In just over one month, TIFF will take over the city—celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary with buzzy film premieres, glitzy red carpets, and tons of events for cinema lovers in the city. This week, TIFF unveiled a huge block of films that will premiere at this year’s festival from September 4-14. 

Amongst the dozens of titles announced this week in the Gala, Special Presentations, Platform, Discovery, and Midnight Madness programmes, we’ve already spotted plenty of gems to keep on our radar.

This festival will feature a few notable directorial debuts, including Maude Apatow’s Poetic License, and Scarlett Johansson’s Eleanor the Great, as well as the return of veteran directors—including Oscar winner Chloé Zhao’s latest, Hamnet.  

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

We’re thrilled to see so many women-centric stories in the lineup this year. Some titles to watch are Christy, the story of boxing legend Christy Martin, starring Sydney Sweeney, Swiped, inspired by the life of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, an up-close portrayal of the pressures of motherhood.

Canadian filmmakers are also coming in strong this year. Among the titles announced this week, two documentaries will examine cultural phenomena that defined the 90s and early 2000s. Lisa Rideout‘s Degrassi: Whatever It Takes dives deep into the iconic Canadian teen series, while Ally Pankiw‘s Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery takes viewers behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s all-women music festival. 

Photo by Merri Cyr, courtesy of Elevation Pictures

Additionally, two urgent Indigenous stories on our festival watchlist are Nika & Madison, following two Indigenous women who flee their reserve, and Meadowlarks, Tasha Hubbard’s emotional drama about siblings separated by the Sixties Scoop.

Titles announced earlier this month include Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks, following a young music critic (Barbie Ferreira) who moves to Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood, Steal Away, a bold thriller from Toronto filmmaker Clement Virgo, and Hedda, a modern reimagining of the classic play Hedda Gabler, starring Tessa Thompson. 

Courtesy of Elevation Pictures

The opening night film at TIFF 2025 will be John Candy: I Like Me, a heartfelt tribute to the iconic Canadian actor, and closing the festival is Peak Everything, a romantic comedy from Montreal filmmaker Anne Émond. 

Sit tight, because more TIFF news is coming soon! The official film schedule will be released on August 12, and tickets will go on sale to the public on August 25.