TIFF turns the spotlight on Canada in its gala and special presentations

TIFF turns the spotlight on Canada in its gala and special presentations

Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend named as closing night gala

The Toronto International Film Festival on Monday announced 64 titles for this year's gala and special presentations programs: two high-profile platforms where red-carpet attention and award-season momentum often collide.

The slate of star-powered screenings offer a familiar mix of global prestige and a distinctly Canadian edge.

World premieres slated for the festival's 51st edition include David and Nathan Zellner's Alpha Gang, a science-fiction comedy film starring Cate Blanchett and Chris Pine; Chris Rock’s dramedy Misty Green, which stars Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya and Rosalind Eleazar as an actor trying to rebuild her career; Anton Corbijn’s drama A Talent for Murder, starring Helen Mirren as mystery novelist Patricia Highsmith; and Lauren Miller Rogen’s rom-com Babies, headlined by her husband Seth Rogen, with Anna Kendrick.

One premiere many in the industry are watching closely is I Play Rocky, from Green Book director Peter Farrelly. The film looks at the behind-the-scenes turmoil that surrounded the making of the 1976 boxing classic Rocky, with newcomver Anthony Ippolito playing a young Sylvester Stallone.

TIFF’s closing night gala choice is Yan Lanouette Turgeon’s Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend, a biographical sports drama about Canadian racing icon Gilles Villeneuve.

Andrew Haigh’s A Long Winter arrives as a Canadian premiere. The film, set high in the mountains as a family prepares for a long winter ahead, was shot primarily in Alberta.

Canadian Mina Shum’s Whatcha Want, a film described by producers as Crazy Rich Asians meets Flashdance is also set for its world premiere. Isabella Wei (Bridgerton, Black Doves) portrays a recent immigrant from Hong Kong who rediscovers her love of dance after her wealthy husband’s betrayal. Veteran actor Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has a supporting role in the film.

In Alaska, the Dutch-Canadian co-production from Jaap van Heusden and Vinnie Karetak is also listed as a world premiere. The film centres on a 17-year-old Alaskan boy who goes on the run after shooting an oil pipeline, pursued by a veteran FBI agent. It stars Swedish actor Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus) and newcomer Leo Matthew Temela, a rapper and singer hailing from Kimmirut, Nunavut.

TIFF announces Margaret Qualley romance, Mahershala Ali action film and more as premieres

Other world premieres include Canadian Michael Dowse's The Stunt Driver, based on the life of daredevil stuntman Ken Carterand played by Jay Baruchel, and the U.S.-Canadian co-production All She Wants, a rom-com starring Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) and Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth).

The gala slate includes documentaries of well-known Canadian figures including the world premiere of Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story from Adrian Buitenhuis. It also features Run Terry Run by Sean Menard, based on the life of Terry Fox.

The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 10-20. You can find the full list of TIFF's gala and special presentations here.

Christine Pagulayan is a producer with CBC News based in Toronto. She has produced for CBC News Network and The National. She has worked as a multiplatform reporter for CBC News in Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax and Moncton. You can reach her at christine.pagulayan@cbc.ca.