Five TIFF films spotlight Ontario talent and locations this year
From a Toronto heatwave story to a disability rights drama shot in the city, TIFF 2026 highlights local filmmakers and actors.
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TIFF 2026 is spotlighting Ontario talent and locations, with several movies filmed in the province or connected to local filmmakers and actors.
Sunburn, which premieres Monday at Scotiabank Theatre, is deeply Toronto-based. Director Serville Poblete—a George Brown College graduate—filmed the coming-of-age drama in the city during a heatwave and blackout. The story follows a group of young people trying to survive the heat by making jokes, roaming the city, and forming fragile connections. It's Toronto-coded from top to bottom, from a born-and-raised director to city-based locations.
All That She Wants stars Ottawa-born Annie Murphy in a romantic comedy exploring an encounter between a woman in her thirties and a younger man she once babysat. The film was shot in Toronto, with a pivotal nightclub sequence filmed at an undisclosed venue in the city. It premiered at TIFF Lightbox on September 13 at 9:30 p.m.
Being Heumann, TIFF's opening-night film, depicts the 1977 disability rights sit-in at a federal building in San Francisco, but was primarily shot in Toronto. The filmmakers used the city's urban exteriors to replicate San Francisco, so viewers can spot hidden Toronto landmarks while absorbing the story of a pivotal social movement. It premiered at Roy Thomson Hall on September 10 at 6 p.m.
The Black Box is Orange marks Toronto filmmaker and artist Yuula Benivolski's first feature film. Formatted as an autobiographical essay, it combines her personal experience and incomplete archives to explore her hometown of al-Bassa (now named Shlomi), a Palestinian Arab village in Israel near the Lebanese border that was destroyed in 1948. Benivolski examines both her childhood in the town and her adult perspective on her upbringing. It premiered at TIFF Lightbox on September 13 at 6:45 p.m.
Run Terry Run follows Canadian icon Terry Fox's 1980 Marathon of Hope. The film features Hamilton-born filmmaker Sean Menard, with scenes expected to have been filmed across Ontario as Fox made his way through the province.
The details
When does Sunburn premiere?
Sunburn premieres on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Scotiabank Theatre.
What is All That She Wants about?
All That She Wants is a romantic comedy starring Annie Murphy that explores an encounter between a woman in her thirties and a younger man she once babysat.
Where was Being Heumann primarily filmed?
Being Heumann was primarily shot in Toronto, with the city's urban exteriors used to replicate San Francisco.
What is The Black Box is Orange?
The Black Box is Orange is Toronto filmmaker Yuula Benivolski's debut feature, formatted as an autobiographical essay that explores her hometown of al-Bassa, a Palestinian Arab village in Israel destroyed in 1948.
