Tiff's People's Choice Awards 2026

TIFF 2026 Awards

1. People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: La Bola Negra, dirs. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi

   First runner-up: I Play Rocky, dir. Peter Farrelly

   Second runner-up: Being Heumann, dir. Siân Heder

   
   

   International People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: Elsinore, dir. Simon Stone  

   First runner-up: Possible Love, dir. Lee Chang-dong

   Second runner-up: The Assassin(s), dir. Hur Jin-ho

   
   

   People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers: Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been, dir. Barry Avrich 

   First runner-up: Black Sunflowers, dir. James Marcus Haney

   Second runner-up: The Ultra Runner dir. Mila Aung-Thwin

   
   

   People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers: Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney, dir. Matthew Rankin 

   First runner-up: The Spiral, dir. Paolo Strippoli

   Second runner-up: Arrested Memory, dir. SABU

   
   

   PLATFORM PRIZE

   
   

   Launched in 2015 and inspired by Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking film, TIFF’s Platform Prize honours filmmakers with strong directorial vision and distinctive storytelling. All films in the programme are eligible for the prize. TIFF’s Platform Prize is one of only six international festival awards with a direct pathway to the Oscars. Building on this newly established status, the 2026 Platform programme expanded to 12 films, with an international five-member jury selecting the winner of the $20,000 CAD prize. This year’s jury was led by President Pablo Trapero, alongside Amma Asante, Sylvia Chang, Luc Déry, and Albert Lee.

   
   

   Platform Prize:

   Angh, dir. Theja Rio | India

   
   

   Platform jury’s statement: “The Platform Prize goes to Angh. For its refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world. We praise the filmmaker’s vision, audacity and courage.”

   
   

   Special Jury Award:

   Brace Your Heart (Garrat Du Váimmu), dir. Amanda Kernell | Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Bulgaria

   
   

I didn't get to see too many of these films this year, but I'm super happy to see Darlene Love: I know where I've been winning for PCA Documentary.  Congrats to my friend,  Producer Mark Selby, on a spectacular Documentary.

I just posted a review on Thirteen in Gaza, a film that will stick with you every time you see reports about the war in GAZA.

I was at TIFF for the Red Carpet for Smudge the Blades, and I can tell you that the cast was just super excited to be there, so I'm sure there will be a big party for them tonight.  

Smudge the Blades

Angh

Thirteen in Gaza- A teen's worst nightmare

 

Thirteen in Gaza

2026 - 1h 17m Language: Arabic 

Country: Palestine

World Premiere at TIFF-Toronto International Film Festival

*NETPAC AWARD WINNER 2026

Director

Hosam Abu Dan

Writer

Khalil al Mozian

Stars

    Nawaf Abu Amra

                                                            Feras Al Masri 

                                                            Ghassan Salem

This is Palestinian director Hosam Abu Dan’s first feature film, shot entirely inside the Gaza Strip with a fully Palestinian crew. And honestly, it couldn’t have been made anywhere else. The landscape itself becomes a character—its danger, its exhaustion, its quiet desperation woven into every frame. Filming it elsewhere would have stripped the story of its truth.

The film follows Raghad (Mary Ziyara), a 13‑year‑old girl who has lost her home and most of her family after an airstrike during the Gaza war. She and her father (Feras Al Masri) are forced into a displacement camp, where life becomes a daily negotiation of survival. For a teenage girl, this new reality is a nightmare: sharing a tent with her father, learning to bake bread over open flames, hauling water, and navigating puberty without a mother to guide her.

Her father, gentle and devoted, tries desperately to protect her and preserve some sense of normalcy. But desperation pushes people toward impossible choices. He takes on a dangerous opportunity he believes will help his daughter—only for it to unravel with devastating consequences.

Dialogue is sparse, but the film speaks volumes through Raghad’s eyes and her father’s weary silence. Their performances are subtle, expressive, and heartbreakingly real. Abu Dan’s choice to film inside actual encampments lays bare the collateral damage of war—what greed, politics, and power do to ordinary people who never asked to be part of any conflict.

If this isn’t a film that shows why wars must end, I don’t know what is. The ones who pay the highest price are always the young, the elderly, the vulnerable, and the poor—while those who profit from conflict remain untouched, growing richer off the suffering of others.

This film is a quiet, devastating reminder of who war really destroys.

I am Mario- when gender identity gets complicated

 

I AM MARIO

Writer/Director: Sharon Kleinberg

Stars: Hector Kotsifakis, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández

2026 Release

Running Time: 1 hr 33 min

Mario (Héctor Kotsifakis) is a 40‑year‑old trans taxi driver—masculine and deeply rooted in the culture of late‑night drinks and smoke‑filled conversations with his fellow drivers. On the surface, he’s confident and clear in his identity. 

But one night, after too much drinking, an unexpected encounter leads to an even more unexpected pregnancy.

What follows is a profound crisis of identity and desire. Mario must confront a choice he never imagined: continue with hormone therapy or carry the baby. At the same time, he’s just begun a meaningful relationship with a woman he genuinely cares for, forcing him to weigh the future he envisioned against the possibility of becoming a parent—something he loves in theory but never believed was possible for himself.

The film navigates the emotional and psychological complexity of this moment with honesty and tenderness. It’s a story about identity, bodily autonomy, love, and the impossible choices life sometimes throws at us. Mario’s journey reveals the deeply personal challenges of transitioning, not just physically but emotionally. It shows how the process can collide with relationships, dreams, and the unexpected realities of being human.

I found this story compelling. It offers an intimate look at the layers of the transgender experience. Life can get messy and painfully complicated. It’s a film that stays with you, inviting reflection and a deeper understanding of what it means to choose to transition to a different gender.

The Film Premiered at TIFF- Toronto International Film Festival.

Theatrical release information is not available at this time.

The Age of Goodbyes - breaking family curses

 THE AGE OF GOODBYES 

Director

Edmund Yeo

Cast

Vivian Sung

Stanley Yau

Troy Liu

Lixuan Siow

WORLD PREMIERE at TIFF 2026 - Toronto International Film Festival

Taiwan, Malaysia | 2026 | 142m | Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, Thai, English

Vivian Sung shines as the enigmatic Du Li An in Edmund Yeo’s adaptation of Li Zi Shu’s award‑winning novel The Age of Goodbyes—a film that explores how family stories bend, blur, and reshape themselves over time. Memories fade, details shift, and what we call “truth” becomes something inherited rather than remembered.

The narrative is challenging, weaving between timelines and perspectives. We follow Kai (Troy Liu), a young boy who discovers a novel titled The Age of Goodbyes. It begins on page 513—a symbolic nod to May 13, 1969, one of the most pivotal and painful dates in Malaysian history. As Kai reads, he becomes absorbed in Du Li An’s world, slipping between fiction, memory, and the echoes of a nation’s past.

In 1969 Ipoh, Du Li An falls in love with Lin Sang (Stanley Yau), a man convinced he cannot be with her because of a family curse: the men disappear before turning thirty. When Lin Sang is forced to leave, Du Li An must rebuild her life. Years later, Mong Sang (also played by Yau) appears—Lin Sang’s twin brother—and she is pulled back into a love she never fully let go of. As Kai continues reading, he becomes entangled in the novel’s shifting histories, discovering how stories passed down through generations can transform like broken telephone.

The film is dense, layered, and rich with cultural and historical references. For viewers unfamiliar with Malaysian history—like me, a Canadian watching this with fresh eyes—the timeline jumps can feel disorienting. Honestly, this is a film you may want to watch twice to fully appreciate the connections and the emotional architecture beneath its structure.

But once you settle into its rhythm, The Age of Goodbyes reveals itself as a beautifully crafted story on memory, duty, family lineage, and the ache of a great love that never dies. The production design is lush and transportive; you feel immersed in each era. The casting is impeccable, especially Vivian Sung’s grounded, luminous performance.

This is the kind of international film that deserves attention in North America—subtitles or not. Every so often, a film like this finds the right champions and gains momentum during awards season. I truly hope this becomes one of those discoveries.

Even without prior knowledge of Malaysian culture or history, I found The Age of Goodbyes deeply moving, visually stunning, and worth revisiting. It’s a complex, rewarding experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

https://www.tiff.net/films/the-age-of-goodbyes

SCREENINGS

Friday, September 18

Scotiabank Theatre / 5:15 pm / Public Screening

and

Saturday, September 19

Scotiabank Theatre / 3:45 pm / Public Screening

Theatrical or Streaming release date unknown at this time.

Infinitely Dense- a dark AR trip

 

INFINITELY DENSE 

Written and directed by Ace Thor

Stars: Glen Steele, Sam Myerson, London Thor, Kaitlyn Benson, Jaydon Walker, Nova Gaver, and Tim Torre. 

English, United States, Thriller

Running time: 119 minutes 

Premiering at the TIFF- Toronto International Film Festival Market

Tom (Glen Steele) is a recently divorced, deeply broken man. He was an artist and is now retired. After his wife leaves and his child is no longer in his life, he is left alone in a large, stunning house close to the California coast. He appears to have everything he needs, but he doesn't have a full and complete life. He just lives in solitude with nothing to do and no one to connect with. The silence is deafening. In his loneliness, he thinks the solution to his problems is to get an augmented-reality chip implanted in his neck so he can command anything he desires.

Doesn't everyone wish they could just command anything they want?

His first command is simple: asking for an apple, pretty harmless.

Then he asks for what he really wants and thinks he needs is a woman to talk to. Of course that escalates to more carnal desires. Then he has multiple artificial reality relationships.

Soon his dark past surfaces and takes over, and he becomes delusional.

It looks as if he is having an ayahuasca experience, but the deepest, darkest experiences.

His subconscious takes over, and it becomes harder to know what's real and what isn't.

This is a slow-paced freefall into the depths of madness. Once you reach the bottom of the barrel of despair, how do you escape?

This film makes you wonder how much tech is good for our psyche.

 

To view the trailer, go to: https://vimeo.com/1214889263?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

For more information, go to: http://infinitelydense.com/

 

Social Media:

@infinitelydense

Star spotting at TIFF 2026

 

Everyone asks me every year which celebrities are coming to the festival or which celebrities I have seen.

I see a lot each year, volunteering or seeing Q&As at films.  TIFF publishes a list of their attending guests.  I condensed it to a list of more well-known global celebrities.

This is only a partial list of the 800 guests coming to this year's Toronto International Film Festival

I have organized this list in alphabetical order.  So, for a challenge lets see how many you spot over the 11 days of the festival.

I know for sure I will be seeing Sir Gary Oldman at his Visionaries talk.

Celebrities attending TIFF 2026

1. Alex Lifeson 
2. Amanda Seyfried
3. Andrew Scott
4. Anna Kendrick
5. Annie Murphy
6. Ayo Edebiri
7. Carrie-Anne Moss
8. Channing Tatum
9. Chase Infiniti,
10. Chris Rock
11. Chrissie Hynde
12. Courteney Cox
13. Cynthia Erivo
14. Daniel Kaluuya 
15. Dianne Wiest
16. Diego Luna
17. Forest Whitaker 
18. Gael García Bernal
19. Geddy Lee
20. Helen Mirren
21. Hudson Williams
22. Issa Rae
23. J. K. Simmons
24. James McAvoy
25. Javier Bardem
26. Jennifer Coolidge
27. Jesse Eisenberg
28. John Malkovich
29. John Turturro
30. Josh Hartnett
31. Julianne Moore
32. Kate Mara
33. Kenneth Branagh 
34. Lalisa Manobal (Lisa)
35. Laura Linney
36. Liam Neeson
37. Lily James
38. Lily-Rose Depp
39. Luke Evans
40. Mahershala Ali
41. Margaret Qualley
42. Martin Freeman
43. Michael Imperioli
44. Michelle Yeoh
45. Naomi Watts
46. Patrick Schwarzenegger
47. Paul Giamatti
48. Penélope Cruz 
49. Rami Malek
50. Randall Park
51. Rebel Wilson
52. Rhys Ifans
53. Riley Keough
54. Rooney Mara
55. Sebastian Stan
56. Seth Rogen 
57. Sir Gary Oldman 
58. Taraji P. Henson
59. Taron Egerton
60. Tom Hiddleston
61. Willem Dafoe
62. Zooey Deschanel

Dear You-generations of a secret life

  

DEAR YOU 

Release date: Friday, September 4. 

2026 | 118 minutes | China | Teochew, Mandarin Chinese, and Thai w/ English Subtitles | Color | PG-13

A film by Lan Hongchun

 

Starring

Li Sitong, Wang Yantong, Wu Shaoqing, Zheng Runqi, Wang Xiaohui

Special Apperance

Zhao Shuguang, Li Deru, Li Shuhao,  
Seamkhum Usha

ABOUT DIRECTOR LAN HONGCHUN Lan Hongchun was born in Shantou, Guangdong Province. He is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and editing supervisor.  In 2026, DEAR YOU was released. The film achieved an impressive 9.3 rating from 890,000 users on Douban, and its box office gross exceeded 1.9 billion RMB.

• Made without established stars, DEAR YOU became an unexpected theatrical success in China, earning nearly $300 million. 

DEAR YOU follows a family forced to confront a long‑buried secret shaped by generations of migration. Stretching across time and continents, the film transforms letters, memory, and distance into an intimate portrait of the people who hold a family together even when home has been fractured by borders—and the past refuses to stay silent.

A debt‑strapped grandson travels to Thailand in search of the grandfather he believes abandoned their family, hoping the man behind years of qiaopi letters and remittances can help him out of his financial crisis. Instead, he uncovers a lifetime of sacrifice and devotion—an act of love that became a family secret for decades.

Deep healing finally begins when his grandmother returns to Thailand to face the woman she once believed had lived the life meant for her. What starts as a mystery to uncover becomes a moment of unexpected connection—two women bound by the same history, the same sacrifice, and the same longing for a home they both lost in different ways.

Rooted in Chinese traditions, DEAR YOU strikes a deep emotional chord with families who connect to the sacrifices of migration, fractured families, and devotion across impossible distances, building to a powerful revelation—showing how love can survive borders, silence, and time itself.

This film is beautifully filmed, and the story is interesting and based on true-life stories.  The acting of this unknown cast is impeccable. This film draws you into a world you will never know.

Trailer Link:

Dear You

The Sun Never Sets - A complicated love triangle

 

THE SUN NEVER SETS

Release Date:

Friday, September 04, 2026

Language: English

Mongrel Media

Running Time: 102

Year: 2026

THE SUN NEVER SETS stars Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, and Cory Michael Smith in a quietly strange love triangle about the ways love is confusing and frustrating and sometimes forces us to confront the things we’ve been avoiding.

Wendy (Fanning) thinks her life is on the right track. She’s settled into a comfortable rhythm with Jack (Johnson), an older man with kids and a past he’s already lived. But when Jack suggests they take a short break—so she can be sure she’s ready to commit to him and let go of her hopes for marriage and children—it forces her to confront what she truly wants. Suddenly she’s torn between two futures: the spontaneous, unpredictable life that excites her, and the steady, committed one she’s been building. Now she has to make a choice before the moment slips away.

She goes on a random date and ends up in a local bar—where Chuck (Smith), the ex, suddenly reappears and instantly ignites the lighter, reckless side of Wendy she’s been trying to quiet. He’s spontaneous, charming, and now claims he’s finally ready to start a family of his own. The timing couldn’t be worse. His return doesn’t just stir old feelings; it destabilizes everything she thought she’d made peace with. In a single moment, Wendy is yanked between two versions of her life: the one she’s been trying to commit to, and the one she’s terrified she still wants.

Set against the glorious beauty of Anchorage, Alaska, THE SUN NEVER SETS is both intimate and chaotic, emotional and very cinematic. It's a fork-in-the-road story that forces you to pick the road you are turning toward.

It’s about trying to shape a future for yourself even when you’re unsure of what you want, and choosing between different paths when you want both.

Trailer Link: https://youtu.be/0xEJvZuR3dM?si=7ijxibZvzvjP-U4O

FILM FOOD STUFF-TIFF 2026 - Shortlist Picks

FILM FOOD STUFF 

MY TIFF 2026 - SHORTLIST

29 films, 1 Primetime and 1 In Conversation

Getting ready for TIFF—the Toronto International Film Festival—feels a lot like preparing for a marathon. You have to build up enough energy to be everywhere at once, stand in long lines, run up the stairs for rush films, and generally spend a lot of time doing a lot of things before you even get to watch anything. Going into my 26th year of TIFF’s 51-year history, I try to approach it smarter. I’m not sure I’ve ever reached my goal of doing everything I want to during the 11 days.

This is my second year with Media Accreditation, and I’m still trying to volunteer a bit—less than usual, but enough to stay involved. I’m clearing as many festival days as possible so I can do as much as my body will allow. It’s no longer about how many films I can squeeze into a day; it’s about how many my body will tolerate before it starts screaming at me.

This shortlist reflects films I chose based on subject matter, directors I like, or actors whose work I find compelling.

Working on Real to Reel for a couple of years taught me that everyone sees films differently; art is deeply subjective. The hosts agreed on about 70% of their picks, and often I loved a film they disliked—or vice versa. So I always encourage people to develop their own taste. These are my choices, and sometimes they line up with Oscar nominations, and sometimes they don’t get any attention at all. You never really know until you watch the whole film. Sometimes you connect with something, and sometimes you don’t.

Last year felt overwhelmingly heavy—every major Academy-nominated film seemed dark or depressing. This year, I’m hoping for more variety, and I’m optimistic I’ll find it.

I hope you use this list as a starting point when exploring TIFF’s extensive lineup. I can only see so many films, so I tend to skip very experimental selections, Midnight Madness, and some international titles I don’t always connect with. If those are your favourites, you might not agree with my list—and that’s perfectly fine.

01. Drifter — Sung Kang (United States)

02. Bunker — Florian Zeller (France, Spain)

03. Girl Group — Rebel Wilson (United States, United Kingdom)

04. Always Lalisa — Sue Kim (United States)

05. Babies — Lauren Miller Rogen (United States)

06. Misty Green — Chris Rock (United States)

07. Pretenders — Joss Crowley (United Kingdom)

08. Up Against It — Trudie Styler (United Kingdom)

09. Being Heumann — Siân Heder (United States)

10. Evil Genius — Courteney Cox (United States)

11. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York — Noah Segan (United States)

12. In Conversation With… Chris Rock  

13. Slow Horses — Adam Randall (United Kingdom, United States)

14. Alpha Gang — David Zellner, Nathan Zellner (United States)

15. Bitter Christmas — Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)

16. I Play Rocky — Peter Farrelly (United States)

17. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother — Bassam Tariq (United States)

18. Closing Night — Cody Fern (Australia, Canada)

19. The Debut — Jesse Eisenberg (United States)

20. Everybody Wants to Fck Me* — Jonathan Schey (United Kingdom, France)

21. The Stunt Driver — Michael Dowse (Canada)

22. Whatcha Want — Mina Shum (Canada)

23. Bucking Fastard — Werner Herzog (United States)

24. Faith — Paul Andrew Williams (United Kingdom)

25. The Housewife — Ben Shirinian (United States)

26. Ink — Danny Boyle (United Kingdom, France, United States)

27. Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple — Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn (Canada)

28. Wild Horse Nine — Martin McDonagh (United States, Chile)

29. Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been — Barry Avrich (Canada)

30. Low Lies the Land — Emanuele Gerosa (Denmark, Italy)

31. Musk — Alex Gibney (United States)

TIFF Runs from September 10th to the 21st this year.

Check out www.tiff.net for more info and all the film schedules and tickets.

The Salt Path- a challenge of a lifetime

 

THE SALT PATH

Opens August 28 in Toronto, September 4 in Vancouver

Directed by Marianne Elliott

Starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs

2024- Not Rated- Running Time 1hr 55m

• 
  

Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs star in THE SALT PATH, a challenging life story about a middle‑aged couple, Raynor (Anderson) and Moth (Isaacs), who are forced to leave their home in England due to financial hardship. With no money and nowhere to go, they decide to simply walk, embarking on a 630‑mile trek along the English coast from Dorset to Somerset.

Compounding their financial crisis is Moth’s recent diagnosis of Corticobasal degeneration (CBD), an untreatable and terminal neurodegenerative condition.

Their two grown children have moved on with their own lives, leaving Raynor and Moth without any ties to keep them rooted in one place.

Mother Nature becomes the third challenge they must face, confronting them with ever‑changing, brutal storms as they struggle to stay warm, dry, fed, and hydrated.

The landscapes they traverse are magical, majestic, and at times brutally difficult.

With nothing left to lose, they embrace the beauty of the coastline and the strength they find in each other. Along the way, they discover resilience—and unexpectedly, the journey seems to benefit Moth’s illness. So they keep moving, staying one step ahead of what might come.

All they have now is time: time to reflect, to think about survival, and to accept the path their lives have taken.

Based on a true story, it’s hard to imagine making the choices they did. But when life tests you and options are few, you do what you must.

 

THE SALT PATH will be released in Canadian theatres by Mongrel Media.

Nimrods - A wild trip to get to Green Day

Nimrods

2025 – Release Date: Aug 14, 2026

Rated R

Run time: 1hr 42 minutes

Director: Lee Kirk

Writers: Lee Kirk, Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong

Stars: McKenna Grace, Mason Thames, Jenna Fischer

Nimrods originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025. 
It will be released on Aug 14, 2026.

This film was aptly named. It's the story of three "Nimrods" high school friends who are in a band called Analog Dogs — which people keep calling Anal Dogs. These three idiots are obsessed with Green Day, who happen to be visiting their town in Kansas. They try everything they can to get close to the band.

They finally get their opportunity at a meet-and-greet autograph-signing session. This is their big break. They've recorded a demo of their one and only song and bring the tape with them. When they step up to the table where the band is signing, they stumble and mutter their way through the moment before finally spitting out that their band has a demo they'd love for Green Day to hear. Billie Joe Armstrong takes the tape and encourages them to keep playing.

They are overjoyed and convinced that fame is just around the corner.

Then, a couple of days later, one of their delinquent brothers pranks them by claiming that a guy from the band called and wants them to open for Green Day on New Year's Eve in California. They try to convince anyone they can to drive them to the concert, but no one is willing. Tommy (Mason Thames), who doesn't have a driver's license, decides the only way to get there is to steal his brother's old cab — the one he used to drive as an Uber. And just like that, the three Nimrods embark on the road trip of a lifetime.

Things, as usual, never go according to plan. With a few hilarious detours along the way, they somehow make it to LA — only to discover it was all a prank and they were never on the bill to open for Green Day. But somehow, they find their way in, and it all works out. Their band may not have taken the stage, but they walked away with something far greater.

The film draws inspiration from a real band that once opened for Green Day and the bidding war among record labels over their demo tape in the '90s.

This is a feel-good teenage adventure comedy — the kind that takes you right back to when you were young and stupid, leaping headfirst into situations that made absolutely no sense. It's a fun ride.

INSTAGRAM: @nimrodsmovie

US Release date: Aug 14, 2026

It Premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

American Doctors unite against the War in Gaza

 

AMERICAN DOCTOR 

by Academy Award-Nominee Poh Si Teng

Runtime 93 min

Year of Completion 2026

Production countries: United States of America, Malaysia, Qatar, Denmark, Palestine

I will never understand why someone would decide to start or participate in a WAR.  As someone who is a generation away from family who suffered through a war, to me the whole thing is senseless.  Nobody ever wins.   

Even if you make money on weapons, you destroy generations of people and destroy the world by the effects of all of the destruction, both physically and emotionally.

This documentary focuses on 3 American Doctors, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa who go to Gaza during the war in 2025 to try and help at the the Hospital in Gaza while Israel continued to send various weapons of destruction around Gaza and eventually on the hospital where the 3 Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian doctors tried to come together to save the lives of the patients brought in after each attack.

The war becomes more of a political activist exercise and social media push to try and get the truth out into the media than it is to save lives.

Their efforts become futile as the ceasefire pact ends in even bigger horror.

This documentary isn't for the faint of heart.  Children are the ones who pay the highest price.

No child should be exposed to war in any way, shape, or form.  No journalist, doctor, civilian, or institution should become collateral damage in this idiotic game of chicken ordered by greedy and cruel leaders. 

These documentaries are brutal, unflinching, and absolutely essential.  They force you to sit with the full weight of what war actually looks like.  Not the media, political spin, CGI-created videos, or biased opinions from people who aren't even there to bear witness.

No border dispute or ideology justifies the lives erased or the cities reduced to rubble.  

A country isn't just land; it's the people, the memories, the culture, and the lives lived.  War takes all of those memories away and replaces them with pain and suffering.

Wars should never be funded by other countries that continue to perpetuate these wars for years until they obliterate everything and everyone.  And then what, when everything and everything is destroyed,  what are these power-hungry leaders who just order people to do their bidding going to do then? 

THEATRICAL RELEASE BEGINS 
AUGUST 14, 2026
Exclusively at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto
Followed by VIFF Cinema August 28, 2026

GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS.-the insane chase for a Hamm

 GAIL DAUGHTRY and the CELEBRITY SEX PASS

Director David Wain

Writers David Wain and Ken Marino

2026 · 14A · Comedy · 1h 33m

Ridiculous and Hilarious romp through Hollywood.

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm and John Slattery and celebrity cameos galore.

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, is a Romp-com,  my new word.  It's a literal romp through Hollywood with gutzy Zoey Deutch as Gail Daughtry literally running through Hollywood trying to "catch the guy".  She is supposed to get married to her high school sweetheart, and they have "that conversation" about who they would give a pass to "be with"... wink wink.  Gail's dream celebrity is Jon Hamm, but thinking that will never happen in her lifetime because she thinks she will have a perfect marriage, so it can't happen.

But when some crazy happenstances happen, and she catches her fiancé exercising his pass with Jennifer Aniston before they walk down the aisle, Jennifer unapologetically states that it was supposed to be ok.

Gail literally runs away and drags her stylist, best friend, and coworker Otto (Miles

Gutierrez-Riley) to LA after he convinces her she needs to use "her pass".

Along the way to find Jon Hamm, the actual actor for real, they literally run into all sorts of calamities and, like a rolling stone, gather some very interesting characters, including John Slattery, who agrees to help them find Hamm even though he hasn't spoken to him in years.

 

They gather a paparazzi photographer and avoid and gather all kinds of crazy people and even have an unexpected meeting with "Weird Al" Yankovic just as they think they are getting close to their goal. 

 

This is an insane, hilarious nod to the Wizard of Oz with references like,
Gail Daughtry = Dorothy Gale.  Otto = Toto.  And you will probably find more easter eggs I didn't even notice in this film.

Jon Hamm really leans into his Jon HAMM and goes for it.  This film was really made for Deutch and Hamm,  an unlikely pairing, but even though the story seems ridiculous, it's so much fun to watch, and you are rooting for Gail all the way.

It shouldn't work, but it does.  Now, if you like serious films with no raunchy references, then this film isn't for you, but if you like to laugh, then you will get sucked in and hope she gets to fulfil her Sex Pass.

It opens in Canada on July 10th, 2026

Lavazza Inclucity at the Distillery District Scores

 

Eleven films. Seven nights. All under the stars.

June 25 - July 1

The ICFF Festival used to be the Italian Contemporary Film Festival, but it's now called the Lavazza Inclucity Festival.  Same people but a lot more things to see and do.  This festival has expanded so much that there is the Main Festival at the Distillery District downtown Toronto and also another theatre at a Cineplex in Vaughan and a new festival in Toronto, you can also watch some films from home. 

This year, because of the FIFA World Cup, there is a heavy emphasis on sports films and especially a high amount on Soccer or football, as they call it.

Films like Bend it like Beckham and Next Goal Wins return, and the Documentary from 1982 called Il Viaggio Degli Eroi about the 1982 World Cup Game that Italy won.

A couple of other films that were at TIFF that are going to be screening are Little Lorraine, Secret Agent, which also received an Academy Award nomination, and one of my TIFF favourites, Rental Family, bring tissues for this one.

The films are very diverse, and that's why they changed the name so they could include much more than just Italian films.

On Canada Day, the film is A Good Day.  

Other things happening at the festival include a foosball activation at the Distillery.

This year, Illuminarium is being taken over for Airtficial Visions, a project created of AI-created art in an immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of how art is generally seen.

And there's more:  

• A focus on Architecture with a panel discussion with a top Italian architect 
• ICFF loves Fashion, Fashion Frames,  where style becomes Cinema,  
• Music, TO the Beat, live music everyday and it's free to attend.
• Industry Days returns to inspire and inform members of the local film industry

The Closing Gala is going to be BIG!  

Patrick Dempsey will be doing an In Conversation at the TIFF Lightbox and will also be at the Gala, and Italy's most celebrated actress, Ornella Muti will be a guest at the Closing Night Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton.

What's not at the festival this year is the Late Night Horror movies, but there is a George Romero film screening.  

I hope I haven't left anything out.  This is a massive film festival that runs for a month.  No other festival in Toronto runs that long.

The coolest part and what might also be the hardest thing is the fact that the films are screened outdoors in a couple of spots in the Distillery.  On a beautiful night, you can't get much better, but with Toronto's ever-changing crazy weather, be prepared with a warm jacket and umbrella just in case.

This is the 15th year of the Festival.  I don't think I have missed any, even if I only got to see 1 film.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that there's always great food at an ICFF festival.  With the lead sponsor being Lavazza, you know there's going to be great coffee, and look out for some delicious Gelato from Mizzica, and Ferrero and Barilla are also sponsors, and there are many more.  The lead sponsor is Rogers.  

One thing to note is that they give you headphones to listen to the movies during the festival so they don't disturb the residents of the area and anything else going on there.

Get your tickets here:  ICFF - Lavazza IncluCity Festival

Enjoy La Dolce Vita

Parasisi-World Premiere at Hot Docs

 PARASISI

Directed by Zaidi Bil & Sébastien Segers

2026 - Run time: 1hr 1min.

Parasisi opens with a sobering fact: every year, gold mining releases between 50,000 and 80,000 kilograms of mercury into the environment. In Suriname, children are growing up with that poison quietly accumulating in their bodies.

Premiering at Hot Docs in the International Spectrum Competition, the documentary shows a hidden world of Indigenous people in the rainforest.

Who owns or belongs on this land and has the rights of it's use? For the Indigenous Wayana people — now only about 2,000 strong — parasisi means outsider, intruder. Through that word, the film looks at the effects of illegal gold mining that poisons rivers, religious missions that impose foreign beliefs, and medical systems that quietly hide the reasons for their illnesses.

Shot in black and white — though I couldn’t help wishing for color, given how lush the rainforest landscapes are — the film moves with a quiet, slow pace. On the surface, everything appears serene, but beneath that stillness lies a slow‑building unease. The camera lingers on the subtle ways mercury seeps into the land and water, revealing how environmental exploitation becomes normal in daily life.

As the land and its rivers are polluted once again, Indigenous communities are left to bear the cost of corporate greed — with little control, little protection, and few rights over their own futures.

Suriname is often called “the world’s greenest country,” with 90% of its territory covered by Amazon rainforest and home to many Indigenous communities. 

Parasisi is a stark reminder of the loss of the people's rights over their environments.

The Things you Kill- A brutal descent into revenge

THE THINGS YOU KILL

Director/Writer: Alireza Khatami

Starring: Ekin KoçErkan Kolçak KöstendilHazar Ergüçlü

Turkish Drama Feature 20251h 54m

Trailer: https://youtu.be/EJDh_VvKhi8?si=CCJN72qWzbPPqQxV

    Accolades:

• Canada’s 2026 Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film.
• Directing Award (World Cinema, Dramatic) at Sundance 2025. 
• TIFF’s 2025 “Canada’s Top Ten” list.
• Critic’s Pick in The New York Times.
• 3 big Canadian Screen Awards nominations

Best Motion Picture

Achievement in Direction

Original Screenplay

After fourteen years in the United States, Ali (Ekin Koç) returns to his hometown in Turkey, settling into his new life with his wife (Hazar Ergüçlü) while teaching literature at the local university. Everything looks perfectly normal at first glance, but there’s an undercurrent that doesn’t sit right. He still has lingering unresolved trauma from his childhood.  His marriage is strained, his career transition isn't perfect, and the past he thought he had left is beginning to return to haunt him.

When Ali’s mother dies under suspicious circumstances, long‑buried resentment toward his father (Ercan Kesal) resurfaces, and he can no longer ignore it. His grief turns into obsession, and he turns to Reza (Erkan Kolçak Köstendil) — his interesting gardener — to enact a ruthless act of vengeance he doesn’t have the nerve to do himself.

As the consequences close in, Ali is forced to confront the darkest parts of himself. 

The film turns into a chilling descent into guilt, masculinity, and the alarming ease with which a damaged man can excuse the inexcusable.

👉Where to watch: You can rent it on Amazon Prime and Apple TV