The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs Thursday, September 10 to Sunday, September 20, 2026. Eleven days. Lightbox, Scotiabank Theatre, Roy Thomson Hall, and the rest of the King West cluster.

This page is the keep-open TIFF desk: what to book, who is actually in town, and how not to get wrecked at noon. Film-by-film heat will move. tiff.net wins if we disagree.

Top Picks

These are the ones worth building a schedule around if you are a civilian, not a publicist.

Being Heumann (Siân Heder) — Opening night, Roy Thomson Hall, Sept 10. Judy Heumann, the 1977 sit-in, Ruth Madeley. Apple. The one that starts the festival.
All of a Sudden (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi) — Special Presentation. If you only see one “this is why TIFF exists” movie, this is the safe bet.
Look Back (Hirokazu Kore-eda) — Special Presentation. Quiet, Japanese, will be the one people talk about in October.
Bitter Christmas (Pedro Almodóvar) — Special Presentation. Almodóvar in September is a Toronto ritual.
Prima Facie (Susanna White) — Gala. Cynthia Erivo in Suzie Miller’s play. One performance, high heat.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney (Matthew Rankin) — Midnight Madness, world premiere. Rankin doing a Canadian statesman at 11:59 p.m. at the Royal Alex. This is our movie.
Possible Love (Lee Chang-dong) — Special Presentation. If Hamaguchi is booked, this is the other one.
Ink (Danny Boyle) — Special Presentation. Boyle, not a gala, still a fight for seats.
River (Joshua Giuliano) — Midnight Madness opening night. Slasher, siblings, 11:59 p.m. If MM is why you came, start here.
Tender Loving Care (Mike Leigh) — Special Presentation. Leigh does not do red carpets. Still a pick.

Two or three of these in a day is a festival. Five is a dare.

Hollywood

Who the carpets are for. A listing here is not a promise they walk King West. It is the film TIFF put in the star programmes.

Opening and closing

Film	Who	Notes
Being Heumann	Siân Heder, Ruth Madeley, Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O’Brien	Opening night, Sept 10, Roy Thomson Hall
Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend	Yan Lanouette Turgeon	Closing night, Sept 19. Gilles the racer, not Denis the director

The actual Hollywood galas

Film	Who TIFF has named
Misty Green	Chris Rock writes, directs, stars. Cast: Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Rosalind Eleazar, Topher Grace, Anthony Anderson
Prima Facie	Cynthia Erivo
The Assassin(s)	Hur Jin-ho, Lee Min-ho (Park Hae-il also named in coverage)
I Play Rocky	Peter Farrelly. Anthony Ippolito as Stallone making Rocky
Evil Genius	Courteney Cox
Girl Group	Rebel Wilson
Always Lalisa	Sue Kim. The Lalisa in the title is the point
Babies	Lauren Miller Rogen
The Debut	Jesse Eisenberg
The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd	Tim Blake Nelson
Up Against It	Trudie Styler
Bunker	Florian Zeller

In Conversation With… (live, not a movie)

Lee Min-ho, Rachel Morrison, Chris Rock, Andrew Scott, and Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry / Making Waves). These sell like galas. Same noon rules.

Directors who will pull a carpet even if they are not “Hollywood”

Almodóvar (Bitter Christmas), Hamaguchi, Kore-eda, Boyle, Mike Leigh, Gael García Bernal (Hombre al agua), Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Everest: The Other Side), Duncan Jones (Rogue Trooper, Midnight Madness closer).

Festival Street is back opening weekend on King West, Peter to University. That is the free celebrity-spotting zone. You do not need a gala ticket to stand on the street.

How tickets actually work

Three layers, in this order:

Curated Ticket Packages — TIFF picks the screenings (Gala, Midnight Madness, In Conversation With…). Sold in June to members, then Visa. Dates and seats are assigned. Not exchangeable. If you did not buy one, that window is closed.
Single tickets — you pick the film and the time. This is the wave happening now.
Rush — last chance for an off-sale screening. Line at the venue. Not a guarantee.

Buy through the TIFF Festival Account Manager. Year-round Lightbox tickets are a different account. Festival tickets go on sale at 12 p.m. ET on each date.

Membership is how you buy before the public. Individual starts at $125 on tiff.net/membership. Under-25 Free Pass exists if you qualify.

On-sale calendar

From TIFF’s festival page. All times 12 p.m. ET.

When	Who
June 10	Curated packages, members
June 17	Curated packages, Visa
Aug 11	Official schedule (already out)
Aug 21–27	Single tickets, members by level
Aug 28–30	Insider Pre-Sale, presented by Visa
Aug 31	Public single tickets
Sep 10–20	Festival
Sep 10–16	TIFF: The Market

Member days, as published for 2026:

Fri Aug 21 — Patrons Circle Leader
Sat Aug 22 — Patrons Circle Champion
Sun Aug 23 — Patrons Circle Patron
Mon Aug 24 — Contributors Circle Sustainer (Early Bird noon, all 4 p.m.)
Tue Aug 25 — Contributors Circle Contributor (Early Bird noon, all 4 p.m.)
Wed Aug 26 — Industry and Early Bird Individual
Thu Aug 27 — all Individual members
Fri Aug 28 — Visa Insider Pre-Sale and Under-25 Free Pass

If you are not a member, Monday, August 31 at noon is your day. Have the account created before then. Have a ranked list and backups. The Hollywood titles above die in the member window.

Rush

Festival Rush Pass, presented by PUMA: unlimited rush-line access at TIFF venues, including In Conversation With… events.

25+: $80, taxes and fees included
Under-25 (Under-25 Members and Free Passholders): $39, taxes and fees included

Passes are scanned. Screenshots are not tickets. Non-transferable.

A rush line is last seats after the house is counted, usually about 15 minutes before start. Being in line is not a ticket. Do not camp all afternoon.

What is free

The Lightbox lobby is free and is the festival’s living room. King West between University and Spadina is the street. Festival Street, opening weekend, Peter to University.

Do not plan a 2026 day around a free outdoor screening unless TIFF has posted that programme.

How not to get wrecked on the first morning

Log into the Festival Account Manager the day before. Payment method already there.
Rank 8 films. Expect to get 3. Put one Top Pick and one backup that is not a gala.
Galas and opening-night titles vanish first. Regular screenings and the back half of the festival are how civilians actually see movies.
Two or three films a day is a real festival.
Midnight Madness is its own sport. Royal Alexandra, 11:59 p.m. If that is why you came, treat those tickets as the priority.
St. Andrew or Osgoode subway. Walk. Do not drive King West in September.
Customer relations: customerrelations@tiff.net, 416-599-2033 / 1-888-258-8433, Tuesday–Sunday 12–5 p.m.

Official

If TIFF’s site disagrees with this page, trust TIFF.

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)