and belief in TIFF’s mission,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. “Sam’s journey, from arriving in Toronto as part of an immigrant family to building businesses from scratch alongside Melissa, reflects a remarkable ‘Scarborough grit’ that continues to shape their success. We look forward to inviting local and international talent into this incredible new space.”

“Their story embodies the creativity, ambition, and resilience that define this city, and this gift exemplifies a new generation of philanthropists committed to giving back,” added Jennifer Frees, TIFF’s Chief Business & Marketing Officer. “We hope Sam and Melissa’s leadership inspires others to join us by investing in the storytellers that project our city’s unique spirit onto the world stage.”

“We chose to make this gift because we believe in the power of storytelling and the importance of creating space for emerging voices to be seen and celebrated,” said Sam Ibrahim and Melissa Chung. “TIFF has always represented excellence in film and culture, and contributing to the TIFF Melissa Chung Studio felt like a meaningful way to support creativity, community, and the next generation of artists. Toronto is home for us and where we are raising our family and building our work, and supporting TIFF is a natural extension of our commitment to giving back to our city.”

The TIFF Melissa Chung Studio is a fully equipped, flexible production hub located off the Gallery space on the main floor of the Lightbox, with windows facing south onto King St. W. Outfitted by Atriani Interiors and equipped by Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, it was designed to support a wide range of creative uses: from podcast recordings and filmed interviews, to a photography studio, social media, premium digital series, and long-form video production. Built with versatility in mind, The TIFF Melissa Chung Studio enhances TIFF’s capacity to collaborate with filmmakers, talent, and industry partners while also serving as a premium venue rental space for external clients seeking a state-of-the-art production facility right in the heart of the entertainment district. Over the years, TIFF’s content platforms have featured conversations and appearances from some of the most influential voices in film and culture.

This investment recognizes and supports the growing importance of digital storytelling, highlighting emerging Canadian creators, in-depth conversations with filmmakers, and building a year-round bridge between audiences and the films they love. With a combined social audience of more than 2.8 million global followers and 900 million impressions in 2025 alone, TIFF continues to engage film lovers, creators, and industry leaders at an unprecedented scale.

This transformational gift reflects the vital role philanthropy plays in advancing TIFF’s mission. To learn more about supporting TIFF and The TIFF Melissa Chung Studio, visit tiff.net/give.

To learn more about the space and rental opportunities at The TIFF Melissa Chung Studio, please visit tiff.net/studio.

#TIFF: TIFF NEXT WAVE FILM FESTIVAL 2026

TIFF Next Wave Film Festival presented by Takis® and supported by the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Toronto returns April 16–19 for its 15th edition, featuring a weekend of youth-driven international cinema curated by TIFF’s youngest programmers, the TIFF Next Wave Committee. Tickets to Official Selection films are free for anyone under 25 with TIFF’s Under-25 Free Pass, with special Under-25 pricing available for special events. Tickets will be available March 25 for TIFF Members and Under-25 Free Pass holders, and to the public on March 27.

The weekend kicks off with the Canadian Premiere of Chandler Levack’s Roommates starring Sadie Sandler, Chloe East, Billy Bryk, Sarah Sherman, Natasha Lyonne, and Nick Kroll, followed by Oscar Boyson’s Our Hero, Balthazar starring Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield. Both screenings are followed by director Q&As.

This year’s festival spotlights nine feature films from seven countries alongside Q&As, interactive workshops, and special events including the highly-anticipated opening night party.

“Next Wave Film Festival is helmed by our next generation for a new generation,” says Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “The Next Wave committee curates with fresh eyes, bringing original and thoughtful new voices to the screen, and young audiences bring inspiring dialogue and passion.”

The TIFF Next Wave Committee is made up of 12 teens from across the GTA who are dedicated to introducing their peers to boundary-pushing international cinema. Beyond curating the Next Wave Film Festival each April, the committee meets at TIFF Lightbox year-round to program the monthly “Next Wave Presents” series – a lineup curated for the next generation of movie lovers.

For 15 years, Next Wave has supported the next generation of filmmakers, writers and programmers, with alumni including filmmaker Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby, Bottoms), actors Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) and Emma Cheuk (Late Bloomer, Mile End Kicks), programmer and critic Winnie Wang (Toronto Review), and dozens of the city’s most enthusiastic and passionate film fans.

“This year’s Next Wave Film Festival lineup emphasizes self-expression through passionate, diverse, and DIY modes of storytelling and provides a platform for rising voices who thoughtfully disrupt conventions and embrace experimentation. We want the festival to be a place for the celebration of life in motion and the chaos that comes with growing up in this current moment. There is something for everyone at Next Wave, and we can’t wait for it to bring new opportunities for conversation, connection, and discovery.” —TIFF Next Wave Committee 2025-2026

The festivities begin with Battle of the Scores, a high-energy live showcase in which four up-and-coming bands compose scores for a silent short film, with the audience voting for the winner. Co-programmed by Insomniac Film Festival, this year’s competition features musical acts Ceippo, LAPDANCE, Soulair, and Tribunals. The films being scored are Missed U (dir. Ella Saini) and Rent is Due (dir. Alex Dombek). The Opening Night Party, themed “Motion Blur,” promises a larger than life, immersive celebration.

The festival closes with the Young Creators Showcase, a short film programme highlighting emerging Canadian filmmakers, with juried awards for Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Writing, and Best Editing, presented by MUBI.

New this year, the Drop-in: Young Creators Launch Pad runs alongside the Young Creators Showcase, offering emerging creators the opportunity to connect one-on-one with post-secondary schools, film organizations, and industry experts for practical advice and feedback on their projects and creative careers.

In celebration of the milestone 15th edition, Creators on a Wave brings alumni back to the screen with a programme of new short films from past Young Creators Showcase filmmakers and Next Wave Committee members, including Katherine Lynn-Rose, Paul Daniel Torres, Ellie Tripp, and Presley Flores-Holz, the winner of last year’s Young Creators Showcase Award for Best Film, who is now a 2026 Next Wave Committee Member.

Festival-goers can participate in the Young Creators Co-Lab, a series of talks and workshops connecting budding artists with industry professionals, and introducing pathways to careers in film. This year’s sessions include Music in Motion with R.T. Thorne, Ievy Stamatov, and Nathan Lau, Costume in Conversation with Hanna Puley, Courtney Mitchell, and Charlene Akuamoah, Aesthetic Overload: Finding Your Visual Style with Avalon Fast, Thomas Percy Kim, and Stella Marie Markert, and drop in workshop: Camera Obscurities. The Young Creators Co-Lab is presented by the City of Toronto.

Also returning to Next Wave is Canada’s Drag Race star Miss Moço, hosting a participatory screening of High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

2026 Next Wave Film Festival Official Selection Films

Full festival press kit, including detailed program overview and assets available in the TIFF media library. Screeners are available.

Big Girls Don’t Cry | dir. Paloma Schneideman | New Zealand

Canadian Premiere

In the ambiently homophobic environment of a rural town in the mid-2000s, a 14-year-old girl navigates sexual curiosity and a desire for acceptance over one transformative summer.

Virtual Q&A with director Paloma Schneideman

Burn | dir. Makoto Nagahisa | Japan

Canadian Premiere

A runaway teen (Nana Mori of Kokuho, TIFF ‘25) finds comfort and solace in a group of other young misfits. But she soon discovers that danger can lurk even in what looks like a safe haven.

CAMP | dir. Avalon Fast | Canada

Toronto Premiere

A group of counsellors at a Christian grief camp find catharsis through the occult — but not without consequence.

In-person Q&A with director Avalon Fast

If I Go Will They Miss Me | dir. Walter Thompson-Hernández | USA

Canadian Premiere

A 12-year-old who’s struggling to connect with the father he idolizes starts seeing ghostly figures of boys around his neighbourhood.

Ish | dir. Imran Perretta | United Kingdom

Toronto Premiere

A childhood friendship is torn apart after a traumatic interaction with the police in this poetic and poignant drama.

Isle Child | dir. Thomas Percy Kim | South Korea/USA

Canadian Premiere

An adopted New England teen, played by Ethan Hwang (Riceboy Sleeps, TIFF ‘22), is forced to confront his feelings of otherness when he discovers his Korean birth mother is terminally ill.

In-person Q&A with director Thomas Percy Kim and actor Ethan Hwang

Niñxs | dir. Kani Lapuerta | Mexico/Germany

Toronto Premiere

Shot over eight years in the small town of Tepoztlán, Mexico, this vibrant documentary follows Karla through an adolescence marked by joy, resilience, and transition.

Our Hero, Balthazar | dir. Oscar Boyson | USA

Toronto Premiere

In a misguided attempt to impress a crush, a lonely New York teen flies to Texas, where he thinks he can stop a future school shooter — but his plan quickly spirals out of control.

In-person Q&A with director Oscar Boyson and actor Jaeden Martell

Thanks for Nothing | dir. Stella Marie Markert | Germany

Canadian Premiere

Four teens living in a Berlin group home have created their own anarchic utopia. But the unhelpful adults in their lives, combined with the harsh realities of the world, threaten to tear it apart.

In-person Q&A with director Stella Marie Markert

#TIFF: HENRI PARDO RECEIVES CHARLES OFFICER LEGACY AWARD

Earlier this evening, as part of TIFF’s opening ceremony for the 25th annual Canada’s Top Ten, Henri Pardo was announced as this year’s recipient of the Charles Officer Legacy Award, presented by TIFF and CBC. This award, now in its second year, recognizes a Canadian Black director and/or writer whose body of work exemplifies the late award-winning filmmaker’s creative excellence, strong point of view, and community-mindedness. Pardo is a Montreal-based filmmaker whose debut film Kanaval premiered at TIFF ’23 in the Centrepiece programme.

“Charles Officer understood that making films is not enough — we must also build the infrastructure for the next generation,” said Pardo. “This award is a commitment to continue that work: making the films, opening the doors, and staying present for those coming after us.”

The jury stated: “Henri Pardo’s films combine craft, cultural specificity, and emotional depth while remaining visually striking and rooted in authenticity. Blending Haitian cultural narratives with contemporary techniques and magical realism, his work is perfectly balanced by his role as a mentor and leader, amplifying marginalized voices and reshaping the Canadian film industry into a more inclusive and equitable place. A founding member of both Black Wealth Media and Black on Black Films, his work is just as impactful on screen as it is to the many he holds up with his mentorship, guidance, and high professional standards. It is for these reasons and more that we are proud to award Henri Pardo the Charles Officer Legacy Award.”

This year’s jury members were CBC’s Lea Marin; CFC’s Kathryn Emslie; TIFF’s Jane Kim; and filmmaker Miryam Charles, the inaugural recipient of the Charles Officer Legacy Award.

Henri Pardo will receive $25,000 CAD, a TIFF Industry Membership for one year, and a pass to TIFF: The Market in September 2026.

About Henri Pardo

Henri Pardo is a Montreal-based filmmaker whose work centres Afro-Canadian and Haitian diasporic experiences through documentary and narrative fiction. His feature debut Kanaval (2023) premiered at TIFF, winning the Amplify Voices Award for Best BIPOC Canadian Feature and selection to Canada’s Top Ten. His documentary Dear Jackie (2021) won the Magnus Isacsson Award at RIDM and earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination.

Born in New Brunswick to Haitian parents who fled the Duvalier regime, Pardo works across English, French, and Haitian Creole. His documentary series Afro-Canada (2022) traces 400 years of Black presence in Canada. Beyond his own films, Pardo builds infrastructure for Afrocentric cinema. He founded Black Wealth Media (2016) and the non-profit Encre Noire/Black Ink (2024), which trains emerging Afro-descendant filmmakers while archiving and developing ancestral narrative structures. He is a founding member of Black on Black Films.

#TIFF: TIFF ANNOUNCE 2025 CANADA’S TOP TEN LIST

TIFF is announcing its annual Canada’s Top Ten list, celebrating the year’s most outstanding Canadian feature films and shorts. The 25th edition of Canada’s Top Ten, presented by MUBI, runs February 5–8, 2026 at the Lightbox. Audiences will have an opportunity to catch screenings of these films during the four-day showcase.

Among the 10 features in the 2025 selection is Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), the winner of the Best Canadian Feature Film Award at TIFF ’25, at which director Zacharias Kunuk was also honoured with a Special Tribute Award. Two more highlights of this year’s Canada’s Top Ten, Chandler Levack’s second feature Mile End Kicks and Bretten Hannam’s third feature and Platform selection Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts), both made their World Premieres at TIFF ’25. This year’s lineup also features four debut feature-length films: Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron, recipient of the Best Canadian Discovery Award at TIFF ’25 and the First Feature Award at the Locarno Film Festival; Eric K. Boulianne’s French-language comedy Follies; Kid Koala’s animated film Space Cadet; and Amalie Atkins’ Agatha’s Almanac, named Best Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs 2025. Another standout, Tuner, marks the narrative debut of Daniel Roher, whose documentary Navalny won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2023.

Further highlights include Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, recipient of the TIFF ’25 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award; and The Things You Kill, Canada’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature, from Iranian-Canadian director Alireza Khatami.

The short film lineup includes seven films that screened at this year’s Festival, including Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s The Girl Who Cried Pearls, which won the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film and was recently included on the Academy Awards shortlist in the category of Best Animated Short Film; Heather Young’s A Soft Touch, which earned an honourable mention from the jury; and Klee, a mashup of body horror and Prairie Gothic by director Gavin Baird. See the full list of short films below.

“This year’s Canada’s Top Ten films reflect the remarkable breadth of perspectives shaping contemporary Canadian cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer. “Spanning globally minded stories and deeply personal visions, these films reveal the profound ways Canadian artists are interpreting the world around them. I’m especially inspired to see four first features in the lineup, an exciting testament to the bold new voices emerging across the country. I’d like to acknowledge all the Canadian programmers from coast to coast that participated in Top Ten.”

The opening ceremony for Canada’s Top Ten will take place on February 5 to celebrate this year’s selections, including a presentation of the second annual Charles Officer Legacy Award by TIFF: The Market and CBC. This award recognizes a Black Canadian director and/or writer whose body of work exemplifies the creative excellence, strong point of view, and community-mindedness of the award-winning late filmmaker. Last year’s winner was Montreal-based filmmaker Miryam Charles.

A selection of Canada’s Top Ten films will once again be featured in TIFF’s popular Donald Shebib Film Circuit. The programme provides access to 100+ Circuit locations in rural, remote, and under-served communities that otherwise would not have an opportunity to see these films, extending their theatrical life beyond their initial release.

TIFF Members have early access to tickets starting Thursday, January 15 at 12pm, and public tickets go on sale on Friday, January 16 at 12pm.

Canada’s Top Ten Feature Films

Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts) | dir. Bretten Hannam | English, Mi’kmaw, French

This is directed by acclaimed Two-Spirit, L’nu filmmaker Bretten Hannam, has been selected as part of TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten for 2025, celebrating the year’s outstanding Canadian feature films and shorts. 

The film will screen at TIFF Lightbox from February 5–8, 2026, ahead of its theatrical release on March 6, 2026 by VVS Films.

Siblings Mise’l and Antle, close confidants as children, have drifted apart as adults. When a malevolent spirit begins tormenting them, the siblings are forced to reunite and journey into Sk+te’kmujue’katik (the Place of Ghosts), a primordial forest that exists outside of time, to confront their violent upbringing.

Agatha’s Almanac | dir. Amalie Atkins | English

Blue Heron | dir. Sophy Romvari | English, Hungarian

Follies | dir. Eric K. Boulianne | French

Mile End Kicks | dir. Chandler Levack | English

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie | dir. Matt Johnson | English

Space Cadet | dir. Kid Koala | no dialogue

The Things You Kill | dir. Alireza Khatami | Turkish

Tuner | dir. Daniel Roher | English

Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) | dir. Zacharias Kunuk | Inuktitut

Canada’s Top Ten Short Films

A Soft Touch | dir. Heather Young | 20 minutes | English

Ambush | dir. Yassmina Karajah | 21 minutes | Arabic

Jazz Infernal | dir. Will Niava | 16 minutes | French

Klee | dir. Gavin Baird | 20 minutes | English

La Mayordomía | dir. Martin Edralin | 23 minutes | Spanish

Lloyd Wong, Unfinished | dir. Lesley Loksi Chan | 29 minutes | English

Pidikwe (Rumble) | dir. Caroline Monnet | 10 minutes | no dialogue

Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts | dir. Shervin Kermani | 8 minutes | Spanish

ripe | dir. Solara Thanh Bình Đặng | 19 minutes | Vietnamese

The Girl Who Cried Pearls | dirs. Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski | 17 minutes | English, French

On February 5, TIFF: The Market will host a session focused on the Canadian screen sector. Charles Tremblay, Head of Market, and Geoff McNaughton, Vice President, Market Programming & Theatrical, will lead an in‑depth discussion, followed by a panel featuring Market Advisory Committee members, offering guidance to Canadian creators and companies on navigating next September’s launch of The Market. For registration details, please visit here.

Canada’s Top Ten is selected by TIFF programming in consultation with programmers from festivals across the country, including:

Atlantic International Film Festival

Calgary International Film Festival

Edmonton International Film Festival

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal

Gimli International Film Festival

imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival

REGARD: Le Festival international du court métrage au Saguenay

Reel Canada

Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)

Toronto Outdoor Picture Show

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

Vancouver International Film Festival

Windsor International Film Festival

#EDITORSNOTE: TEAM MR. WILL’S TOP THREE FILMS OF 2025

It’s that time of year again, and we’re so grateful for your readership and support all these years! The Team – David Baldwin, Amanda Gilmore, Nicholas Porteous, and Justin Waldman… and I, celebrated with our annual Holiday Brunch, this year at the Drake Hotel. It was a meeting of the minds and though it was tough, we landed on each of our top films of the year.

We got to play around with the Camp Snap 8, a digital hand-held Super 8 camera which Taylor Swift recently was seen playing with on TMZ! The likes of Tessa Thompson and Brie Larson also own one! These are flying off the shelves, so hurry!

See our picks below:

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We know some of you get a kick out of this too, our year in Review with the amazing talent we met in 2025!

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Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, happy Holiday. We look forward to more cinematic adventures with you in 2026!

Mr. Will & beanie

#TIFF: TIFF ANNOUNCE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 PROGRAMMING HIGLIGHTS INCLUDING SCREENING OF “THE RUNNING MAN”, ROBERT REDFORD TRIBUTE AND MORE

After a milestone 50th Festival, TIFF is finishing the year strong with a winter slate featuring three retrospectives, tributes, anticipated new restorations, a selection of offbeat and traditional holiday films, and special guests at the Lightbox. Luc Moullet: High Altitude celebrates the reappraisal of the irreverent French filmmaker and one of the last living members of the nouvelle vague with newly-restored features and rarely-screened shorts, following retrospectives in New York and Los Angeles. Lyon-born Lucile Hadzihalilovic is spotlighted in Growing Pains: Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s New Worlds, a retrospective timed with the release of her latest film, The Ice Tower. Joining a North American tour organized by leading film institutions, TIFF Cinematheque presents its most extensive retrospective of Japanese visionary Mikio Naruse since his centennial in 2005.

TIFF also pays tribute to screen legend Robert Redford with Special Screenings of Ordinary People and The Sting, celebrating his legacy as a director and actor. Ahead of Viola Desmond Day on November 8, TIFF presents a free 35mm screening of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit hosted by Jully Black on November 7. Other highlights include the Canadian premiere of the 2K restoration of Mary Stephen’s Ombres de soie; a centennial screening of Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush and a 30th anniversary screening of The White Balloon in 35mm by Jafar Panahi, whose TIFF 50 Official Selection It Was Just an Accident opens at the Lightbox on October 24.

For the holidays, the popular Magnificent 70mm series returns with widescreen classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Top Gun. Alternative festive favourites include the 25th anniversary screening of American Psycho with filmmaker Mary Harron in attendance on December 5, the 35th anniversary of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands; and Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar starring Samantha Morton, both screening in 35mm. Audiences can also catch Ramsay’s latest, Die My Love, at the Lightbox starting November 7. Plus, TIFF will once again screen Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, continuing its New Year’s Eve tradition. Rounding out the celebration is the return of TIFF’s popular Sing Along series hosted by local performers and packed with fun!

Look out for buzzworthy New Releases playing at the Lightbox in November, including Richard Linklater’s TIFF 50 features Blue Moon and the much-anticipated Nouvelle Vague; Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut Urchin, and Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, screening in glorious 35mm. An exciting December lineup including Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent (TIFF 50), is on the way, just in time for the holidays, packed with awards-season hopefuls and hidden gems. Visit tiff.net for more details.

Tickets for November programming will be available to TIFF Members on Wednesday, October 15, and to the public on Friday, October 17. Tickets for December programming will be available to TIFF Members on Wednesday, November 12, and to the public on Friday, November 14. See tiff.net for up-to-date programming.

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

TIFF CINEMATHEQUE

Luc Moullet: High Altitude with series curator Andréa Picard

November 1–23

TIFF Cinematheque is presenting a tribute to Luc Moullet, a major figure in French independent cinema and one of the last living filmmakers and critics from la nouvelle vague. Luc Moullet: High Altitude includes seven new feature restorations (courtesy of Cinema Guild) and four rarely-screened short films, which testify to Moullet’s singular brand of irreverence, satirical social commentary, and his passion for a certain Alpine landscape. Highlights include his 1966 debut feature, Brigitte et Brigitte, which Godard hailed as “revolutionary,” his Jean Vigo Prize–winning The Comedy of Work, and one of the greatest films made about cinephilia, Les Sièges de l’Alcazar. Curated by TIFF Senior Curator Andréa Picard, guests in this series include Dylan Adamson and Will Sloan.

Growing Pains: Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s New Worlds with guest curator Saffron Maeve

November 7–23

Spanning 30 years, Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s five features and three shorts offer a cinema of domestic dystopias — cloistered children, their odd caretakers, and the ominous higher-ups who pull the strings. Enduringly attuned to the ways that childhood is thwarted by the disorienting (and often violent) shift into adolescence, the French filmmaker has spent her career fashioning perverse fairytales, from the dreamy and sinister boarding school reverie Innocence to her latest, Marion Cotillard–starring The Ice Tower. Curated by film critic and curator Saffron Maeve.

Daughters, Wives, and Mothers: The Films of Mikio Naruse with series curator Robyn Citizen

November 28 – January 25

TIFF Cinematheque celebrates the 120th anniversary of Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse with a 19-film retrospective. Featuring six imported 35mm prints from the Japan Foundation, the tribute is currently touring North America with stops including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. A devoted chronicler of Japan’s “shomin” — the common people — Naruse focused on resilient, flawed women navigating postwar social upheavals. The filmmaker’s frequent collaborations with Hideko Takamine and novelist Fumiko Hayashi are highlighted in this retrospective following his evolution from the stylistic flair and optimism of early films like Morning’s Tree-Lined Street to the understated visuals and emotional precision of later masterpieces such as Floating Clouds and When A Woman Ascends the Stairs. Curated by Robyn Citizen, TIFF Director of Programming & Platform Lead.

Generously supported by the Japan Foundation, Toronto.

See the North presented by MUBI

November 4, 6:30pm: Jean of the Joneses (2016) dir. Stella Meghie, with recorded introduction by the director

December 9, 6:30pm: Meditation Park (2017) dir. Mina Shum

TIFF Family Films

November 8, 1:15pm: The White Balloon (1995) dir. Jafar Panahi, 30th anniversary, 35mm!

From the Collection with Cameron Bailey

November 11 , 6:30pm: A Separation (2011) dir. Ashgar Farhadi, 35mm!

December 2, 6:30pm: An Education (2009) dir. Lone Scherfig, 35mm!

TIFF Wavelengths Presents

November 12, 6:30pm: Hair, Paper, Water… (2025) dirs. Nicolas Graux & Trương Minh Quý, with recorded introduction by the directors

December 3, 7:00pm: Heart of the World: 50 years of the Winnipeg Film Group with guest curator Vivian Belik

MDFF Selects

November 27, 6:30pm: Fiume o morte! (2025) dir. Igor Bezinović

TIFF Next Wave Presents

November 26, 6:30pm: The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man (2024) dir. Braden Sitter Sr., with New Toronto Bizarre, post-screening Q&A with the director

TIFF Special Screenings

November 1, 3:30pm and November 2, 4pm: Robert Redford tribute featuring Ordinary People (1980) dir. Robert Redford, 45th anniversary, and The Sting (1973) dir. George Roy Hill

TIFF Cinematheque New & Restored

November 15, 2pm: The Gold Rush (1925) dir. Charlie Chaplin, 100th anniversary, new 4K restoration!

November 15 & 25, 6:30pm: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) dir. Cristi Puiu, 20th anniversary, digital restoration

November 20, 6:30pm: Ombres de soie (1978) dir. Mary Stephen, post-show recorded Q&A with the director, Canadian Premiere of new 2K restoration

TIFF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING SPOTLIGHT: SPECIAL GUESTS & SIGNATURE EVENTS

November 7, 9:30pm: Free event! Viola Desmond Day: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) dir. Bill Duke, with special guest Jully Black

To commemorate the 79th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s historic stand against racial segregation on November 8, 1946, TIFF proudly presents a free 35mm screening of Bill Duke’s beloved sequel to Sister Act, co-curated by “Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul” Jully Black. Before the screening, Black will join TIFF for an onstage conversation moderated by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe, host-producer of The Block on CBC Music, about how the film shaped her voice and its enduring message, in Black’s words, “that music can be protest and praise all at once.”

November 12, 8pm: TIFF Advance Screening: The Running Man (2025) dir. Edgar Wright, in-person Q&A with the director

Edgar Wright attending! TIFF Members’ exclusive special screening of The Running Man, followed by a conversation with screenplay writer-director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Last Night in Soho) about the process of adapting Stephen King’s prescient novel for the big screen. Tickets will go on sale for TIFF Members on Wednesday, October 22 at 10am.

November 22, 1pm: Princess Mononoke (1997) dir. Hayao Miyazaki, with Skills for Change

Marking the 40th anniversary of Studio Ghibli, TIFF Community Impact is thrilled to join Skills for Change to co-present a new 4K restoration of Hayao Miyazaki’s eco-masterpiece Princess Mononoke. Before the screening, representatives from Skills for Change’s Youth Climate Action Initiative (YCAI) will join TIFF for an onstage conversation about mobilizing youth as leaders in building sustainable futures.

December 6, 12pm: Free event! Silver Screenings: Amélie (2001) dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, with TIFF Next Wave

TIFF Silver Screenings, a film community for seniors, teams up with the TIFF Next Wave Committee for an intergenerational screening of Amélie, winner of the People’s Choice Award at TIFF ’01. Audrey Tautou stars as the titular character in this nostalgic romantic comedy about a quirky waitress who combats isolation through her vivid imagination, and seeks connection with her fellow Parisians through random acts of kindness. Before the screening, audiences can join TIFF for a talk and activities inspired by the film’s bold visual style.

HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING LISTINGS

Tickets to Cinematheque series are free to TIFF Members. 70mm and Special Presentations have paid ticketing.Ticket pricing can be found here.

TIFF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING SPOTLIGHT: SPECIAL GUESTS & SIGNATURE EVENTS

Sing Alongs: Mary Poppins, The Greatest Showman, and The Lion King

December 14, 18, 20

TIFF’s Sing Along screenings return with a lineup of beloved movie musicals for all ages that celebrate spectacle, everyday magic, and finding joy together. Award-winning comedian Martha Chaves hosts Mary Poppins on December 14, and The Greatest Showman on December 18. Actor Salvatore Antonio, who played Scar in the latest Toronto production of Disney’s The Lion King, hosts the beloved 1994 animated story of Simba on December 20. Fun for the whole family, these immersive events will feature warm-up activities, prop bags, and onscreen lyrics.

TIFF CINEMATHEQUE

Magnificent 70mm

December 5 – January 1

Spend your winter in widescreen with the return of Magnificent 70mm. This holiday season, TIFF Cinematheque presents a slate of rare 70mm prints including favourites like 2001: A Space Odyssey, North by Northwest, and Top Gun.TIFF is one of the few theatres in Toronto where audiences can watch classics on 70mm and celebrate the way these films were meant to be seen.

TIFF Special Screenings

November 8, 4:15pm and November 22, 4pm: Morvern Callar (2002) dir. Lynne Ramsay, 35mm!

December 5, 6:30pm: American Psycho (2000) dir. Mary Harron, in-person Q&A with the director, 25th anniversary

December 31, 6:30pm: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) dir. Stanley Kubrick

TIFF Family Films

December 28, 4pm: Edward Scissorhands (1990) dir. Tim Burton, 35th anniversary, 35mm!

#TIFF25: COLIN HANKS AND RYAN REYNOLDS “JOHN CANDY: I LIK EME” VINTAGE CHRYSLER LEBARON STUNT

In case you missed it..

Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds arrived at the World Premiere of JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME at the Toronto International Film Festival red carpet in a vintage Chrysler LeBaron inspired by one of John Candy’s most beloved comedy classics – PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES.

Check out the below for an exclusive look behind the scenes with Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds and Hacksmith Industries to see how they created this memorable car!

Launching globally on Prime Video October 10, 2025

From director Colin Hanks and lifelong John Candy fan Ryan Reynolds comes John Candy: I Like Me, an exploration of the life of the Canadian comedic icon. This John Candy film documents his on- and off-camera existence, featuring never-before-seen home videos, intimate access to his family, and candid recollections from collaborators to paint a bigger picture of one of the brightest stars of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. It’s the story of a son, husband, father, friend, and professional driven to bring joy to audiences and loved ones while battling personal ghosts and Hollywood pressures.

Director: Colin Hanks

Producers: Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Ryan Reynolds, George Dewey, Johnny Pariseau, Shane Reid

Executive Producers: Ashley Fox, Patrick Gooing

Co-Executive Producers: Chris Candy, Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, Rosemary Candy

Director of Photography: Justin Kane

Editors: Shane Reid, Darrin Roberts

Music by: Tyler Strickland

About Prime Video

Prime Video is a one-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one application available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can find their favourite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports, including Prime Monday Night Hockey – also Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Fallout, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Reacher, The Boys, and Roadhouse; licensed fan favourite Vampire Diaries; exclusive entertainment such as Prime Monday Night Hockey, ONE Championship; and programming from channels such as Sportsnet, Paramount+, Crave, Citytv+, STARZ, AMC+, Super Channel, BritBox, Hayu, STACKTV, a multi-channel service featuring 16 top-tier networks (Global, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, The HISTORY® Channel, Adult Swim, Lifetime, Slice, Showcase, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, Treehouse, YTV, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD), via Prime Video Channels add-on subscriptions. Prime Video is one benefit among many that provides savings, convenience, and entertainment as part of the Prime membership. All customers, regardless of whether they have a Prime membership or not, can rent or buy titles, including blockbusters such as Barbie and Oppenheimer, via the Prime Video Store. Customers can also go behind the scenes of their favourite movies and series with exclusive X-Ray access. For more info visit www.primevideo.com

#TIFF25: “HAMNET” WINS PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD AT 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TIFF is announcing 12 awards today, including the Platform Award, TIFF’s only juried competition, and the coveted People’s Choice Awards presented by Rogers. This year’s awards include two exciting new additions: the International People’s Choice Award and the Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film. As TIFF’s 50th edition comes to a close, the Festival is proud to have welcomed over 700,000 guests, nearly 2,000 accredited media, 6,000 Industry delegates, 1,200 screenings, and a stellar lineup of talent who graced 110 red carpets.

Audiences can catch this year’s People’s Choice Award–winning films at TIFF Lightbox screenings starting at noon today, with free tickets available to the public (visit here for more information).

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS PRESENTED BY ROGERS

The 48th edition of TIFF’s People’s Choice Awards, presented by Rogers, presents the audience’s top titles at the Festival as voted by the viewing public. All feature films and Primetime series in TIFF’s Official Selection are eligible.

People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: Hamnet, dir. Chloé Zhao

First runner-up: Frankenstein, dir. Guillermo del Toro

Second runner-up: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, dir. Rian Johnson

International People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: No Other Choice, dir. Park Chan-wook

First runner-up: Sentimental Value, dir. Joachim Trier

Second runner-up: Homebound, dir. Neeraj Ghaywan

People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers: The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, dir. Barry Avrich

First runner-up: EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, dir. Baz Luhrmann

Second runner-up: You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…, dir. Nick Davis

People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, dir. Matt Johnson

First runner-up: Obsession, dir. Curry Barker

Second runner-up: The Furious, dir. Kenji Tanigaki

SHORT CUTS AWARDS

Short Cuts Awards are presented to the Best International Short Film, Best Canadian Short Film, and Best Animated Short Film, as awarded by the Short Cuts jury. Each of the three winning films will receive a bursary of $10,000 CAD. The 2025 jurors for the Short Cuts Awards are Ashley Iris Gill, Marcel Jean, and Connor Jessup.

Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film:

Talk Me, dir. Joecar Hanna | Spain/USA

Short Cuts jury’s statement: “This film sparked one of the most interesting conversations around the jury table. Talk Me is bold in its portrayal of intimacy and the universal longing for connection. The characters fit so naturally into the film’s unique, evocative world that everything feels normal very quickly. Its cinematography is beautiful, delicate yet deliberate, each frame carefully crafted to draw us deeper into the story. By allowing the visuals to lead, the film creates an immersive experience of vulnerability and honesty. For its courage, craft, and sensitivity, the jury presents the Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film to Joecar Hanna’s Talk Me.”

Honourable Mention:

Agapito, dirs. Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Danelle Romero | Philippines

Short Cuts jury’s statement: “For its formal precision, command of a delicate tone, poetic awareness of space and movement, and deeply personal reflections on family, the jury is thrilled to present an Honourable Mention to Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero’s remarkable Agapito. The jury also wants to acknowledge the brilliantly nuanced and committed performances of the film’s young cast.”

Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film:

The Girl Who Cried Pearls, dirs. Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski | Canada

Short Cuts jury’s statement: “In addition to highlighting the film’s daring technical achievement and sumptuous artistic direction, the jury also wants to recognize a fable about greed and the capacity of artists to create a fantastic world by the power of their narrative voice. The Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski for The Girl Who Cried Pearls.”

Honourable Mention:

A Soft Touch, dir. Heather Young

Short Cuts jury’s statement: “A Soft Touch really pierced our hearts. It finds a way to transform routine, everyday moments into a quietly devastating portrait of neglect and resilience. With searing precision and simplicity, the film illuminates how easily older folks can be overlooked, and in doing so, demands our attention, empathy, and accountability. The jury awards an Honourable Mention to Heather Young’s A Soft Touch.”

Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film:

To the Woods, dir. Agnès Patron | France

Short Cuts jury’s statement: “This wordless journey into the bond between two siblings becomes a transcendent meditation on the mysteries of time and memory, love and loss, connection and transformation. Animated with lush, cosmic beauty and vibrating with tenderness and insight, the film plunges its viewer into deep, deep feeling. For its overwhelming artistry, luminous spirit, and soul-expanding sense of mystery, the jury presents the Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film to Agnès Patron’s To the Woods. The jury also wants to note the film’s jaw-dropping sound design and the work of composer Pierre Oberkampf, whose score ranks among the best film music of recent years.”

FIPRESCI PRIZE

The FIPRESCI jury is awarding the International Critics Prize, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, to a debut feature film having its World Premiere in TIFF’s Discovery or Centrepiece programmes. The 2025 FIPRESCI jury members are: Katharina Dockhorn (Germany), Francisco Ferreira (Portugal), Jean-Philippe Guerand (France), Andy Hazel (Australia), and Justine Smith (Canada).

FIPRESCI Prize:

Forastera, dir. Lucía Aleñar Iglesias | Spain/Italy/Sweden

FIPRESCI jury’s statement: “Spanish cinema, long shaped by the exuberance of Pedro Almodóvar, has found a new distinctive voice in Lucía Aleñar Iglesias. Set on sun-drenched Mallorca, Forastera follows 16-year-old Cata, whose carefree family holiday is brought to a halt by the death of her grandmother. In her grief, the teenager takes on the older woman’s persona — wearing her clothes, adopting her gestures and silences. Aleñar Iglesias directs with restraint and precision, finding power in understatement. Performances from newcomer Zoe Stein and veteran Lluís Homar anchor the film’s dreamlike rhythms. What might sound slight becomes luminous: a meditation on an adolescent’s first encounter with death, and a ghost story about how the past lingers in the present. Forastera is a quietly assured debut, simple yet transformative, marking Aleñar Iglesias as a filmmaker the FIPRESCI jury would like to bet on.”

NETPAC AWARD

Presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, the NETPAC Award recognizes films specifically from the Asian and Pacific regions. The jury consists of three international community members selected by TIFF and NETPAC, who award the prize to the best Asian film by a first or second-time feature director. The 2025 NETPAC jury members are Dina Iordanova, Helen Lee, and Keoprasith Souvannavong, who is serving as Jury Chair.

NETPAC Award:

In Search of The Sky (Vimukt), dir. Jitank Singh Gurjar | India

NETPAC jury’s statement: “For offering an indelible tale of tolerance, desperation and faith, conveyed through a unique lens of realism and poetics, elevated by striking performances. In Search of The Sky (Vimukt) is a truly independent achievement by Indian filmmaker Jitank Singh Gurjar. The film transports the audience to rural central India, where an impoverished elderly couple contends with their cognitively challenged adult son and the villagers who threaten their existence. A beacon of hope comes in the form of the Maha Kumbh Mela, a pilgrimage to the world’s largest spiritual gathering where they seek renewal and new possibilities of life.”

BEST CANADIAN DISCOVERY AWARD

The Best Canadian Discovery Award celebrates works of emerging filmmakers who contribute to enriching the Canadian film landscape. All Canadian first or second feature films in Official Selection are eligible for this award. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 CAD.

Jury members presiding over both the Best Canadian Discovery Award and Best Canadian Feature Film Award are: Jennifer Baichwal, Sophie Jarvis, and R.T. Thorne:

“Thirty-five films in 10 days gives you some perspective on the cinematic zeitgeist in our country. As a jury, we were particularly impressed by the wonderful variety, breadth, and strength of storytelling in the Indigenous films supported by the Indigenous Screen Office. This was a powerful indicator of the future of cinema in this country, and we look forward to seeing more in the future.”

Best Canadian Discovery Award:

Blue Heron, dir. Sophy Romvari | Canada

Jury’s statement: “Blue Heron, written and directed by Sophy Romvari, is a film centered on a family struggling with a troubling personal crisis, where all elements — script, direction, cinematography, performance and editing — unite to powerfully transcend the sum of their parts. The complexity of story, perspective, and emotion is conveyed with understated simplicity — nothing is superfluous — and the transitions between real and imagined, past and present, are seamless, as well as heartbreaking. Blue Heron is a stunning and assured feature debut about love, grief, memory, and the yearning to go back to the moment before everything changed.”

Honourable Mention:

100 Sunset, dir. Kunsang Kyirong | Canada

Jury’s statement: “We as a jury were struck by the remarkable world-building in 100 Sunset, Kunsang Kyirong’s directorial debut. She invites us into the apartment complex that is home to members of the Tibetan immigrant community in Toronto, where we experience the gossip, rivalries, and intrigues through the eyes of an observant young thief who rarely speaks but seems to register everything. The growing friendship between the thief and a newly arrived young wife is a study in seeing and being seen, and the interplay of an old DV camera perspective takes us along on their journey of expanding horizons.”

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD

The Best Canadian Feature Film Award honours the unique craft and storytelling in Canadian cinema. All Canadian feature films in Official Selection — excluding first or second features — are considered for the award. The winning filmmaker will receive a $10,000 CAD cash prize.

Best Canadian Feature Film Award:

Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), dir. Zacharias Kunuk | Canada

Jury’s statement: “Wrong Husband, directed by Zacharias Kunuk, is a love story from thousands of years ago that blends the epic and intimate and immerses viewers in a mesmerizing and unique cinematic experience. The supernatural is ever-present and matter of fact alongside exquisite details of the daily rhythms of ancient Inuit life. The humour, gentleness and stoicism in the characters’ interactions is deeply moving, and the landscape is both a sublime setting and a character in itself. This is a beautiful and not unexpected achievement from a master storyteller.”

Honourable Mention:

There Are No Words, dir. Min Sook Lee | Canada

Jury’s statement: “An Honourable Mention goes to There Are No Words, written and directed by veteran documentarian Min Sook Lee. This film is a profound and devastating story of unspeakable loss; the shifting shape and mingling of individual and collective memory; the sometimes brutal immigrant experience; and how past violent personal and political realities can continue to define the identity of a family.”

PLATFORM AWARD

Marking the tenth anniversary of the Festival’s competitive section, Platform champions bold directorial vision and distinctive storytelling on the world stage. The Platform Award is a prize of $20,000 CAD given to the best film in the programme, selected by an in-person international jury: Carlos Marqués-Marcet (Jury Chair), Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Chloé Robichaud.

Platform Award:

To The Victory!, dir. Valentyn Vasyanovych | Ukraine/Lithuania

Platform jury’s statement: “To The Victory! is the unanimous choice for this year’s Platform Award amongst a very strong selection. Bringing cinematic language to its roots and, at the same time, masterfully playing with audience expectations, this film dismantles convention to reveal deeply resonant universal emotions. Director Valentyn Vasyanovych has choreographed a mise-en-scène rendered with masterful precision, arriving at the kind of refined simplicity that can only be achieved with artistic maturity and bold vision. He has deftly used comedy to address a very complicated and complex situation into a work that is both audacious and profoundly beautiful. Ultimately, the film returns us to the very essence of cinema — reminding us why we are compelled to tell stories on film, and why we continue to do so.”

Honourable Mention:

Hen, dir. György Pálfi | Germany/Greece/Hungary

Platform jury’s statement: “The jury also wishes to recognize the extraordinary artistry of director György Pálfi, whose work exemplifies boldness, intelligence, and creative ingenuity. Blending cinematic genres in an inventive and seamless manner, Hen demonstrates remarkable precision in its camera movement and shot composition, resulting in an exceptionally effective narrative. György’s unwavering commitment to exploring humanity through the perspective of the hen yields a singularly original vision — a work of stunning originality, unlike anything else in contemporary cinema.”

Awards descriptions including eligibility can be found here: tiff.net/awards. Information on the People’s Choice Award voting process can be found here: tiff.net/vote.

Last Sunday, TIFF hosted its seventh annual TIFF Tribute Awards, in partnership with Rolex. Photos of the event can be found here.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, concludes today. The 51st edition of the Festival will take place September 10–20, 2026.

Social:

YouTube: TIFF, TIFF Trailers

X: @TIFF_NET & @TIFF_Industry

Instagram, TikTok & Letterboxd

Pinterest: @tiffnet

Facebook.com/TIFF

About TIFF:

TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. A global leader in film and entertainment, TIFF initiatives include the annual Toronto International Film Festival® in September; TIFF Lightbox, which features five cinemas, learning and entertainment facilities; the Donald Shebib TIFF Film Circuit, an innovative national distribution program; and TIFF: The Market launching in 2026. The organization generates an estimated annual economic impact of $240 million CAD. TIFF Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel, and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation, and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

TIFF is generously supported by Festival Presenting Sponsor Rogers Communications.

TIFF is generously supported by Major Sponsors RBC and Visa and Major Supporters the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada, and the City of Toronto.

The People’s Choice Awards are presented by Rogers.

#TIFF25: DAY NINE (WRAP) – SAM NIVOLA, BOBBY FARRELLY, MOLLY SHANNON AND MORE

so hard to believe we’re reached the end of tiff50! what wondrous ride it’s been and we thank you so much for joining us along the way! we really enjoy every time someone who reads the site, taps our shoulder to say “hi” and we hope we continue being able to connect with you. we’re here year-round for you!

some highlights from day nine, plus some thoughts on films we saw!

•bobby farrelly
•molly shannon
•sophie telegadis
•finn harry
•aidan laprete
•sam nivola

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until next year!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)