TIFF’s 51st Edition Sets Siân Heder’s ‘Being Heumann’ As Opening-Night Film
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- TIFF set its 51st edition opening-night film as 'Being Heumann,' directed by Oscar-winning CODA filmmaker Siân Heder and produced by Apple Original Films, debuting September 10 at Roy Thomson Hall.
- 'Being Heumann' stars BAFTA nominee Ruth Madeley as disability activist Judy Heumann, dramatizing the 1977 Section 504 sit-in at the San Francisco Federal Building that ran 28 days; Mark Ruffalo and Dylan O'Brien also star.
- 'Prima Facie' will world premiere at the festival, starring three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo as a British defense barrister in a feature adaptation of Suzie Miller's Olivier-winning play that originally starred Jodie Comer on the West End.
- 'The Assassin(s)' from Korean director Hur Jin-ho (A Normal Family) will also world premiere, starring Lee Min-ho, Yoo Hae-jin, and Park Hae-il in a thriller about the August 15, 1974 attempted assassination of Korean president Park Chung-hee.
- TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey announced the three titles, calling Madeley's performance 'electric' and praising the festival's South Korean 'power duo' of Hur and Lee Min-ho.
- TIFF 2025 runs September 10–20 and adds the inaugural 'TIFF: The Market' to its slate, following last year's 700,000 attendees.
Why it matters: TIFF is using its opening slot to spotlight disability rights history through Apple Original Films' prestige play, while simultaneously booking two high-profile star vehicles — Erivo's legal drama and Lee Min-ho's Korean political thriller — to broaden the festival's commercial pull ahead of awards season.
