The 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is celebrating a major milestone this year, and the festivities are about to begin. Kicking off on Thursday, September 4, and running through September 14, the festival will showcase a massive program of 209 feature films, 6 Classics, 10 Primetime selections, and 66 shorts.
This year’s festival kicks off with a focus on emerging talent, featuring the world premieres from three first-time directors. Mac Eldridge and Tom Dean’s Charlie Harper, starring Emilia Jones and Nick Robinson, and John Early’s directorial debut, Maddie’s Secret, will open the Discovery program. The lineup also includes a special tribute to a comedic legend with the world premiere of Colin Hanks’ documentary, John Candy: I Like Me.
The closing night film is the Canadian feature Peak Everything, directed by Anne Émond. Other standout Gala titles include Chloé Zhao’s historical drama Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley; David Michôd’s Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney in the titular role as boxer Christy Martin; and James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, which pits Rami Malek against Russell Crowe during the post-WWII trials. The section also features international heavyweights like Rebecca Zlotowski’s French film A Private Life and the South Korean film No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook.
The Special Presentations program lineup is particularly strong, with Rian Johnson’s third installment in the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and Paul Greengrass’s gripping drama The Lost Bus. Genre fans can look forward to Nia DaCosta’s take on the classic story of Hedda Gabler in Hedda, starring Tessa Thompson.
The lineup also includes the psychological thriller, Bad Apples, starring Saoirse Ronan, and Easy’s Waltz, the directorial debut of True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, starring Vince Vaughn. Filmmaker Hikari’s movie Rental Family stars Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Japan who finds a new purpose with a “rental family” agency.
The pre-announced TIFF Tribute Awards will be given to notable figures, including Guillermo del Toro (Ebert Director Award), Idris Elba (Impact Media), and Jodie Foster (Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award). Other Tribute Award recipients include HIKARI (Emerging Talent Award), and Catherine O’Hara (Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award).
Additionally, several awards will be voted on during the festival, with the most significant being the People’s Choice Awards, which are chosen by the audience and often predict Oscar success.
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival takes place Thursday, September 4–14, 2025.
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds attend the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 04, 2025 in Toronto
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jennifer Candy, Rose Candy, and Christopher Candy
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Ryan Reynolds
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Ruby McCollister, Leah Hennessey, Claudia O’Doherty, Vanessa Bayer, John Early, Kate Berlant, Emily Allan and Sarah Herman attend the premiere of “Maddie’s Secret”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images John Early attends the premiere of “Maddie’s Secret” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 04
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Luca Intili, John Early and Harris Mayersohn
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images John Early
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Kate Berlant
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Vanessa Bayer
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Sarah Herrman
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Max Boehme and Senay Yibrah
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Emily Allan
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Charlie Harper” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Mallory Edens, Patrick Wachsberger, Nick Robinson, Mac Eldridge, Tom Dean, Laura Quicksilver, Ashley Stern and Wyck Godfrey attend the premiere of “Charlie Harper” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 04
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Prime Video Hosts “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) George Stroumboulopoulos, Colin Hanks, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy speak onstage during the “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference hosted by Prime Video at The Second City Toronto on September 04
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Prime Video Hosts “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Colin Hanks, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy pose onstage during the “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference hosted by Prime Video at The Second City Toronto on September 04