TIFF 2026 Centrepiece Program Announced

Here is the press release from TIFF:

TIFF is proud to share the Official Selections of its 2026 Centrepiece programme, presented by Intrepid Travel, the main section of the Festival. This year’s slate features 54 titles from filmmakers representing 50 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, and more, underscoring TIFF’s commitment to spotlighting the best in global cinema.

The lineup features new works from significant voices and festival favourites, such as Neto Villalobos Brenes, Anthony Chen, Louis Clichy, Hosam Abu Dan, Valeska Grisebach, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Diego Luna, Avi Nesher, Banjong Pisanthanakun, and Yonfan, alongside a strong showing of Canadian films led by filmmakers Marie Clements, David Bezmozgis, and Cody Lightning, as well as a record-setting slate of eight animated features, representing an unprecedented milestone for the programme. 

Global cinema highlights include the World Premiere presentations of:

• Dorothy (Karthik Subbaraj and producer Guneet Monga)
• Four Seasons in Java (Kamila Andini)
• Inherit (Banjong Pisanthanakun)
• Lemonade (Kim Bartley) 
• Long Long Night (Kyu Bock Youm)
• Love is the monster (Neto Villalobos Brenes)
• Our Loves (Avi Nesher)
• The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (Daniel Oriahi)
• The Surgeon (Roshan Sethi)
• Trash Mountain (Kris Rey)

International festival circuit films include:

• Ben’Imana (Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo)
• Conversation With The Sea (Muayad Alayan) 
• Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! (Josef Kubota Wladyka)
• Iron Boy (Louis Clichy)
• La Gradiva (Marine Atlan) 
• The Dreamed Adventure (Valeska Grisebach) 
• Woman Unknown (May el-Toukhy)

Canadian cinema highlights include the World Premiere presentations of:

• Back in Black (Ron Murphy)
• How We Stand (Marie Clements)
• L’AUTRE (Alexandre Franchi) 
• Neverman (Rodrigo Barriuso)
• Smudge the Blades (Cody Lightning)
• Sunburn (Serville Poblete)
• The Betrayers (David Bezmozgis) 
• Toy Gun Bandit (Rémi St-Michel)
• Where the River Begins (Juan Andrés Arango)

In addition to Iron Boy and Long Long Night, animated titles in the Centrepiece lineup are: 

• Julián: Louise Bagnall’s debut 2D-animated feature 
• Light Pillar: Xu Zao’s animated 2D feature 
• Muyi: Julien Chheng’s 2D-animated mythic odyssey 
• Tangles: Leah Nelson’s debut hand-drawn 2D animated feature
• The Violinist: Ervin Han and Raúl García’s hand-drawn 2D/CG epic 
• Viva Carmen: Sébastien Laudenbach’s 2D-animated reimagining of Bizet’s famous opera 

2026 Centrepiece programme (in alphabetical order):

A Girl Unknown | Zou Jing | China

North American Premiere

After Elena | Shawn Garry | Chile, Colombia, Italy

World Premiere

Ah Girl | Ang Geck Geck Priscilla | Singapore

North American Premiere

Ashes | Diego Luna | Mexico, Spain

North American Premiere

Back in Black | Ron Murphy | Canada

World Premiere

Ben’Imana | Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo | Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway

North American Premiere

Congo Boy | Rafiki Fariala | Central African Republic, France, Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy

North American Premiere

Conversation With The Sea | Muayad Alayan | Palestine

North American Premiere

Dorothy | Karthik Subbaraj | India

World Premiere

Eklipse | Manuel Wetscher | Austria, Italy

North American Premiere

Elephants in the Fog | Abinash Bikram Shah | Nepal, France, Germany, Brazil, Norway

North American Premiere

Everytime | Sandra Wollner | Austria, Germany

North American Premiere

Flies | Fernando Eimbcke | Mexico

North American Premiere

Four Seasons in Java | Kamila Andini | Indonesia, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore

World Premiere

Furies | Rami Kodeih | Lebanon, Brazil

North American Premiere

Future Tense | Jenna Cato Bass | South Africa, Australia

World Premiere

God Bless You, Mr Kopu | Alex Liu | New Zealand, Australia

World Premiere

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! | Josef Kubota Wladyka | USA

Canadian Premiere

How We Stand | Marie Clements | Canada

World Premiere

Inherit | Banjong Pisanthanakun | Thailand

World Premiere

Intermission | Yonfan | Hong Kong

North American Premiere

Iron Boy | Louis Clichy | France, Belgium

North American Premiere

Julián | Louise Bagnall | Luxembourg, Ireland, Canada, Denmark

North American Premiere

La Gradiva | Marine Atlan | France, Italy

North American Premiere

L’AUTRE | Alexandre Franchi | Canada

World Premiere

Lemonade | Kim Bartley | Ireland, United Kingdom

World Premiere

Light Pillar | Xu Zao | China

North American Premiere

Long Long Night | Kyu Bock Youm | South Korea

World Premiere

Love is the monster | Neto Villalobos Brenes | Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Chile, Mexico 

World Premiere

Marie Madeleine | Géssica Généus | France, Haiti, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg

North American Premiere

Muyi | Julien Chheng | France

North American Premiere

Neverman | Rodrigo Barriuso | Canada

World Premiere

Our Loves | Avi Nesher | Israel

World Premiere

Rehearsals for a Revolution | Pegah Ahangarani | Czech Republic, Spain

Canadian Premiere

Smudge the Blades | Cody Lightning | Canada

World Premiere

Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars | Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Chad, France

North American Premiere

Sunburn | Serville Poblete | Canada

World Premiere

Tangles | Leah Nelson | Canada, USA

North American Premiere

The Betrayers | David Bezmozgis | Canada, Ukraine

World Premiere

The bovine with the curved horns | Omar E. Ospina Giraldo | Colombia

World Premiere

The City of the Living | Edoardo Gabbriellini | Italy

International Premiere

The Difficult Bride | Rubaiyat Hossain | France, Bangladesh, Germany, Norway, Portugal

North American Premiere

The Dreamed Adventure | Valeska Grisebach | Germany, France, Bulgaria, Austria

North American Premiere

The Lost Children Of Tuam | Frank Berry | Ireland

International Premiere

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives | Daniel Oriahi | Nigeria

World Premiere

The Surgeon | Roshan Sethi | Ireland

World Premiere

The Violinist | Ervin Han, Raúl García | Singapore, Spain, Italy

North American Premiere

Thirteen in Gaza | Hosam Abu Dan | Palestine

World Premiere

Toy Gun Bandit | Rémi St-Michel | Canada

World Premiere

Trash Mountain | Kris Rey | USA

World Premiere

Viva Carmen | Sébastien Laudenbach | France

North American Premiere

We Are All Strangers | Anthony Chen | Singapore

North American Premiere

Where the River Begins | Juan Andrés Arango | Canada, Colombia, Norway

World Premiere

Woman Unknown | May el-Toukhy | Denmark

North American Premiere

The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 10–20, 2026.