One of the jam-packed fall festival season’s mainstay events, the Toronto International Film Festival serves as Canada’s preeminent film festival and one of the most sought-after homes for many of the year’s biggest films. The festival is held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and includes screenings and red carpet events at some of the city’s biggest theaters and events spaces.

The festival was originally known as the Festival of Festivals in 1976 by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk, and Dusty Cohl. True to its original name, the Festival of Festivals was originally conceived of as Canadian berth for films that had previously premiered at other festivals throughout the year. By 1994, the festival officially rebranded as the Toronto International Film Festival.

As the festival has grown in size and stature, it has become known as not just a place for major film premieres and starry red carpets, but also a consistent champion of homegrown Canadian talents and a major awards bellwether. Its highest award is the audience-chosen People’s Choice Award, which has long been seen as a predictive accolade when it comes to the Oscar race in general and the Best Picture race in particular.

Some of its most notable winners include “Chariots of Fire,” “Life Is Beautiful,” “American Beauty,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “The King’s Speech,” “12 Years a Slave,” “La La Land,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Green Book,” “Nomadland,” “Belfast,” and “American Fiction.”

The festival hosts juried awards in other categories, including three major awards for Canadian films (Best Canadian Film, Best Canadian First Feature Film, and Best Canadian Short Film), plus awards for Best International Short Film, two International Critics’ Prizes for the Special Presentation and Discovery programs, a NETPAC Prize for the best film from Asia having its world premiere at the festival, and the Platform Prize in its filmmaker-centric Platform program.

In May 2024, the festival announced that it would host a full film marketplace, much like Cannes, starting in 2026. Its upcoming 2025 edition will run September 5 – 15. Led by executive director Cameron Bailey, the festival will present a number of premieres and screenings in sections that include Galas, Special Presentations, Platform, Discovery, and its notoriously raucous Midnight Madness.