What to know
- Brace Your Heart follows a young Sámi woman balancing love, community expectations and responsibility for her late father’s reindeer herd.
- Where the River Begins follows an Emberá mother and daughter escaping violence in Bogotá and returning to their home in the Colombian jungle.
- Nosotros centres on a young Indigenous man who forms an unexpected bond with a trans woman after moving to Guatemala City.
- How We Stand explores the lasting effects of the Native American Relocation Program through three sisters separated by tragedy.
- The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs documents Shipibo artist Sara Flores’ international rise and her community’s fight against environmental destruction.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is returning this week with a lineup of Indigenous stories exploring love, family, displacement, identity, art, and the fight to protect cultural traditions.
This year’s selections take audiences from a remote Sámi community in northern Sweden to the Colombian jungle and Peruvian Amazon, while also spotlighting the lasting effects of government policies that displaced Indigenous families in North America.
Here are five Indigenous films to catch at TIFF 2026.
Brace Your Heart
Set in a remote Sámi community in northern Sweden, Brace Your Heart follows 20-year-old Ejva after she inherits her late father’s reindeer herd and the responsibility of preserving a generations-old tradition.
While struggling to care for the herd, Ejva faces pressure to accept the romantic advances of local leader Heaika. The arrival of his cousin Nejla gives her a chance to experience real love, forcing her to choose between her happiness and the expectations of her community.
Written and directed by Swedish-Sámi filmmaker Amanda Kernell, the 97-minute film will make its world premiere in TIFF’s Platform programme. Public screenings are scheduled for Sept. 15 at 6 p.m., Sept. 17 at 9:15 p.m. and Sept. 18 at 12 p.m.
Where the River Begins
Where the River Begins follows Yajaira, an Emberá woman living with her daughter in a violent Bogotá neighbourhood.
After tragedy strikes, the pair begin a dangerous journey back to Yajaira’s former village along the Andágueda River. They are joined by Jhon, a young gang member with his own reasons for fleeing, as their escape gradually becomes a journey of healing.
Directed by Juan Andrés Arango, the 102-minute film will make its world premiere in TIFF’s Centrepiece programme. Public screenings are scheduled for Sept. 14 at 6:10 p.m. and Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m.
Nosotros
Set in Guatemala City, Nosotros follows Romero, a young Indigenous man who leaves his rural community and begins working as a shopping-centre security guard.
There, he meets Nubia, a trans woman who runs a small business in the mall. The two form an unexpected bond, but their relationship is threatened by the racism, transphobia and hostility surrounding them.
Written and directed by Joaquín Ruano, the 79-minute film will make its world premiere in TIFF’s Discovery programme. Public screenings are scheduled for Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m., Sept. 14 at 3:15 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 9:30 p.m.
How We Stand
Métis and Dene filmmaker Marie Clements examines the lasting effects of the Native American Relocation Program in How We Stand.
The film follows a mother and her three daughters who move from Oklahoma to Los Angeles in the 1950s after being promised a better life. When their mother is killed, the sisters are separated and spend years apart before being drawn back to the place where their family was torn apart.
Starring Amber Midthunder, Cara Jade Myers and Alyssa Wapanatâhk, the 107-minute film will make its world premiere in TIFF’s Centrepiece programme. Screenings are scheduled for Sept. 13 at 3:45 p.m. and Sept. 15 at 9:15 p.m.
The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs
The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs follows Indigenous Peruvian artist Sara Flores as she gains international recognition in her 70s.
Flores is one of the last practitioners of Kené, a Shipibo design tradition rooted in ancestral knowledge. The documentary follows her between the international art world and the Peruvian Amazon, where her community is fighting illegal logging and environmental destruction.
Directed by Èlia Gasull Balada and Matteo Norzi, the 88-minute documentary will make its world premiere in TIFF Docs. Screenings are scheduled for Sept. 12 at 12:45 p.m., Sept. 13 at 8:45 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.
