tiff 2021

TIFF reveals huge list of star-studded movies playing at this year's festival in Toronto

The 46th annual Toronto International Film Festival is set to begin in less than two months, and TIFF Co-Heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente just announced the first 32 star-studded movies selected to premiere at the festival. 

Bailey and Vicente announced 11 galas and 21 special presentations chosen for the festival's programming Tuesday, including the highly-anticipated festival opener Dear Evan Hansen

The feature-film adaptation of the Tony Award–winning musical — directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams and more — will kick off the festival on Sept. 9 at Roy Thomson Hall.

"There was no question that Dear Evan Hansen was the ideal film to launch the Festival this year," Bailey said in a statement.

"This film is ultimately about healing, forgiveness, and reaffirms how connected and essential we all are to one another. We couldn't think of a more important idea to celebrate this year as we come together once again to share the power and joy of cinema in theatres together."

One Second, the latest film from acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, has been selected as the closing night gala and will screen on Sept. 18. 

The remaining 30 films set to screen at TIFF feature a number of notable celebrities, many of whom will travel to Toronto for the festival. 

Stars to watch out for come September include Olivia Munn, Octavia Spencer, Judi Dench, Danny DeVito, Dionne Warwick, Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Riz Ahmed and more.

"We're so excited to be able to share this year's lineup with audiences in theatres," said Vicente in a statement. "These films reflect passion, creativity, and break new ground to tell their stories. We're honoured to have them as part of TIFF 2021."

Here's the list of the first 32 titles announced for TIFF 2021:

GALA PRESENTATIONS 
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 
Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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