{"id":139048,"date":"2026-07-22T02:55:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T02:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/139048\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T02:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T02:55:14","slug":"the-2026-toronto-international-film-festival-tiff-platform-lineup-jury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/139048\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Platform Lineup & Jury"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, is announcing its 2026 Platform program, the Festival\u2019s only competitive section, which champions exceptional directorial vision and auteur voices. Serving as a launchpad for the awards circuit and international spotlight, Platform has launched global auteurs like Barry Jenkins (\u201cMoonlight<\/a>,\u201d TIFF \u201916), Darius Marder (\u201cSound of Metal<\/a>,\u201d TIFF \u201919), William Oldroyd (\u201cLady Macbeth<\/a>,\u201d TIFF \u201916), Sarah Gavron (\u201cRocks,\u201d TIFF \u201919), Anthony Shim (\u201cRiceboy Sleeps,\u201d TIFF \u201922), and Yoon Ga-eun (\u201cThe World of Love,\u201d TIFF \u201925).<\/p>\n

Now in its eleventh year, named after Jia Zhang-ke\u2019s groundbreaking second feature, the Platform lineup has expanded to 12 films, including Theja Rio\u2019s \u201cAngh,\u201d Amanda Kernell\u2019s \u201cBrace Your Heart,\u201d Ferit Karahan\u2019s \u201cDjinn Wedding,\u201d Irene Dionisio\u2019s \u201cIdda,\u201d Nyla Innuksuk\u2019s \u201cIn the Heart of the South,\u201d Bertil Nilsson\u2019s \u201cMasc,\u201d Gabriel Martins\u2019 \u201cOn Behalf of My Son,\u201d Lawrence Fajardo\u2019s \u201cSilenced Nights,\u201d John Trengove\u2019s \u201cThe Smell of Apples,\u201d Yoon Dan-bi\u2019s \u201cThe World Before,\u201d and\u00a0Jan Holoubek\u2019s \u201cWild Wild East.\u201d \u201cChildren Untold,\u201d from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Miwa Nishikawa (\u201cDreams for Sale,\u201d TIFF \u201912, \u201cUnder the Open Sky,\u201d\u00a0TIFF \u201920), will open the program at TIFF Lightbox\u2019s state-of-the-art Cinema 1, where all Platform titles will make their World Premieres.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlatform was created to spotlight directorial voices and this year\u2019s 12-film selection is an imaginative reflection of new auteur cinema now,\u201d said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. \u201cWe are honored to welcome a jury of distinguished artists and industry leaders to inspire and support with their expertise and commitment to global cinema.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a major milestone for the program, a non-English-language* winning film in TIFF\u2019s Platform lineup will now have a direct pathway for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, making TIFF one of only six international film festivals to qualify worldwide.<\/p>\n

Platform selection is led by Robyn Citizen, Director of Programming. The 12 Platform titles are eligible for the Platform Award, which will be decided this year by an expanded five-member international jury. Argentinian producer, director, and writer\u00a0Pablo Trapero\u00a0will serve as Jury President, joining British writer and director\u00a0Amma Asante, Taiwanese actor and filmmaker\u00a0Sylvia Chang,\u00a0French Canadian producer\u00a0Luc D\u00e9ry, and Hong Kong film industry executive\u00a0Albert Lee. The winning filmmaker will receive a $20,000 CAD cash prize. The Platform Award will be presented on the last day of the Festival on Sunday, September 20.<\/p>\n

2026 Platform program (in alphabetical order)<\/p>\n

Angh\u00a0| Theja Rio | India
World Premiere<\/p>\n

Set in the remote jungles of Nagaland near the Indo\u2013Burma border in the early 1960s and shot in richly textured 16mm, \u201cAngh\u201d\u00a0follows Anghba, the last surviving chief of an abandoned Indigenous Naga village, who lives in isolation with his ailing wife and mute young son after being deserted by his people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rio\u00a0is a London-based writer and director from Nagaland, India. He wrote and directed the short films \u201cCheckpost\u201d (2018), \u201cAngh\u201d (2021), \u201cRemains\u201d (2024), and \u201cAde\u201d (On a Sunday) (2024). \u201cAngh\u201d\u00a0is his feature directorial debut and an expansion of his short by the same name.<\/p>\n

Brace Your Heart | Amanda Kernell | Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Bulgaria
World Premiere<\/p>\n

Kernell\u2019s luminous third drama is a quietly devastating portrait of love, resilience, and the enduring strength of S\u00e1mi women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kernell\u00a0was born in Ume\u00e5, Sweden, to a S\u00e1mi father and Swedish mother. She holds a degree from the National Film School of Denmark. Her directorial credits include the short film \u201cStoerre Vaerie\u201d (Northern Great Mountain) (2015) and the features \u201cSami Blood\u201d (2016), which played at the Festival, and \u201cCharter\u201d (2020).<\/p>\n

Children Untold\u00a0| Miwa Nishikawa | Japan
World Premiere
Opening film<\/p>\n

A longtime collaborator of Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nishikawa adapted \u201cChildren Untold\u201d from her own unpublished novel. It follows a 12-year-old girl who disguises herself as a boy to survive in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in Tokyo. Featuring Ami Koyae, Fumi Nikaido, and Koji Yakusho.<\/p>\n

Nishikawa was born in Hiroshima, Japan. Her writing and directing credits include the feature films \u201cWild Berries\u201d (2003), \u201cDear Doctor\u201d (2009), and the Festival Official Selections \u201cDreams for Sale\u201d (2012) and \u201cUnder the Open Sky\u201d\u00a0(2020).<\/p>\n

Djinn Wedding | Ferit Karahan | Turkey
World Premiere<\/p>\n

Set in a remote Anatolian village, Karahan\u2019s\u00a0Djinn Wedding\u00a0is an impressive family drama that unravels family secrets and conflicts across three periods of time. Carried by a supreme cast including Demet \u00d6zdemir, Kaan Yildirim, \u0130lhan \u015een, and Sarp Bozkurt, the film swings between belief, hope, and dissolution.<\/p>\n

Karahan was born in Mu\u015f, Turkey. His writing and directing credits include\u00a0The Fall from Heaven\u00a0(2013),\u00a0Brother\u2019s Keeper\u00a0(2021), which won the FIPRESCI Prize at Berlinale, and\u00a0The Death of Black Horses\u00a0(2025).<\/p>\n

Idda | Irene Dionisio | Italy
World Premiere<\/p>\n

This is Dionisio\u2019s sophomore feature, which she co-penned alongside Marco Borromei.\u00a0Idda\u00a0takes an epic approach to unearthing the packed layers of a stewing friendship. When childhood friends Adele and Sofia reunite to fulfill the broken promise of climbing Mount Etna, they realize that like the mountain, old wounds loom over everything.<\/p>\n

Dionisio was born in Torino, Italy. She is a filmmaker and visual artist whose credits include the short films\u00a0Le storie che saremo\u00a0(2020) and\u00a0Murmur\u00a0(2025). Her feature-length films include the documentaries\u00a0The factory is full\u00a0(2012) and\u00a0Shores\u00a0(2015), and the fictional feature\u00a0Pawn Street\u00a0(2017).<\/p>\n

In the Heart of the South | Nyla Innuksuk | Canada
World Premiere<\/p>\n

A surprising and exciting swerve away from Innuksuk\u2019s 2022 debut feature\u00a0Slash\/Back.\u00a0In the Heart of the South\u00a0is what\u00a0Single White Female\u00a0would be if it were set in Toronto, with an Inuk protagonist and a dash of supernatural elements, starring\u00a0North of North\u2019s Anna Lambe as Yura Ivalu, the latest darling of the Toronto art world, whose virtual reality piece promises to blow your mind.<\/p>\n

Innuksuk\u00a0was born in Igloolik, Nunavut, and studied film at Toronto Metropolitan University. She co-wrote and co-produced the short film\u00a0Kajutaijuq\u00a0(2015), which screened at the Festival and was named to Canada\u2019s Top Ten. Her other directorial credits include the short film\u00a0Breaths\u00a0(2016) and debut feature\u00a0Slash\/Back\u00a0(2022).<\/p>\n

Masc\u00a0| Bertil Nilsson | United Kingdom
World Premiere<\/p>\n

Nilsson\u2019s debut feature is a tender, unflinching portrait of self-performance, identity, and learning to exist as oneself in an often prescriptive world. The film draws on the filmmaker\u2019s experiences as a neurodivergent gay man navigating the contradictory demands of masculinity.<\/p>\n

Nilsson is an award-winning Swedish artist and filmmaker based in London. He has directed numerous short films, including\u00a0Repair\u00a0(2023) and\u00a0Alfie\u2019s Island\u00a0(2023), and has exhibited internationally with solo shows in the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, and the USA.<\/p>\n

On Behalf of My Son | Gabriel Martins | Brazil
World Premiere<\/p>\n

Anchored by a deeply affecting performance from Rejane Faria, Martins\u2019 moving drama follows a grieving mother seeking forgiveness from the families of a tragic bus accident, unfolding as a profoundly humane meditation on guilt and whether forgiveness is even possible.<\/p>\n

Martins is a Brazilian writer-director and co-founder of Filmes de Pl\u00e1stico. His debut feature\u00a0Mars One\u00a0(2022) was Brazil\u2019s selection for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. He also directed the shorts\u00a0Nada\u00a0(2017),\u00a0In the Heart of the World\u00a0(2019), and\u00a0Pelas M\u00e3os\u00a0(2021).<\/p>\n

Silenced Nights | Lawrence Fajardo | Philippines
World Premiere<\/p>\n

For some, staying silent is the only way to survive. Fajardo\u2019s bleak sociopolitical drama\u00a0Silenced Nights\u00a0follows a witness to an extrajudicial killing in a Philippine slum as he seeks to make the truth known. The film takes a raw cinema verit\u00e9 approach and echoes the director\u2019s previous works, including\u00a0The Hearing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fajardo is a Filipino director from Bacolod City in the Philippines. His writing and directing credits include\u00a0Amok\u00a0(2011),\u00a0Posas\u00a0(2012), and\u00a0Invisible\u00a0(2015), which screened at the Festival.<\/p>\n

The Smell of Apples | John Trengove | South Africa, Netherlands, Chile
World Premiere<\/p>\n

In Trengove\u2019s relentless third feature, a sheltered 11-year-old white South African boy gradually comes to realize the horrors of the apartheid system. Adapted from South African writer Mark Behr\u2019s 1993 bestselling novel of the same name.<\/p>\n

Trengove is an award-winning South African writer and director who holds an MFA from New York University. His features include\u00a0The Wound\u00a0(2017), which was South Africa\u2019s selection for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, and\u00a0Manodrome\u00a0(2023).<\/p>\n

The World Before | Yoon Dan-bi | South Korea
World Premiere<\/p>\n

In her second narrative feature, Dan-bi (Moving On) turns her attention from childhood to adolescence with a tender, sharply observed portrait of first love and growing up. This coming-of-age story follows two teenagers, childhood best friends, who reunite for a summer on a small rural island in Korea.<\/p>\n

Dan-bi is a South Korean filmmaker who holds a BFA in Theatre and Film from Kookmin University. Her film credits include the short film\u00a0Fireworks\u00a0(2015) and the feature film\u00a0Moving On\u00a0(2019), which debuted in Busan and won the NETPAC and DGK Awards.<\/p>\n

Wild Wild East | Jan Holoubek | Poland
World Premiere<\/p>\n

Set in occupied Poland in the middle of the Second World War, Holoubek\u2019s tour de force is part suspenseful western, part gritty wartime noir.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Holoubek was born in Warsaw, Poland. His directing credits include the series\u00a0The Mire\u00a0(2018\u20132024) and\u00a0High Water\u00a0(2024), as well as the feature\u00a025 Years of Innocence\u00a0(2020).<\/p>\n

2026 Platform Jury:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a true honor to return to Toronto as President of the Platform Jury, having had all of my films screened here over the years. TIFF has always felt like home to me. Every time I\u2019ve come back, I\u2019ve been warmly welcomed, and I\u2019ve always felt that my films have found a special connection with TIFF audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted to return in this new role as a way of giving back to TIFF, to its audiences, and to the wonderful films it champions. I\u2019m deeply grateful for everything the Festival has given me over the years, and for all that it continues to give filmmakers from around the world as one of cinema\u2019s most important annual meeting places \u2014 a festival where audiences, artists, and extraordinary films come together year after year.\u201d \u2014Pablo Trapero, Platform Jury President 2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pablo Trapero, Jury President
Pablo Trapero is a producer, director, and writer whose films have premiered at the world\u2019s leading festivals. Every one of his feature films has screened at TIFF since 1999, most recently\u00a0& Sons(TIFF \u201925). His debut feature,\u00a0Crane World (Mundo gr\u00faa), won an International Critics\u2019 Week award at Venice, where he received the Silver Lion for Best Director in 2015 for\u00a0The Clan. Trapero has directed several high-profile television series, including\u00a0Gordon, which premieres on Netflix this year. His work has been honored by Spain\u2019s Goya Awards, Argentina\u2019s Sur Awards, and Mexico\u2019s Ariel Awards, among others. Trapero was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France\u2019s Ministry of Culture and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n

Amma Asante
Amma Asante is an award-winning writer and director. With her debut feature,\u00a0A Way of Life\u00a0(TIFF \u201904), she became the first Black director to win a BAFTA award for writing and directing a feature film. Her acclaimed films include\u00a0Belle\u00a0(TIFF \u201913),\u00a0A United Kingdom\u00a0(TIFF \u201916), and\u00a0Where Hands Touch\u00a0(TIFF \u201918). Her television credits include\u00a0Mrs. America,\u00a0The Handmaid\u2019s Tale, and\u00a0Smilla\u2019s Sense of Snow. Asante is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n

Sylvia Chang
Sylvia Chang is a renowned actor, screenwriter, director, and producer whose career spans more than five decades and over 100 films. A multiple Hong Kong Film Award and Taipei Golden Horse Award winner, she received the Asian Film Awards\u2019 Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. She is devoted to fostering emerging talent through filmmaking and mentorship initiatives.<\/p>\n

Luc D\u00e9ry
Luc D\u00e9ry founded the production company micro_scope in 2002. He has produced over 30 features, all selected by major international festivals and together earning more than 100 awards. Both\u00a0Incendies\u00a0(TIFF \u201910) and\u00a0Monsieur Lazhar\u00a0(TIFF \u201911) were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Other notable features include\u00a0Gabrielle\u00a0(TIFF \u201913),\u00a0Tu Dors Nicole\u00a0(TIFF \u201914),\u00a0My Salinger Year,\u00a0Drunken Birds\u00a0(TIFF \u201921),\u00a0Viking\u00a0(TIFF \u201922),\u00a0Shepherds\u00a0(TIFF \u201924), and\u00a0Lovely Day\u00a0(TIFF \u201925).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Albert Lee
Albert Lee has served as Executive Director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society since 2018. With more than four decades of experience spanning film production, distribution, exhibition, and corporate management, he has played a significant role in Hong Kong cinema\u2019s Golden Age, having held senior positions at Golden Harvest and Emperor Motion Pictures. Lee is a member of the China Film Association, the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, and the Producers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n

The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 10th\u201320th, 2026. The inaugural edition of TIFF: The Market takes place the first week of Festival, September 10th\u201316th, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.<\/p>\n

Upcoming announcements:<\/p>\n

TIFF Takeover 1: July 22nd\u201323rd
Wed., Jul. 22: Discovery
Thu., Jul. 23: Primetime<\/p>\n

TIFF Takeover 2: August 4th\u20136th
Tue., Aug. 4: Centrepiece, Wavelengths & Classics
Wed., Aug. 5: TIFF Docs & Shortcuts
Thu., Aug. 6: Midnight Madness<\/p>\n

Dan Bayer<\/a>,\u00a0Nadia Dalimonte<\/a>,\u00a0Giovanni Lago<\/a>,\u00a0Sara Clements<\/a>, and I will be attending this year\u2019s TIFF from Next Best Picture in person.<\/p>\n

Are you excited for this announcement? What other films do you think will be announced for this year\u2019s Toronto International Film Festival? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X<\/a> account.<\/p>\n