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Helen Mirren, Laura Linney, Rhys Ifans, Erin Doherty and James McAvoy star in three of the biggest U.K. titles world premiering at Toronto and making Variety’s 2026 selection of 20 International Titles to Track at this
year’s Toronto.Jodie Comer sings (very creditably Variety suggests), in a fourth U.K. package, gothic rom-com “Stuffed” as romance takes unpredictable turns at Toronto.
As in 2025, multiple more Platform titles, 42% made up of movies from female directors, could have made the selection. It focuses on new titles, hence what otherwise would be startling omissions such as “Jim Queen,” or Spain’s Cannes main competition trio. The list is by no means definitive. But what it does point up is the presence this year of new and noteworthy voices, such as Scotland’s Tom Nicoll and Ireland’s David Turpin. Some of the films may feature in the Oscars race. The Platform selection of Gabriel Martins’ “On Behalf of My Son,” as Variety notes, consolidates its status as the biggest international hope this year from a Brazilian director.
The selection films will certainly deliver surprises. “Wild Wild East,” for instance, is described as “about many twists and turns, and an ending that throws a straight punch to the head.”
And yes, Variety has selected a baker’s score of films. Given the abundance of international movies at Toronto meriting attention, it would prefer to be accused of bad mathematics than bad taste.
“Ancestors,” (David Turpin, Samson Films, Lunatica, Ireland, U.K., Discovery)
Beau, a young gay man in 1980s London, searches for missing friend Tiny. Featuring Éanna Hardwicke, Jack Wolfe, Jessica Reynolds, Rupert Everett and Christina Hendricks, tenderly scored and shot with many scenes of seeming dreamlike revery, a mystery which soon becomes deeper charting the phantasmagoric emotional landscape and aftermath of the AIDs crisis. “Often when there is an event like this, our instinct is not to look back at it, then sort of not to be aware of the ways in which it’s continuing to haunt us,” Turpin tells Variety. Sold by Mister Smith Entertainment. JH
“Angh,” (Theja Rio, Winter Hymns Films, Undercover Squirrel, India, Platform)
Theja Rio expands his 2021 short into a feature centered on Anghba, a Nagaland chief presiding over an empty village in the 1960s – his people gone, his wife failing, his son unable to speak. A missionary, played by Douglas Henshall, arrives with gifts and promises that pressure everything Anghba has spent his life protecting. Rio cast the film with Nagaland locals who had never acted before, shooting on 16mm. It’s the London-based writer-director’s feature debut, produced with Nancy Nisa Beso and Bernardo Angeletti, and the only Indian film in this year’s Platform lineup – a section whose winner now heads straight into Oscar’s international feature race. NR
“Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,” (Miike Takashi, OLM, Nippon TV, Pressman Film, Recorded Picture Company, TF1 Films, U.S., U.K., Japan, France, Special Presentations)
Miike Takashi takes the wheel on the third entry in the “Bad Lieutenant” lineage, following Abel Ferrara’s 1992 original and Werner Herzog’s New Orleans reboot, and makes it entirely his own. Shun Oguri plays a gambling-addicted Tokyo cop dragged into a joint investigation with an FBI agent over a missing politician’s daughter (Lily James), while a former yakuza figure out for revenge works an angle neither sees coming. It’s a setup built for Miike’s tangled plotting and gonzo violence. World premiering at Toronto, screenwriter Daisuke Tengan, of Miike’s “13 Assassins,” returns to script this one. NR
“Brace Your Heart” (Amanda Kernell, Nordisk Film Production, Forest People, Compass Films, Invictus, Nordisk Film Production Denmark, Filmpool Nord, SVT, Film i Väst, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Bulgaria, Platform)
“Sámi Blood” director Amanda Kernell talks about responsibility – and how heavy that burden can be. Her protagonist, Ejva, has been harmed but also has her family, and her Sámi community, to consider. Kernell told Variety: “What can be forgiven? And what if you live in a place where everything has to be, because it can be a matter of survival?” It’s not easy, but there’s a way out of the trauma. Speaking up, however terrifying, might be just what you need to heal. MB
“Children Untold,” (Nishikawa Miwa, K2 Pictures, Japan, Platform — Opening Film)
Nishikawa Miwa, returning to TIFF for a fourth year, opens this year’s Platform program with a story set in Tokyo during the last days and aftermath of World War II. Orphaned at 12 and born to a pair of musicians, the film’s central girl adopts a boy’s disguise to survive the city’s underworld, while a former teacher, carrying her own guilt, keeps quiet watch over her. Adapted from Nishikawa’s own unpublished novel and starring Ami Koyae, Fumi Nikaido and Koji Yakusho, it’s a Platform opener from one of Japan’s most reliably acclaimed filmmakers, in a section whose winner now has a direct line to the international feature Oscar race. NR
“The Daughters of Abraham,” (Hanael El Yousfi, CG Cinéma, France 2 Cinéma, France, Discovery)
At the film’s get-go, a Marseilles university lecturer quotes Aristotle’s take on happiness as the freedom to become what one is. Achieving that, however, is no slam dunk, as Arab Myriam and BFF Jewish Eva’s modern assumptions about sex and anti-patriarchy grate against their still traditional worlds. Capturing with flair and ambivalence a sense of community, its events – a Marrakech nightclub, a Marseilles Arab wedding and Jewish dinner – its dynamics and resilient impositions – El Yousfi’s stylish debut is produced by Charles Gillibert, behind many of France’s higher-profile arthouse plays (“The Chronology of Water,” “Minotaur”) and sold by Les Films du Losange. JH
“Djinn Wedding” (Ferit Karahan, Ferit Karahan Films, Royal Pictures, Maya Films, Arya Yapim, Turkey, Platform)
“Can a person who denies their own darkness truly change their fate?” is the question that drove director Ferik Karahan to make his third feature film. A story about family, history and Anatolian folk tales, the film follows four siblings across three periods of time as their dark secrets and traumas begin to unravel during a family wedding. Dealing with the universal themes of loss, guilt and mourning, this is Karahan’s follow-up feature to “Brother’s Keeper,” which won the Fipresci’s Berlin Panorama Award. RP
”Faith,” (Paul Andrew Williams, Giant Productions, Homefront Productions, Blazing Griffin, Miria Talent, U.K. Special Presentations)
Already a talking point at Toronto after an early screening, with Erin Doherty (“Adolescence,” “The Crown”) gleaning rave reviews for her performance as a single mother charmed by a mysterious but increasingly sinister stranger (James McAvoy), then tortured by grief as horrifying tragedy occurs. Generally, the film has drawn upbeat reaction as well. “Intense performances power startling and unsettling tale of mysterious suitor,” says the Guardian. A drama with a supernatural build from Paul Andrew Williams (“Bull,” “Dragonfly”), an invigorating presence on the British film scene. JH
“Le Faux Soir,” (Michaël R. Roskam, Frakas Productions, Rectangle Production, Goodfellas, Harbor Men Pictures, Belgium, France, Special Presentation)
Oscar-nominated “Bullhead” helmer Roskam hadn’t directed a feature film in his home country of Belgium since 2017’s “Race and the Jailbird.” His homecoming is a fitting one, a highly ambitious historical thriller set in 1943 and relaying the real-life case of a group of Resistance fighters who printed a fake edition of Belgium’s leading newspaper Le Soir, which had been turned into a propaganda tool during the Nazi occupation. The case is widely considered to be the world’s first media hack, with Roskam’s fast-paced thriller honing in on the past to paint a vivid picture of the present. RSR
“Four Seasons in Java,” (Kamila Andini, Forka Films, Indonesia, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Centrepiece)
Kamila Andini sets her latest against the volcanic backdrop of Mount Bromo, following Putri Marino’s Pertiwi as she returns to her village after years in prison for killing a man who tried to rape her. Old family wounds and a wary community await her, and Andini slides between registers — grounded drama one moment, something closer to myth or speculative fiction the next. Arya Saloka and Christine Hakim round out the cast. Producer Ifa Isfansyah pictured Bromo as the setting nearly a decade before shooting began. It’s Andini’s return to TIFF after winning the Platform Award in 2021 with “Yuni,” and one of this year’s most striking Southeast Asian entries. NR
“Future Tense” (Jenna Cato Bass, Causeway Films, Benchfilms and Fox Fire Film, South Africa,Australia; Centrepiece)
Five years after thrilling TIFF audiences with “Good Madam,” a Jordan Peele-esque creeper that explored the real-life horror of post-apartheid trauma, Jenna Cato Bass returns with the sci-fi feature “Future Tense.” Set in a near future on the brink of climate collapse, it unpacks weighty issues like climate change, human guilt and South African identity through the story of a mixed-race couple offered a chance to travel back in time. The film should cement Bass’ status as one of their country’s most inventive and provocative filmmakers. Specialty distributors might want to take note: Shudder swooped on “Good Madam” after its Toronto premiere. CV
“Glaxo,” (Benjamín Naishtat, RT Features, Rei Pictures, Brazil, Argentina, Special Presentations)
“This is the story of betrayal,” says Miguelito, the narrator of “Glaxo.” In fact, he’s only half right. This is the story of seemingly endemic betrayals, braiding narratives in 1956, 1957, and 1984 – the tale of heinous police commissioner Folcada, Miguelito, besotted by his dazzling wife Miranda and his former teen friend “Flaco” Tepermann, just out of jail 25 years later. A return to the multi-genre high-style and collective psychology portrait of “Rojo” marking one of the most awaited Latin American films of the year.
“Growth of the Soil” (Hans Petter Molland, 4 1/2 Fiction, Scanbox Entertainment, Norway, Special Presentation)
Molland, known for his collabs with Stellan Skarsgård, takes on the classic novel by Knut Hamsun and ends up with an epic love story spanning decades – the kind not seen since “Doctor Zhivago.” In his film – recently selected as Norway’s Oscar submission – two people come together in order to survive, only to realize they can’t live without each other. But their relationship, just like the wilderness that surrounds them, has to face destruction as well. That’s just the way the world works. MB
“Happily Ever After,” (Feng-I Fiona Roan, Splash Pictures, Taiwan, Special Presentations)
Feng-I Fiona Roan’s sophomore feature follows two sisters pulling in opposite directions: Kitty, the family favorite, is riding a promotion and an engagement to a wealthy man, while Claire keeps disappointing their parents chasing a life of her own. An abandoned cat that lands in their laps cracks open old wounds. Shuhua of K-pop group i-dle makes her acting debut opposite Xuan Chen, with Kuei-Mei Yang and Jack Kao rounding out the cast. Roan became the Golden Horse Awards’ first female Best New Director winner for her 2021 debut “American Girl,” and this world premiere is one of the fest’s most anticipated follow-ups from a filmmaker on the rise. NR
“Idda” (Irene Dionisio, Kino Produzioni, Rai Cinema, Andromeda Film, EDI, Wise Pictures, Italy, Platform)
A TIFF Platform buzz title, praised for its charm and sensuality, this is a portrait of friendship between two childhood friends who decide to climb Mount Etna, an active volcano on the Eastern Coast of Sicily. Carefree Sofia and the more restrained Adele couldn’t be more different, but they share an unbreakable bond that will be tested when confronted with bottled-up resentment, past secrets and the fear of change as they make their way up the treacherous mountainside. This is Irene Dionisio’s sophomore feature following her 2016 debut “Le Ultime Cose.” RP
“On Behalf of My Son,” (Gabriel Martins, Filmes de Plástico, Netflix Brazil, Platform)
When festivals were still finding their footing following the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabriel Martins made waves at Sundance with the tender family drama “Mars One.” Four years later, the Brazilian director returns with a major production that reunites him with Rejane Faria, who plays the mother of a bus driver who apparently killed himself and dozens of passengers in a planned suicide-crash. The film comes onto the festival circuit with the weight of Netflix’s backing and gunning to become Brazil’s Oscar entry, due to be announced mid-September. Following two banner years with “I’m Still Here” and “The Secret Agent,” all eyes are rightly on what Brazil does next. RSR
“Onwards and Sideways,” (John Madden, John Gore Studios BBC, Hilltop Screen, Kaleidoscope, U.K.)
Helmed by Madden, Oscar-nominated for “Shakespeare in Love,” a romantic dramedy starring Oscar nominee Laura Linney and BAFTA winner Rhys Ifans as two people who meet having just received the same Parkinson’s diagnosis with “five good years to live,” their straight talking neurologist (Rory Kinnear) tells them. A bottle half-full, knowing yet upbeat take on the illness written by Paul Mayhew-Archer (“The Vicar of Dibley”) who lives with Parkinson’s. Set for a TIFF gala screening on Sept. 13 and U.K. theatrical release from Icon Film Distribution. CAA Media Finance co-reps North America. JH
“Purgatory,” (Lindsay Lanzillotta, Brave Jayne Films, Canada, U.S., Discovery)
Producer Lanzillotta (“The Invitation,” Spin Me Round”) takes her first spin in the director’s chair with ’80s-set coming-of-age dramedy “Purgatory,” assembling a stellar cast to create a family and community dynamic that resonates with emotion and humor. After her mother (Abby Elliott, “The Bear”) moves out to find herself, 13-year-old Beatrice is determined to fix her family, and few other teenage problems, turning to her church’s priest ( J.K. Simmons) for guidance. “Everyone has to realize that their parents are not perfect, that life is not always easy, and that the world is bigger than just themselves,” Lansillotta says. Gersh handles international sales. JP
“Salvation,“ Tom Nicoll, (Lane Productions with Creative Scotland, U.K., Discovery)
Inspired by a self confidence guru, Danny Carter, a dishwasher, becomes a professional life coach. “I can show you how to build a new life and find true happiness,” he promises on social media. Trouble is there’s an elephant in the room: Scottish port Greenock, caught in post-industrial depression and a world dominated by domineering baby boomers such as mentee Scott’s dad who made it in easier times. So the illusions Danny sells are essentially delusions. Finely shot in often hyper character close-ups, a compassionate take on GenZ travails sparking great word of mouth and an auspicious feature debut from Scottish writer-director Tom Nicoll. JH
“The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” (Daniel Oriahi, EbonyLife Media, Nigeria, Centrepiece)
Based on Lola Shoneyin’s 2010 debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” is set within a seemingly harmonious polygamous household whose fragile balance is overturned with the arrival of the titular patriarch’s youngest wife. A dramatic comedy that crackles with trademark Nollywood wit, the film marks the return of Nigerian mogul Mo Abudu’s powerhouse production outfit EbonyLife Films to Toronto, the fifth time selected. Oriahi, who helmed the genre-bending Tribeca premiere “The Weekend” in 2024, directs a star-studded cast, back in Toronto after his action comedy “Taxi Driver: Oko Ashewo” — another EbonyLife Films production — bowed at TIFF in 2016. CV
“The Smell of Apples” (John Trengove, Portobello Productions, Cadence, Baldr Film, Quijote Films, South Africa, Netherlands, Chile; Platform)
After establishing a foothold in Hollywood with “Manodrome,” his Jesse Eisenberg-starring portrait of toxic masculinity that competed at the 2023 Berlinale, South Africa’s Trengove returns to the native turf he mined to such powerful effect in “The Wound,” his Oscar-shortlisted gay romantic drama. Adapted from Mark Behr’s bestselling, Booker Prize-nominated novel, “The Smell of Apples” is a sensitive portrait of a sheltered 11-year-old white South African boy who gradually comes to realize the horrors of the apartheid system. Produced by Portobello Productions — whose credits include Oscar winners “Kolya” and “Ida” — Cadence, Baldr Film and Quijote Films, the film uses the intimate story of one family to tell a larger tale about the violence lurking behind an idyllic façade. CV
“Stuffed,” (Theo Rhys, Agile Films, Fresh Fish Films, BFI, Ffilm Cymru Wales, U.K., Discovery)
A taxidermy musical. Finally! But much more, starring Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”) and opening TIFF’s Discovery program. “Odd and oddly touching,” says Variety. A macabre comedy, love story and musical – song no dance, though Comer does prance in one show-stopping turn as she belts out a song. She plays a wild haired anti-social taxidermist dreaming of stuffing a human specimen, Harry Melling, of “Harry Potter” and “Pillion” fame, is Bernie, an anonymous factory worker who volunteers for embalming. A Gothic but tender, especially when they begin JH
“Sunburn,” dir. Serville Poblete, Serve, Tinygiant, Canada, Centrepiece
After scooping a SXSW jury award for his 2026 docu short “In The Morning Sun,” Poblete turns up the heat with “Sunburn,” a hangout film set in St. James Town, the Toronto high-rise community where he grew up. The story follows three pairs of friends on the cusp of changes they can’t yet see, trying to stay cool and fight the boredom, “kids who look like me, ” he says, “with darker skin, curly hair, raised in immigrant and working-class Toronto.” Sweeping orchestral score by Aaron Paris makes the summer day feel epic, the loose-limbed ensemble performance keeps it grounded. No surprise buyers are circling after the well received first market screening. JP
“Talent for Murder,” (Anton Corbijn, LD Entertainment, Brouhaha Entertainment, Lunar Pictures, Lucky Red, U.K., Italy, Gala Presentation)
“Hotly anticipated,” Variety reports, starring Helen Mirren as crime writer Patricia Highsmith, the first film for over nine years Corbijn (“Control,”“The American”) with FilmNation Entertainment handling international. The basic plot is known: callow young New York literary agent (Ehrenreich) is dispatched to Switzerland to persuade Highsmith (Mirren) to write one final Ripley thriller. His real motives are, however, rather more Ripley-esque. Co-starring Tony winner Alden Ehrenreich and “House of the Dragon” star Olivia Cooke. Set for an Oct. 23 U.S. debut by Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment. JH
“Toy Gun Bandit,” (dir. Rémi St-Michel, Spécimen Productions, Canada, Centrepiece)
For his second feature, Rémi St-Michel explores “what happens when the insatiable need for impressing and belonging gets out of hand.” He does this through the charmingly infuriating character of 15-year-old Felix (non-professional actor Félix Munger) whose life takes an unexpected turn after a prank becomes an actual robbery. The mayhem is further intensified when Félix falls in with an aspiring gangster (David Beaudoin) and a drug addict (Sara Montpetit), the film’s shooting, editing, and sound carrying the frantic energy to the edge. From the producers of “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” with h264 distributing in Canada and handling international sales. JP
“Wild, Wild East” (Jan Holoubek, Madants, Holograph, Extreme Emotions, Poland, Platform)
In his Western-y film, overseen by “The Zone of Interest” producer, Polish director Jan Holoubek takes a page from Tarantino and proves there are different ways to talk about the Second World War. Everyone’s guilty here – mostly of averting their eyes when the unthinkable happens. But it’s not just about poisonous silence, national guilt or the purpose of art when the world is ending; it’s also about many twists and turns, and an ending that throws a straight punch to the head. MB
