TIFF51: Sian Heder’s ‘Being Heumann,’ ‘Prima Facie’ with Cynthia Erivio to World Premiere at 51st Toronto International Film Festival
The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, haa announced three World Premieres in its Gala Presentations program including Prima Facie from British director Susanna White (Woman Walks Ahead, TIFF ’17); The Assassin(s) from Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho (A Normal Family, TIFF ’23), and Apple Original Film’s Being Heumann from American director Siân Heder (CODA) as TIFF’s Opening Night Film taking place on Thursday, September 10, at Roy Thomson Hall. The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10–20.
“We’re thrilled to open this year’s Festival with Siân Heder’s inspiring follow-up to her Oscar-winning CODA,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “Being Heumann features an electric performance from Ruth Madeley in the story of Judy Heumann, a world-changing advocate for accessibility. We’re also glad to reveal the news that Toronto audiences will be the first to see Cynthia Erivo in Susanna White’s searing legal drama Prima Facie, and that the South Korean power duo of director Hur Jin-ho and superstar Lee Min-ho will launch their thriller The Assassin(s) at our 51st Festival. Lots more to come.”
Being Heumann | Siân Heder | USA
World Premiere | Gala Presentation
Opening Night Film
The story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) leads a historic 28-day occupation of San Francisco’s Federal Building in 1977, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights. Co-starring Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O’Brien, Lindsay Leese and Rob Delaney.
Prima Facie | Susanna White | Australia, UK
World Premiere | Gala Presentation
The film follows Tessa (Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo), an ambitious defense lawyer. She expertly represents her clients, including those who are accused of sexual assault. However, she finds out that the law does not provide justice after being raped by a coworker. The original stage play won Jodie Comer the Tony Award in 2023 Co-starring Simon Russell Beale, Daniel Ings, Harry Treadaway, Toheeb Jimoh and Noma Dumezweni.
The Assassin(s) | Hur Jin-ho | South Korea
World Premiere | Gala Presentation
Set in 1974, a news editor investigates unanswered questions surrounding the attempted assassination of Korean president Park Chung-hee on August 15, while a police inspector and journalist witness the incident. Starring Yoo Hai Jin, Park Hae-il, Lee Min-ho and Ryu Hye-young.
In addition to TIFF ’26’s Official Selection, the Festival’s 51st edition will once again offer live post-screening Q&As, the In Conversation With… series, as well as the popular Festival Street, which returns for opening weekend along King Street West, from Peter Street to University Avenue, with food trucks, free activations, potential celebrity-spotting, and more.
On the last day of Festival, TIFF will announce its award winners including the popular People’s Choice Awards, presented by Rogers, which last year had Toronto audiences choosing Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet as their top pick. New this year, a non-English-language winner of TIFF’s Platform Award can directly qualify for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming 99th Academy Awards. Also returning are the esteemed Jury Prizes and honours from FIPRESCI and NETPAC.
This year’s official screening venues are: TIFF Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall, the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, Cinema Park, the Royal Alexandra Theatre and new this year the John Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The eighth edition of the TIFF Tribute Awards gala fundraiser will take place on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Fairmont Royal York Hotel, and the inaugural TIFF: The Market will take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre September 10–16.
The next TIFF programming announcements will take place July 20–23 and August 4–7, with the complete film schedule reavealed August 11 on tiff.net.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- Palm Springs International Film Society (PSIFS) Announces Two Awards in Honor of Former Festival Chairman and Philantropist Harold Matzner - July 17, 2026
- Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ to Open 83rd Venice Film Festival - July 17, 2026
- 2026 Toronto International Film Festival: New Films Starring Cate Blanchett, Mahershala Ali, Margaret Qualley, Naomi Watts Announced for TIFF51 - July 16, 2026
Palm Springs International Film Society (PSIFS) Announces Two Awards in Honor of Former Festival Chairman and Philantropist Harold Matzner 
Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ to Open 83rd Venice Film Festival 
Director Watch Ep. 163: ‘Oppenheimer’ (Christopher Nolan, 2023) 
2026 Toronto International Film Festival: New Films Starring Cate Blanchett, Mahershala Ali, Margaret Qualley, Naomi Watts Announced for TIFF51