#TIFF: TIFF CINEMATHEQUE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

TIFF Lightbox is wrapping up the year with a newly announced marquee series celebrating animation, three major retrospectives, milestone anniversary restorations, free community events, annual Sing Alongs, and a slate of holiday favourites presented in large formats. Plus, special guest appearances throughout the season.

TIFF Cinematheque presents Secret Beyond the Door: The Women Who Wrote Noir guest-curated by Bernardo Rondeau, an eight-film thematic survey presented exclusively on 35mm, which shines a spotlight on women screenwriters who shaped classic film noir, and a retrospective honouring the legendary Polish director Andrzej Wajda on the centenary of his birth with Andrzej Wajda: Against Oblivion.

As part of Viola Desmond Day, TIFF presents a free screening of Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng’s Invisible Beauty (2023) on November 8. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Hardison (who joins us virtually) and Dr. Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora, at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

TIFF will celebrate the holiday season in December with the return of family-friendly Sing Along screenings of The Sound of Music and The Greatest Showman; 70mm screenings of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and James Cameron’s Aliens, marking its 40th anniversary; and 35mm screenings of Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life for its 80th anniversary. Film lovers ringing in the New Year at the Lightbox can take part in a double bill of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (70mm) and Eyes Wide Shut.

TIFF CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

Secret Beyond the Door: The Women Who Wrote Noir

November 5–15

Step into the shadows this November and discover the secret beyond the door: eight film noirs, all screening on 35mm, every one written or co-written by women. Postwar Hollywood cinema turned to the darkened corners of the human psyche. In the midst of this renaissance of cinematic nihilism, many women found an opportunity to write stories outside of the lighter fare they would usually be assigned by studios at the time. This body of work has largely gone undocumented… until now. From gothic chamber pieces to twisty whodunnits, these films explore the dangerous border between reality and illusion, where obsession and vice reign and the currencies of the realm are secrets and lies. All eight films in the series, each one clad in inky black and white, will unspool in glorious 35mm. Enter, if you dare. The series opens with The Hitch-Hiker (1953) written and directed by Ida Lupino; My Name is Julia Ross (1945), screenplay by Muriel Roy Bolton; The Big Sleep (1946), screenplay by Leigh Brackett, William Faulkner, and Jules Furthman; The Unsuspected (1947), screenplay by Ranald MacDougall and Bess Meredyth; Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), screenplay by Lucille Fletcher; The File on Thelma Jordon (1949), screenplay by Ketti Frings; and Sudden Fear (1952), screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smith.

Drawn Universes: Visions in Animation

November 19 — December 29

Celebrated Japanese filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa guest-curates this anime and animation series, highlighting 17 features and four shorts that have influenced his work. Yuasa will join TIFF in person on November 28 for an In Conversation With… event at the Lightbox, presented with Programming Partner, OCAD University. Yuasa will also be in attendance to introduce the screenings of Richard Williams’ The Thief and the Cobbler: A Moment in Time (November 27) and Isao Takahata’s Anne of Green Gables: Road to Green Gables (November 28), presented with Programming Partner Japan Foundation Toronto, who will also support the 35mm presentation of Gisaburō Sugii’s Night on the Galactic Railroad (November 22).

Other highlights include René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet (November 26), presented by Community Partner Sheridan College Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design, with an introduction by Dean Mark Jones, and a family-friendly artmaking event before Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s Ghost Cat Anzu (December 6), presented with Programming Partner The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Further family-friendly screenings in the series include Disney’s Pinocchio (November 21), Paul Grimault’s The King and the Mockingbird (December 12), Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3 (December 19), and a special holiday relaxed screening of Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (December 20).

Andrzej Wajda: Against Oblivion

November 28 – December 15

Marking the 100th anniversary of his birth, Poland officially declared 2026 the “Year of Andrzej Wajda.” As Poland’s most important, influential, and emblematic filmmaker, Wajda (1926–2016) fearlessly chronicled the nation’s turbulent history, dismantling Soviet-era myths to expose the harrowing horrors of WWII, as well as the realities of postwar development. Andrzej Wajda: Against Oblivion proposes a filmic body of work as an act of resistance, searching for truth despite state censorship. This select retrospective features Wajda’s defining masterworks, including his legendary wartime trilogy: A Generation, Kanal, and Ashes and Diamonds (all shown in new 4K restorations); his searing critiques of industrialization and communist bureaucracy, Man of Marble and the Cannes Palme d’Or winner Man of Iron; and his fitting final film, Afterimage.

Screenings of Andrzej Wajda’s films in North America in 2026 are part of the ‘Wajda 100 Tour – North America’ project, organized by DI Factory with the financial support of the Polish Film Institute.

From the Collection with Cameron Bailey

November 3, 6:30pm: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) dir. Cristian Mungiu, 35mm print!

December 1, 6:30pm: Will It Snow for Christmas? (1996) dir. Sandrine Veysset, 30th anniversary, 35mm print!

See the North

November 10, 6:30pm: Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones (2026) dir. Justin Simms, Toronto Premiere! Preceded by TIFF Preludes short film: Congratulations (2000) dir. Michael Jones

December 8, 6:30pm: Elsewhere at Night (2025) dir. Marianne Métivier, Toronto Premiere!

TIFF Wavelengths Presents

November 11, 6:30pm: THEATER and its doubles

Curated by Jacob Korczynski and presented in partnership with Bonny Poon, and coincides with the exhibition Yesterday’s Paper, on view at Bonny Poon November 13, 2026 through January 16, 2027.

December 9, 6:30pm: Crossings: Kaleh Ziyarat (2026) d. Rouzbeh Akhbari, in-person Q&A with the filmmaker, Toronto Premiere!

Presented in partnership with Mercer Union alongside the exhibition Rouzbeh Akhbari: Of Wool and Diesel, on view at Mercer Union from September 26, 2026 to January 23, 2027.

MDFF Selects

November 12, 6:30pm: Memory (2025) dir. Vladlena Sandu, Canadian Premiere!

TIFF Cinematheque Special Screenings

November 17, 6:30pm: Small, Slow but Steady (2022) dir. Sho Miyake, in-person Q&A with the filmmaker.

Presented in partnership with The Japan Foundation.

TIFF Next Wave Presents

November 18, 6:30pm: Messy Legends (2025) dirs. Kelly Kay Hurcomb and James Watts, in-person Q&A with the filmmakers

TIFF Next Wave is presented by Takis.

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING SPOTLIGHT

November 8, 2pm: Free event! Viola Desmond Day: Invisible Beauty with Bethann Hardison and Julie Crooks

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s historic stand against racial segregation on November 8, 1946, TIFF proudly presents a free screening of Invisible Beauty (2023), a documentary self-portrait exploring the life and career of trailblazing model, modeling agent, and activist Bethann Hardison, co-directed by Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng. Hardison (virtually) and Julie Crooks, Curator of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora at the Art Gallery of Ontario, join us after the screening for a conversation about the film and Black self-fashioning from the 1880s to the present.

This event is presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario, co-organizers of the exhibition Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style, on view through February 28, 2027.

November 25, 6pm: Free event! Boxcutter with Vibe Arts

Actor Ashton James, producer Soko Negash, and Vibe Arts facilitator and TIFF Next Wave alum Paul Daniel Torres join us for a conversation moderated by Vibe Arts Executive Director Golshan Abdmoulaie following this free screening of Reza Dahya’s “love letter to Toronto” about an aspiring rapper (James) on a quest to find his music in time for the event that could change his life. Boxcutter is preceded by Torres’ short Fried Fish and Plantain (TIFF Next Wave Film Festival ’26) about two former lovers reuniting to unpack shifts in their relationship, lives, and city. Arrive early to create a collaged button or journal with Vibe Arts.

This event is presented in partnership with Vibe Arts, a charity dedicated to providing arts education and artistic mentorship to the next generation of creatives.

December 3, 6:15pm: TIFF Next Wave Presents: Open Screen

Calling all creators! Open Screen is back for another edition inviting emerging filmmakers to share a recently completed or work-in-progress short and receive helpful feedback on their projects.

This event is presented in partnership with Future of Film Showcase and POV.

December 4, 6:30pm: Free event! Baghdad/Toronto Film Exchange 2026: Short Films

The Baghdad/Toronto Film Exchange is a project of Sensorium (York University) that showcases the vibrancy of two extraordinary film co-ops: Iraq Independent Film Centre (IIFC) and Liaison of Independent Filmmakers Toronto (LIFT). This free screening of short films by emerging and mid-career filmmakers in Baghdad and Toronto capture the dynamism and inventiveness of two cities in conversation. Themes of war, migration, resilience, and resistance place them in urgent north-south dialogue, despite tundras and deserts of difference. Following the screening, BTFX participants join us for a live conversation about the dynamics and challenges of this filmmaker-to-filmmaker exchange.

This event is presented in partnership with Sensorium (York University), Iraq Independent Film Centre (IIFC), Liaison of Independent Filmmakers Toronto (LIFT), and Toronto Arab Film (TAF).

The Sound of Music (1965)

HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

TIFF CINEMATHEQUE

TIFF Cinematheque Special Screenings

December 23 & 26, 6:30pm and December 31, 3:30pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) dir. Stanley Kubrick, 70mm print!

December 25, 6:30pm & December 26, 3:30pm: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) dir. Frank Capra, 80th anniversary, 35mm print!

December 27, 7pm & December 30, 6:30pm: Aliens (1986) dir. James Cameron, 40th anniversary, 70mm print!

December 31, 7pm: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) dir. Stanley Kubrick

Midnight Madness Presents

December 19, 6:30pm: Inside (2007) dirs. Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

December 12, 17, 19: Sing Along events

The Lightbox is alive with the sound of music! Award-winning comedian Martha Chaves returns to host interactive screenings of the beloved holiday staple The Sound of Music (December 12 & 17) and the chart-topping spectacle The Greatest Showman (December 19). All screenings feature onscreen lyrics, props, and callouts so audiences can join the fun.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for November programming will be available on tiff.net to TIFF Members on Wednesday, October 14 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, October 16 at 12pm. Tickets for screenings from November 27 to December 31 will be available to TIFF Members on Wednesday, November 11 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, November 13.

Tickets for Drawn Universes: Visions in Animation (for screenings until November 27) will be available on tiff.net to TIFF Members on Thursday, October 15 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, October 16 at 12pm. Tickets for screenings from November 27 to December 29 will be available to TIFF Members on Thursday, November 12 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, November 13 at 12pm. Learn more at tiff.net/membership.

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, plus learning and entertainment facilities; the Donald Shebib TIFF Film Circuit, an innovative national distribution programme; and TIFF: The Market. 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 Major Sponsors RBC and Visa, and Major Supporters: the Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, and City of Toronto.

TIFF Cinematheque is supported by Ontario Creates and Canada Council for the Arts.