Cinephiles, movie fans and celebrity watchers rejoice: the 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival is finally here.
And whether you’re looking for film reviews, interviews with directors, celebrity spottings or the latest news from Canada’s biggest film fest, the Star’s got you covered.
Scroll through for all the highlights from the Star’s 2025 TIFF coverage, including our special package celebrating five decades of cinematic magic, glamour and unforgettable moments at TIFF.
When is TIFF and where does it take place?
This year’s festival takes place between Sept. 4 and 14.
Most screenings and events happen at the TIFF Lightbox and Festival Tower, located on the northwest corner of King Street West and John Street. Other TIFF venues include Roy Thomson Hall, the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre, Glenn Gould Studio at the Canadian Broadcast Centre and the Royal Alexandra Theatre. All six venues are located in downtown Toronto.
How do you get TIFF tickets?
Purchasing tickets for the festival can feel like a bit of a maze, but TIFF’s website has a helpful Q&A section and a handy YouTube video for those having trouble navigating the process.
Non-members can purchase single tickets or curated packages at Ticketmaster.ca. TIFF members and contributors can also purchase individual tickets or bundles through their TIFF Festival Accounts.
You can find all the details for individual films at TIFF.net.
What are the most anticipated films at TIFF this year?
This year’s festival boasts an eclectic program of more than 200 feature films, dozens of shorts and 10 television series.
Film critic Peter Howell has listed his 10 most anticipated films here. Among them are Guillermo del Toro‘s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic “Frankenstein,” Chloé Zhao’s drama about Shakespeare, titled “Hamnet,” and a time-travelling movie thriller from Canadian directors Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol titled “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.”
TIFF will open with “John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary about the Canadian comedy legend John Candy directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds. The festival’s closing night gala will be Canadian director Anne Émond’s “Peak Everything.”
Other anticipated flicks include Aziz Ansari’s “Good Fortune” — starring Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen and Sandra Oh — Rian Johnson’s third “Knives Out” film, James Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg” and Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36.”
The full festival lineup, which can be viewed here, also includes new films from Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (“The Christophers”), Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar (“The Captive”), South Korean director Sung-hyun Byun (“Good News”), American director Nia DaCosta (“Hedda”) and Canada’s own Chandler Levack (“Mile End Kicks”).
What’s the best place to go celebrity spotting?
If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the A-list talent, your best bet is to purchase tickets to a TIFF “Fan Zone,” where you can watch celebs walk the red carpet from one of the controlled access areas at the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre or Roy Thomson Hall. There are five additional “Fan Zones” at David Pecaut Square. Tickets are available on Sept. 3 via Ticketmaster.
But you can also try your luck at one of these six restaurants in downtown Toronto, where celebs are known to visit between TIFF screenings or cocktails after press events.
TIFF’s 50th anniversary
Last week, the Star published City of Stars, a special package that celebrates five decades of cinematic magic, glamour and unforgettable moments at TIFF. What started as the Festival of Festivals in 1976 has since blossomed into a global powerhouse.
And to mark a half-century of TIFF, the Star dug into the archives to find 50 highlights (and lowlights) from the festival’s storied history, with one entry for each year.
We also spoke to movie critic Glenn Kenny about his recollections of attending TIFF on Sept. 11, 2001.
More TIFF content
More than 50,000 people have volunteered at TIFF and that’s just over the past 15 years. (That equals 1.2 million hours!) These movie buffs brave wild crowds, busy screenings and screaming fans to make our fantastic film festival happen. The Star spoke to three veteran volunteers who shared what makes TIFF special — and what brings them back, year after year.
