Frontmezzjunkies reports: Pedro Almodóvar, Danny Boyle, Chris Rock, Jesse Eisenberg, Mike Leigh, Takashi Miike, and dozens more filmmakers join an increasingly stacked TIFF51 lineup
By Ross
Every July, there comes a moment when the Toronto International Film Festival stops feeling like a date circled on the calendar and starts feeling wonderfully overwhelming, like chapter two in a fascinating but complex book. One announcement becomes several, arriving in my inbox almost daily. One or two must-see titles suddenly become dozens. Screening schedules begin taking shape in my imagination long before TIFF releases a single timetable, and I find myself mentally calculating how many films it might actually be possible to squeeze into ten extraordinary days.
I’m still waiting to hear whether I’ll once again have the privilege of covering the Festival with media accreditation, fingers firmly crossed after last year’s unforgettable experience. Either way, today’s Gala and Special Presentations announcement makes one thing abundantly clear. TIFF51 is rapidly becoming one of those Festivals where every decision at the box office is going to feel impossible.
Following last week’s announcement of “Being Heumann” as Opening Night, along with the World Premieres of “Prima Facie” and “The Assassin(s)“, TIFF has now unveiled an extraordinary collection of Gala Presentations and Special Presentations featuring acclaimed filmmakers from nearly thirty countries. The lineup welcomes new work from Pedro Almodóvar, Danny Boyle, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Mike Leigh, Jesse Eisenberg, Takashi Miike, Lee Chang-dong, Gael García Bernal, Cristian Mungiu, Florian Zeller, Chris Rock, Rachel Morrison, John Madden, and many more, alongside an impressive slate of World Premieres that promises plenty of red carpet excitement.
Among the Gala Presentations, several immediately caught my attention. Peter Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky” arrives as a World Premiere, telling the story behind one of cinema’s most iconic underdog films. Chris Rock steps behind the camera once again for “Misty Green“, while John Madden returns with the intriguingly titled “Onwards and Sideways“. Documentary fans will likely be eager for “Always Lalisa“, following global superstar Lalisa Manobal, while Canadian stories continue to feature prominently through Adrian Buitenhuis’ “Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story” and Sean Menard’s “Run Terry Run“. TIFF has also confirmed that Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s “Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend“, chronicling the early career of Canadian racing icon Gilles Villeneuve, will close this year’s Festival.
The Special Presentations announcement may prove even more dangerous for anyone trying to build a sensible schedule. Danny Boyle returns with “Ink“. Jesse Eisenberg brings “The Debut“. Mike Leigh arrives with “Tender Loving Care“. Takashi Miike’s “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo” already feels destined to generate conversation, while Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas” immediately becomes essential viewing for many Festival regulars. South Korean cinema once again enjoys a strong presence with Yeon Sang-ho’s World Premiere “Paradise Lost” and Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love“, while Hirokazu Kore-eda returns with “Look Back“.
Canadian audiences also have plenty to celebrate. Michael Dowse premieres “The Stunt Driver“, Mina Shum unveils “Whatcha Want“, and Andrew Haigh’s “A Long Winter” makes its Canadian Premiere. Rachel Morrison’s “Love of Your Life“, Bassam Tariq’s “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother“, and David and Nathan Zellner’s “Alpha Gang“, all announced earlier as Special Presentations, now officially join an increasingly stacked programme.
What continues to make TIFF so exciting isn’t simply the number of celebrated names arriving in Toronto. Every year, some of the Festival’s biggest discoveries are films that barely register during these early announcements before becoming the titles everyone is talking about once screenings begin. With more programme reveals still to come before the full schedule arrives on August 11, the annual ritual of planning, juggling, and impossible decision-making is only just beginning.
For now, TIFF51 already feels wonderfully alive. Every announcement makes September feel a little closer, and every growing list of premieres makes the wait for opening night just a little more difficult. If this is only the latest chapter in TIFF51‘s story, I cannot wait to see what the next announcement brings.
Here’s the full lineup announced today, with previously revealed titles also noted.
2026 Gala Presentations (in alphabetical order, *previously announced):
A Talent for Murder | Anton Corbijn | United Kingdom, Italy
World Premiere
All About Corinne | Marc Fitoussi | France
North American Premiere
Always Lalisa | Sue Kim | USA
World Premiere
Atonement | Reed Van Dyk | USA
North American Premiere
Babies | Lauren Miller Rogen | USA
World Premiere
*Being Heumann | Siân Heder | USA
World Premiere
Opening Night Film
Bunker | Florian Zeller | France, Spain
North American Premiere
Diary of a Mad Old Man | Wayne Wang | USA
World Premiere
Evil Genius | Courteney Cox | USA
World Premiere
Girl Group | Rebel Wilson | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story | Adrian Buitenhuis | Canada
World Premiere
Misty Green | Chris Rock | USA
World Premiere
Onwards and Sideways | John Madden | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Pretenders | Joss Crowley | United Kingdom
World Premiere
*Prima Facie | Susanna White | Australia, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Run Terry Run | Sean Menard | Canada
Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret of the First Emperor | Nguyen Phan Quang Binh | Vietnam
International Premiere
Tenzing | Jennifer Peedom | USA, Australia
Canadian Premiere
*The Assassin(s) | Hur Jin-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd | Tim Blake Nelson | USA
World Premiere
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York | Noah Segan | USA
Canadian Premiere
Up Against It | Trudie Styler | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend | Yan Lanouette Turgeon | Canada
World Premiere
Closing Night Film
2026 Special Presentations (in alphabetical order):
*previously announced
A Long Winter | Andrew Haigh | Canada, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
All of a Sudden | Ryûsuke Hamaguchi | France, Japan, Germany, Belgium
North American Premiere
All That She Wants | Scarlett Bermingham, Andrew Rhymer | USA, Canada
World Premiere
*Alpha Gang | David Zellner, Nathan Zellner | USA
International Premiere
Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo | Takashi Miike | USA, United Kingdom, Japan
World Premiere
Bitter Christmas | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain
North American Premiere
Clarissa | Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri | Nigeria, USA
North American Premiere
Club Kid | Jordan Firstman | USA
Canadian Premiere
Coward | Lukas Dhont | Belgium
North American Premiere
Elsinore | Simon Stone | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Everest: The Other Side | Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | USA
Canadian Premiere
Everybody Wants To F*** Me | Jonathan Schey | United Kingdom, France, USA
World Premiere
Faith | Paul Andrew Williams | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Fjord | Cristian Mungiu | Romania, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
Canadian Premiere
Gentle Monster | Marie Kreutzer | Austria
Canadian Premiere
*Glaxo | Benjamín Naishtat | Argentina, Brazil
World Premiere
Growth of the Soil | Hans Petter Moland | Norway
World Premiere
Happily Ever After | Feng-I Fiona Roan | Taiwan
World Premiere
Hombre al agua | Gael García Bernal | Mexico
North American Premiere
I Play Rocky | Peter Farrelly | USA
World Premiere
In Alaska | Jaap van Heusden, Vinnie Karetak | Netherlands, Canada
World Premiere
Ink | Danny Boyle | United Kingdom, France, USA
Canadian Premiere
Josephine | Beth de Araújo | USA
Canadian Premiere
La Bola Negra | Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi | Spain, France
Canadian Premiere
Le Faux Soir | Michaël R. Roskam | Belgium, France
World Premiere
Look Back | Hirokazu Kore-eda | Japan
North American Premiere
*Love of Your Life | Rachel Morrison | USA
World Premiere
Minotaur | Andrey Zvyagintsev | France, Germany, Latvia
Canadian Premiere
Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? | Shinya Tsukamoto | Japan
North American Premiere
Paradise Lost | Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
Phoolan | Richie Mehta | India
World Premiere
Possible Love | Lee Chang-dong | South Korea
North American Premiere
Tender Loving Care | Mike Leigh | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
The Age of Goodbyes | Edmund Yeo | Taiwan, Malaysia
World Premiere
The Beloved | Rodrigo Sorogoyen | Spain
North American Premiere
The Debut | Jesse Eisenberg | USA
International Premiere
*The Housewife | Ben Shirinian | USA
World Premiere
The Julia Set | Niki Byrne | USA
World Premiere
The Man I Love | Ira Sachs | USA
North American Premiere
The Stunt Driver | Michael Dowse | Canada
World Premiere
The Unknown | Arthur Harari | France
North American Premiere
Whatcha Want | Mina Shum | Canada
World Premiere
*Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Bassam Tariq | USA
World Premiere
The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 10–20, 2026. The inaugural edition of TIFF: The Market takes place the first week of Festival, September 10–16, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
