2025 Toronto International Film Festival
| Opening film | John Candy: I Like Me by Colin Hanks |
|---|---|
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Festival date | September 4–14, 2025 |
| Website | tiff |
The 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival will be held from September 4 to 14, 2025.[1]
The first programming announcement was that Colin Hanks' documentary film John Candy: I Like Me, about the actor John Candy, will open the festival.[2] Further announcements are expected in July, with the full program due on August 12.
Preparations
Preparations for the 2025 festival included the renewal of the festival's sponsorship deal with Rogers Communications, for three years through 2027.[1] The sponsorship deal will include a television special to air on Citytv.[1]
With the festival slated to launch a full film market in 2026, in February the festival also announced members of the inaugural advisory committee, including former Cannes Film Market head Jerome Paillard, film producers Niv Fichman, Vincent Maraval and Noah Segal, former SODEC president Monique Simard, Creative Artists Agency financier Roeg Sutherland, and Kerry Swanson of Canada's Indigenous Screen Office.[3] Additional advisory committee members were announced in May, including Moses Babatope, Michael Barker, Arianna Bocco, Janet Brown, Diana Bustamante Escobar, Vicki Dobbs, Jeongin Hong and Laura Michalchyshyn.[4]
Organizers also discussed the possibility of moving the festival a week later than its current early September placement, in response to industry feedback that the tight scheduling of the Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals presents a logistical challenge for filmmakers and industry professionals in travelling to all three festivals;[3] however, moving the festival would have had a ripple effect on other Canadian film festivals, such as Cinéfest Sudbury, the Atlantic International Film Festival and the Calgary International Film Festival, which are scheduled very soon after TIFF and would create some of the same logistical challenges. They ultimately decided to retain the existing schedule.[4]
The film market is expected, but has not been formally confirmed, to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.[4]
At Cannes, the festival also announced plans to introduce a new International People's Choice award, to be presented to the most popular film from outside North America along the same model as the existing People's Choice Award.[5]
Gala Presentations
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Candy: I Like Me | Colin Hanks | United States | |
Special Presentations
The first five titles in the Special Presentations program were announced on June 26, 2025.[6]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Captive | El cautivo | Alejandro Amenábar | Spain, Italy |
| The Christophers | Steven Soderbergh | United States | |
| Good News | 굿뉴스 | Byun Sung-hyun | South Korea |
| Hedda | Nia DaCosta | United States | |
| Mile End Kicks | Chandler Levack | Canada | |
The TIFF Story in 50 Films
To mark the festival's 50th anniversary, the festival programmed a special series, The TIFF Story in 50 Films, to screen through June, July and August 2025 at the TIFF Lightbox. The program highlights 50 past Canadian and international films that have played a significant role in the festival's story, such as by helping to define the festival's vision or its status as a global platform and tastemaker.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Jeremy Kay, "TIFF, Rogers sign three-year presenting partner deal". Screen Daily, January 21, 2025.
- ^ "'John Candy: I Like Me' to open 50th edition of Toronto International Film Festival". CTV News. June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ a b Jeremy Kay, "TIFF unveils market advisory committee as talks continue on location, timing of 2026 event". Screen Daily, February 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c Jeremy Kay, "TIFF: The Market sets 2026 dates, adds advisory board members". Screen Daily, May 16, 2025.
- ^ Barry Hertz, "On the beaches of Cannes, TIFF maps outs its ambitious future: The Toronto International Film Festival talked up its 50th anniversary and its coming content marketplace". The Globe and Mail, May 28, 2025.
- ^ John Hazelton, "Toronto film festival first wave includes Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers’, Nia DaCosta’s ‘Hedda’". Screen Daily, June 26, 2025.
- ^ Alex Nino Gheciu, "TIFF to celebrate 50 years of risk and discovery with summer screening series". St. Albert Gazette, May 7, 2025.