TIFF 2026 kicks off next week, so here is a small list that visitors should check out—from the full 294 films being screened over September 10-20.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns for its 51st year, offering another rolodex full of new films. This year’s edition features 294 films made across plenty of countries all around the world. With hundreds of films to check out at TIFF 2026, it can be daunting to know which ones have a high chance of being good—but there are highly anticipated ones. CGMagazine curated a list of 15 films we think TIFF 2026 attendees should check out, based on the buzz from other festivals and recent trailers. Mark your calendars, as the festival runs September 10-20.
The stars will also be out in full force, and I do not particularly mean the ones in the night sky. From the creative standpoint, well-known directors like Danny Boyle, Lee Chang-dong, and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu return with much-talked-about films. Meanwhile, visionaries like Jesse Eisenberg, Chris Rock, and Bassam Tariq hope their premieres land with audiences at the festival. It would not be TIFF without its red carpets! TIFF 2026 visitors can expect appearances from the likes of Channing Tatum, Tom Hiddleston, Hudson Williams, Jesse Eisenberg, Paul Giamatti, Mahershala Ali, Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogen, Adam Driver, and Daniel Kaluuya.
Here is our list of 15 films that should be seen at TIFF 2026:
Bunker
Plot: Oscar winners Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem play a couple whose bond is tested when a mysterious billionaire’s proposal prompts an ethical impasse in the latest from Oscar-winning writer-director Florian Zeller.
Why You Should Watch: Put two acting goliaths like Cruz and Bardem in it, and that alone can help sell the film. But no, this one is already being talked about for its high-stakes psychological thriller elements. If that is up your alley, then mark this one down.
Fjord
Plot: Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the latest from writer-director Cristian Mungiu is a gripping high-stakes courtroom drama driven by a profound moral dilemma.
Why You Should Watch: This is another case within this TIFF 2026 list where knowing Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve are in this film has enough star power to get audiences excited. Also, this is another high-stakes drama, but set in a fairly unique backdrop in an isolated Norwegian town.
The Debut
Plot: Jesse Eisenberg directs Academy Award winner Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti in a dark comedy about a bored suburban housewife who finds purpose acting in community theatre.
Why You Should Watch: Coming off the Oscar nod for A Real Pain, Eisenberg points the lens towards the delightfully unhinged world of community theatre. Eisenberg is known to pen sharp, dark comedy well. Additionally, it will be a treat to see Moore and Giamatti squabble to their hearts’ content.
The Surgeon
Plot: Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) is back in action as a kidnapped surgeon forced to perform one last operation in this fun, pulse-pounding thriller.
Why You Should Watch: Yeoh has two films at TIFF 2026: It’s My Time and The Surgeon. While the former looks to be a lighthearted comedy, The Surgeon seems to be the more heart-pounding one. We all know how amazing she is, so having Martin Freeman to act against will be an even greater bonus. Canadian Roshan Sethi, a practicing oncologist, wrote and directed The Surgeon, which brings some practical medical elements to the film as well.
Drifter
Plot: Fast & Furious alum Sung Kang directs and stars in this alternately melancholy and exhilarating character study of a lonesome racetrack custodian with a secret talent for drifting.
Why You Should Watch: The buzz has been rattling for the last couple of years around this film, prior to TIFF 2026. Kang is putting the emphasis back on cars in Drifter, in a way the Fast & Furious films have strayed away from since some of the earlier films. To put drifting back in the film spotlight in 2026 is a wild undertaking, but audiences do want it after the Tokyo Drift experience.
A Long Winter
Plot: After his mother disappears during the first blizzard of the season, a young man refuses to give up hope as one long Colorado winter reshapes his relationship with his father and his understanding of the man he is becoming. From Andrew Haigh, the acclaimed director of All of Us Strangers.
Why You Should Watch: It is simple to say: trust Andrew Haigh’s track record from Weekend to All of Us Strangers. This latest one adapts the short story by Colm Tóibín, and plays to Haigh’s excellent ability to capture smart character pieces. The setting even looks to be giving The Revenant.
Girl Group
Plot: Rebel Wilson writes, directs, and stars in this story of a pop star who, following a downward spiral, finds a new sense of purpose by assembling a bunch of young up-and-comers to form a group of their own.
Why You Should Watch: Making her directorial debut with The Deb, Wilson brings another woman-forward comedy that focuses on youthful girls and pop star dreams. If that is not enough to get you excited for this one, the supporting cast known so far includes Jennifer Coolidge, Randall Park, Nicole Scherzinger, Judi Love, and Sally Hawkins.
The Stunt Driver
Plot: Jay Baruchel and director Michael Dowse re-team for a raucous yet heartfelt comedy about a Canadian stuntman who dared to dream big and fly (very) high.
Why You Should Watch: If you are from North America, especially from Canada, this is a must-watch TIFF 2026 film! The film is already being heavily promoted, even making an appearance at Fan Expo 2026. If TIFF 50 had Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, then this year The Stunt Driver should fill that similar genre slot well.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
Plot: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (TIFF ’18 People’s Choice Award winner Green Book) stars as a devout Muslim, loving family man, and contract killer in this audaciously inventive Texas-set action thriller from writer-director Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli).
Why You Should Watch: With a main character who is a killer who refuses to use a gun and only murders those who are truly evil is enough of a premise to reel you in—at least that is enough for me! This should be another standout performance from Ali, as it builds up the suspense and heart-pumping moments.
Wild Horse Nine
Plot: Two CIA agents (John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell) are sent on a mission to Easter Island, where one faces an existential crisis over his past actions, in Martin McDonagh’s latest dark comedy.
Why You Should Watch: If you are a cinephile who enjoyed In Bruges, The Nice Guys, and Seven Psychopaths, this may be up your alley. Who does not like a good buddy-cop style film from time to time? Rockwell and Malkovich’s performances should live up to the hype.
Ink
Plot: Director Danny Boyle’s latest thrillingly charts the meteoric rise of Rupert Murdoch’s fledgling but instantly notorious The Sun newspaper as he and editor Larry Lamb create the blueprint for UK tabloid culture. Guy Pearce (The Brutalist, TIFF ’24), Claire Foy, and Jack O’Connell star.
Why You Should Watch: The plot gives Nightcrawler and the upcoming A24 feature Primetime, where this could be a very riveting watch. If there is something to say about TIFF 2026, it is that the thriller genre is not a short list, as this potentially messy film should pique most people’s interests. If not, the cast should again be sufficient enough to draw in attendees to watch.
Josephine
Plot: After witnessing an event, a young girl is haunted by the trauma of the disturbing incident, opening her eyes to the violence that surrounds her.
Why You Should Watch: So far, this movie could be along the lines of We Live in Time. These dramatic stories can be make-or-break, whether the tissue boxes will be out or not. Seeing Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan billed for this can be enough to draw in crowds. But childhood trauma could also work too.
Misty Green
Plot: Featuring a career-making performance from Slow Horses’ Rosalind Eleazar and supporting turns from Daniel Kaluuya, Adam Driver, and Anna Kendrick, Chris Rock’s latest as writer-director brilliantly satirizes the bigotry and hustle at the heart of Hollywood.
Why You Should Watch: Eleazar has been making waves, and this performance should be no different. She is also being recognized with the TIFF Tribute Performer award for her work in this film. A Hollywood satirical piece is always enough to stir the pot at a film festival, so Misty Green should do the same.
Tenzing
Plot: Starring Tom Hiddleston (TIFF ’24’s The Life of Chuck), Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, and Genden Phuntsok (TIFF ’18’s Jinpa), this wondrous biopic recounts the story of Himalayan Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay who, alongside Edmund Hillary, became the first to top Everest in 1953.
Why You Should Watch: There are countless films about Mount Everest, and an abundance of stories and journeys to be told about the people who have climbed it. If you are a fan of these films or movies about sports happening on-screen, then this should appeal to you! If not, Hiddleston acting opposite newcomer Phuntsok should be enticing enough.
YAGA
Plot: Starring Canadians Hudson Williams, Noah Reid, and Carrie-Anne Moss, this adaptation of Kat Sandler’s award-winning play unfurls the truth behind a mysterious disappearance in a small coastal town.
Why You Should Watch: Come on! The Canadians are out in full effect in this one. Williams is coming off global superstardom with Heated Rivalry and hitting the big screen. This should be an exhilarating watch since it blends elements of horror and whodunnit mystery.
Bonus: The Last Photograph
Plot: Director Zach Snyder brings Stuart Martin (Army of Thieves) and Fra Free (Hawkeye) to a story about an ex-DEA agent who is seeking revenge in a South American jungle where dangerous terrain and inner demons intermingle.
Why You Should Watch: “The Last Photograph is a meditation on life and death, embodying some of the trials that I have experienced in my own life and the exploration of those ideas through image making,” said Zach Snyder to Deadline. Not much is known about the film yet, as it was just added last-second to the TIFF 2026 slate! As Snyder’s work can be hit or miss with IP’s, this one looks a lot more intimate and can be a good opportunity to see a great character-driven film.
