TORONTO — The 51st Toronto International Film Festival arrived with tensions flaring between Canada and the United States, concerns about artificial intelligence in filmmaking and a massive evolution in how the arts organization courts industry members. With the festival set to wind up Sunday, here’s a look at how some aspects of it fared. HITS The race for People’s Choice The competition for TIFF’s People’s Choice Award is fierce. Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy “The Debut” moved audiences to tears and the filmmaker took charge of an enthusiastic audience Q-and-A at two public screenings. In the past, TIFF’s top award has been an early indicator of films primed for a best picture nomination at the Oscars. Peter Farrelly’s feel-good “I Play Rocky,” about the making of the beloved boxing film, had a knockout premiere. Then there’s “Club Kid,” the moving comedy-drama about being thrust into fatherhood from first-time filmmaker Jordan Firstman, which seems to have captured viewers’ hearts. Meanwhile, critics are raving about “Wild Horse Nine,” from Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin McDonagh. - Kaitlyn McGrath Hudson Williams If measured in crowd verve and the number of “I love you” screams cast in his direction, the buzziest star to grace TIFF was undeniably Hudson Williams. The breakout “Heated Rivalry” actor drew hordes of fans to King Street ahead of his sold out Q-and-A and the premiere of his new TV show “YAGA.” The audience shrieked with glee at the mere glimpse of the star’s red-bottomed Louboutins as he sat down for the fireside chat, but they also delighted in his direct responses to questions about fame and getting in character. The zealous welcome was made all the more stunning given the show that rocketed Williams to fame debuted less than 10 months ago. -Kathryn Mannie Fan rituals Frequent TIFF goers are accustomed to pre-screening advertisements eliciting shouts and hollers from an audience trying to add a bit of insider fun to the festival. This year brought even more hearty participation. While fans might have missed the clapping generated by past ads for cosmetics brand L’Oréal and TIFF lounge Varda, they seemed to “argh” even louder than usual at the annual piracy notice. There was also more participation in the “We love you, Christie!” shout-out, when the projection company’s logo flashed on the screen, and rousing applause for a volunteer ad featuring SNL star Veronika Slowikowska. - Tara Deschamps Politicians Many Canadians are bursting with patriotism amid an escalating trade war with the United States. So when Prime Minister Mark Carney walked the red carpet ahead of the TIFF Tribute Awards, he received the warmest reception from members of the public gathered outside the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, louder even than the cheers for award-recipient Seth Rogen, one of Canada’s most successful comedians. Meanwhile, former prime minister Justin Trudeau used the festival as a launching pad for his new entertainment production company, Hope and Hard Work, which he’ll run alongside his longtime chief of staff Katie Telford. They announced several projects in development, including a rivals-to-lovers rom-com “set in the high-stakes world of politics and media.” - KM Cinema Cellar Film lovers lined up around the block every day to browse the Cinema Cellar, a curated movie shop run in partnership with Criterion. Among cinephiles, Criterion is beloved because of its vast collection of classic and international films. Last year, the home entertainment company ran a version of its famous Criterion Closet out of a truck during TIFF. Visitors had just three minutes to tour the space and select DVDs to purchase. -TD MISSES Tickets Before TIFF even began, fans were complaining about high ticket prices. Those who bought seats during member sales reported seeing premium screenings, which often include a Q-and-A with the cast or director, listed for upwards of $128. On resale websites, some tickets were several times more expensive, despite legislation capping the price of seats at face value. -TD Toronto traffic Toronto residents know how frustrating navigating traffic can be. But celebrities got a taste of it, too. Video posted to social media showed Rogen asking security in front of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel if the car he was in could cut through stanchions to pull up to the door rather than take “25 minutes” to drive around. Meanwhile, Cole Sprouse, who was in town promoting the crime caper “Vintage Violence,” told a BlogTO reporter he used public transit while in Toronto and endorsed the mode of transportation. -KM AI use in “Ink” When director Danny Boyle premiered his new tabloid journalism flick “Ink,” some audience members weren’t pleased he used artificial intelligence to animate old photographs used in a montage and add mice to another scene. They jeered at the filmmaker when he argued in an after-screening Q-and-A that he had tried to be responsible with his use of the technology. “AI slop” stickers also cropped up on a billboard outside Princess of Wales Theatre advertising the movie. -TD Theatre etiquette From incessantly checking their phones and smartwatches to crinkling snack packaging, TIFF goers had plenty of complaints about behaviour in cinemas. In theatre lines and on social media, they swapped stories about seatmates scrolling Instagram mid-film, persistently commenting on the onscreen action and even kicking the seat in front of them and coughing. -TD Fan and media access With TIFF no longer hosting film-specific press conferences and many studios reducing the number of junkets they host, there were fewer opportunities for fans to hear from the biggest stars. Some celebrities like Anna Kendrick, Rooney and Kate Mara and Naomi Watts were generous with their time. “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” star John Turturro even stayed in character, playfully nicking phones from media on the red carpet, while “The Debut” director Jesse Eisenberg hosted his own Q-and-A when a TIFF moderator showed up late to the second screening of his film. However, others like Rebel Wilson, Orlando Bloom and Luke Evans whizzed by most reporters. -TD TO BE DETERMINED The Market TIFF’s first official market gave filmmakers a chance to shop projects, find distributors or secure funding -- formalizing the deal-making that has long been done at the fest. Given how lengthy the sales and financing process can be, it’s hard to assess whether TIFF’s market was a success or not. TIFF spokesperson Nicole Chrysostom-Murray said in a Friday email that the festival doesn’t yet have a count of all the deals it spurred. However, she said 28 upcoming films were announced through the market. They include a Halle Berry, Zoë Kravitz and Colin Firth-led romantic comedy, a crime thriller starring Miles Teller and Jason Momoa, and an animation-live action hybrid with Tom Hanks as the voice of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. According to TIFF, the market drew more than 7,010 delegates. That’s a 40 per cent rise from the 5,000 industry members that usually attend the festival. Roughly 1,473 buyers were on hand, up 19 per cent from 2025. About 40 per cent of the buyers came from the U.S. with Canada, Germany, France and the U.K. rounding out the top five. -TD This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2026. Tara Deschamps and Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press
