The Writers Guild of Canada lineup includes eight world premieres across September 10 and 12, followed by three shorts in TIFF’s Redefined Short Film Showcase.
TIFF 2026 will open with a strong showing from the Writers Guild of Canada, which is highlighting 11 films across the Toronto festival’s September 10–20 run.
Eight titles are listed as world premieres, with five screening on September 10 and three more on September 12. Three short films follow on September 16 as part of TIFF’s Redefined Short Film Showcase.
Five world premieres launch the lineup on September 10
The opening-day group brings together writers and writer-directors from across the WGC lineup:
- Below, written by Jesse McKeown, Karen Walton, Perry Chafe and Natty Zavitz
- How We Stand, written and directed by Marie Clements
- Neverman, written by Rodrigo Barriuso and Kyah Green
- The Stunt Driver, written and directed by Michael Dowse
- YAGA, written by Kat Sandler
For Toronto audiences, the first day of the festival offers the largest single-day concentration of WGC world premieres in the announced lineup.
Three more world premieres arrive September 12
The second group of world premieres includes Back in Black, written by Ron Murphy and Nick Torokvei; Smudge the Blades, written by Samuel Miller and Cody Lightning; and Whatcha Want, written and directed by Mina Shum.
That brings the lineup’s world-premiere total to eight before the short-film showcase begins later in the festival.
Three shorts join TIFF’s Redefined showcase
On September 16, TIFF’s Redefined Short Film Showcase will feature three WGC-listed films:
- Butter Chicken to Go, written by Prajj
- pahkwêsikan sâkihitowin: Bannock is Love, written by Tyra Delver
- Restaurant Kids, written by Sylvia Mok
The three titles give the WGC presence a short-form focus, alongside the eight films receiving world premieres earlier in the festival.
What has been announced so far
TIFF 2026 runs from September 10 to 20. The WGC announcement identifies the premiere dates and the writers attached to each title, but does not list screening times, venues or ticket information.
For now, the key dates are September 10 for five world premieres, September 12 for three more, and September 16 for the three-film Redefined showcase.
Thank you for reading. This article is complete. Read more articles here | TalkofToronto.ca
