Aziz Ansari, Maude Apatow, David Michôd, Isabel Coixet, and more lead a spectacular cinematic parade; Anne Émond’s Peak Everything brings the curtain down on TIFF’s golden celebration
TORONTO — The lights will burn brighter than ever this September as the Toronto International Film Festival marks its 50th anniversary with a majestic rollout of its Gala and Special Presentations lineup — a shimmering constellation of bold storytelling, global artistry, and red carpet revelations. Taking place from September 4 to 14, 2025, the Festival’s milestone edition is poised to be a love letter to cinema, featuring marquee moments that honor its illustrious past while embracing the daring and diverse voices shaping its future.
Leading this golden celebration are world premieres from some of the most intriguing and influential filmmakers working today: Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, Maude Apatow’s Poetic License, David Michôd’s Christy, Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice, Isabel Coixet’s Three Goodbyes, Yeon Sang-ho’s The Ugly, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, and Alice Winocour’s Couture.
Anchoring the event with homegrown brilliance, TIFF has tapped celebrated Quebecois director Anne Émond to close out the festivities with the Toronto Premiere of her latest feature, Peak Everything — a poetic and intimate exploration of contemporary womanhood that underscores the Festival’s unwavering support for Canadian cinema.
A Global Canvas of Visionaries
The 2025 Gala and Special Presentations programmes reflect TIFF’s deeply international spirit, with films hailing from over 30 countries, each offering fresh perspectives and uncompromising narratives. This year’s curation reads like a cinematic anthology of our times — from rebellious docufiction to lyrical epics and genre-defying experiments.
Returning luminaries such as Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Baz Luhrmann (EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert), Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident), Steven Soderbergh (The Christophers), and Gus Van Sant (Dead Man’s Wire) will premiere their latest works alongside rising visionaries like Tasha Hubbard (Meadowlarks), Leon Le (Ky Nam Inn), and Maryam Touzani (Calle Malaga).
TIFF’s 50th promises a spectacular alchemy of old and new — one where cinematic language evolves across borders, and where stories, both intimate and epic, find a global stage.
Gala Highlights: A Red Carpet Like No Other
The Gala screenings this year promise electric premieres and unforgettable moments. TIFF audiences will witness the long-awaited debut of Scarlett Johansson’s directorial venture Eleanor the Great, a moving tale of reinvention. Brian Cox steps behind the camera for the emotional family drama Glenrothan, while Colin Hanks pays tribute to comedy legend John Candy in I Like Me. Canadian filmmaker Ally Pankiw makes waves with her musical documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, celebrating the feminist roots of 1990s rock.
And as a nod to history, TIFF will screen a 50th anniversary restoration of Ramesh Sippy’s iconic Sholay — an enduring cinematic masterpiece reborn on Canadian soil.
Special Presentations: Stories That Push Boundaries
TIFF’s Special Presentations programme remains the beating heart of artistic audacity. Highlights include Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Clint Bentley’s dreamy Train Dreams, Kei Ishikawa’s chilling A Pale View of Hills, and Mamoru Hosoda’s deeply personal Scarlet.
Meanwhile, Mark Jenkin’s surrealist odyssey Rose of Nevada and Zacharias Kunuk’s bold Inuit narrative Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) remind us of TIFF’s deep commitment to indigenous and experimental cinema.
TIFF at 50: A Celebration of Culture, Courage, and Community
More than a film festival, TIFF 2025 is a cultural touchstone — a gathering place where stories inspire movements, where art fuels connection, and where history is both remembered and made.
As CEO Cameron Bailey noted, “For 50 years, TIFF has been a stage for discovery, debate, and dazzling artistry. This year, we don’t just celebrate cinema — we celebrate the people who make it essential.”
Here is the list:
2025 Galas (in alphabetical order):
* previously announced
*A Private Life | Rebecca Zlotowski | France
North American Premiere
Adulthood | Alex Winter | USA
World Premiere
Driver’s Ed | Bobby Farrelly | USA
World Premiere
Eleanor the Great | Scarlett Johansson | USA
North American Premiere
Eternity | David Freyne | USA
World Premiere
Fuze | David Mackenzie | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Glenrothan | Brian Cox | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Good Fortune | Aziz Ansari | USA
World Premiere
*Hamnet | Chloé Zhao | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
*Homebound | Neeraj Ghaywan | India
North American Premiere
*John Candy: I Like Me | Colin Hanks | USA
World Premiere
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery | Ally Pankiw | Canada
World Premiere
Nuremberg | James Vanderbilt | USA
World Premiere
Palestine 36 | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine/United Kingdom/France/Denmark/Qatar/Saudi Arabia/Jordan
World Premiere
Peak Everything | Anne Émond | Canada | Closing Night Gala
Toronto Premiere
*Roofman | Derek Cianfrance | USA
World Premiere
*She Has No Name | Peter Ho-Sun Chan | Hong Kong/China
North American Premiere
Sholay | Ramesh Sippy | India | 50th Anniversary Restoration
North American Premiere
Swiped | Rachel Lee Goldenberg | USA
World Premiere
*The Choral | Nicholas Hytner | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Two Pianos | Arnaud Desplechin | France
World Premiere
2025 Special Presentations (in alphabetical order):
* previously announced
A Pale View of Hills | Kei Ishikawa | Japan/United Kingdom/Poland
North American Premiere
A Poet | Simón Mesa Soto | Colombia/Germany/Sweden
North American Premiere
Bad Apples | Jonatan Etzler | United Kingdom
World Premiere
Ballad of a Small Player | Edward Berger | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
California Schemin’ | James McAvoy | United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere
Calle Malaga | Maryam Touzani | Morocco/France/Spain/Germany/Belgium
North American Premiere
Charlie Harper | Tom Dean, Mac Eldridge | USA
World Premiere
Christy | David Michôd | USA
World Premiere
Couture | Alice Winocour | USA/France
World Premiere
Dead Man’s Wire | Gus Van Sant | USA
North American Premiere
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes | Lisa Rideout | Canada
World Premiere
Easy’s Waltz | Nic Pizzolatto | USA
World Premiere
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert | Baz Luhrmann | Australia/USA
World Premiere
Eternal Return | Yaniv Raz | United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere
Frankenstein | Guillermo del Toro | USA
North American Premiere
*Franz | Agnieszka Holland | Czech Republic/Germany/Poland
World Premiere
*Good News | Byun Sung-hyun | South Korea
World Premiere
*Hedda | Nia DaCosta | USA
World Premiere
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You | Mary Bronstein | USA
Canadian Premiere
It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi | Iran/France/Luxembourg
Canadian Premiere
It Would Be Night in Caracas | Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás | Mexico
World Premiere
Kokuho | Lee Sang-il | Japan
North American Premiere
Ky Nam Inn | Leon Le | Vietnam
World Premiere
Lovely Day | Philippe Falardeau | Canada
World Premiere
Meadowlarks | Tasha Hubbard | Canada
World Premiere
*Mile End Kicks | Chandler Levack | Canada
World Premiere
Monkey in a Cage | Anurag Kashyap | India
World Premiere
Nouvelle Vague | Richard Linklater | France
Canadian Premiere
Poetic License | Maude Apatow | USA
World Premiere
Primavera | Damiano Michieletto | Italy/France
World Premiere
Project Y | Lee Hwan | South Korea
World Premiere
*Rental Family | HIKARI | USA/Japan
World Premiere
Rose of Nevada | Mark Jenkin | United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Sacrifice | Romain Gavras | United Kingdom/Greece
World Premiere
Scarlet | Mamoru Hosoda | Japan
North American Premiere
Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier | Norway/France/Denmark/Germany/Sweden/United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Silent Friend | Ildikó Enyedi | Germany/Hungary/France
North American Premiere
Sirāt | Óliver Laxe | France/Spain
North American Premiere
Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski | Germany
North American Premiere
*Steal Away | Clement Virgo | Canada/Belgium
World Premiere
*The Captive | Alejandro Amenábar | Spain/Italy
World Premiere
*The Christophers | Steven Soderbergh | United Kingdom
World Premiere
*The Lost Bus | Paul Greengrass | USA
World Premiere
The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho | Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany
Canadian Premiere
The Smashing Machine | Benny Safdie | USA
North American Premiere
The Testament of Ann Lee | Mona Fastvold | UK
North American Premiere | Presented in 70mm
The Ugly | Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
Three Goodbyes | Isabel Coixet | Italy/Spain
World Premiere
Train Dreams | Clint Bentley | USA
International Premiere
Tuner | Daniel Roher | USA
Canadian Premiere
Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) | Zacharias Kunuk | Canada
North American Premiere
*Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Rian Johnson | USA
World Premiere
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution… | Nick Davis | USA
World Premiere
With tickets going on sale to TIFF Members beginning Friday, August 15, and the full festival schedule launching Tuesday, August 12, all eyes are on Toronto as the world prepares for a cinematic jubilee unlike any other.
For tickets, scheduling, and membership access, visit tiff.net/join.
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