What to know
- The Man I Love explores art, love and the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York.
- Club Kid follows a queer club promoter whose life changes when he discovers he has a 10-year-old son.
- Trash Mountain is a funny and tender story about grief, family and returning to a conservative hometown.
- Ancestors takes audiences into 1980s London, exploring queer life, loss and the legacy of the AIDS crisis.
- I Am Mario follows a transgender man navigating pregnancy, fatherhood, masculinity and identity.
- Tangles explores love, identity and family through a deeply personal queer story about two women whose lives become intertwined.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) rolls into Toronto for its 2026 edition on September 10, and there are plenty of Queer films playing at this year’s event.
From love stories to coming-of-age films and everything in between, here are six 2SLGBTQIA+ films playing at the film festival this year.
The Man I Love
Described as the portrait of an artist, this film explores life for an artist during the AIDS Epidemic in 1980s New York, looking at both the joy and salvation of creativity. It also looks at the very real impacts of illness on the caregivers of a patient, including Jimmy’s partner (Tom Sturridge) and his sister Brenda (Rebecca Hall).
The movie follows the life of Jimmy (Rami Malek), an actor and performance artist who’s dying of AIDS. The artist remains the leader of his own story, and while his ailment is central to the story, the film takes on a wider scope, looking at the life of a group of artists living through a dark period of Queer history.
The Man I Love makes its Canadian premiere at TIFF, screening as part of the Special Presentations component. Sept. 16 at 3 p.m. at the Princess of Wales Theatre,
Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox, Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m., and Sept. 20 at Scotiabank Theatre at 11:00 a.m. The Sept. 18 presentation features open captions and live captioning.
Club Kid
Club Kid is described as a lively and unexpectedly tender story about a Queer club promoter in New York whose party lifestyle is thrown into chaos when he discovers he has a 10-year-old son.
Peter Green (Jordan Firstman) is a carefree young man whose world shifts when he gains custody of the child he never knew he had. While he struggles to balance fatherhood and his work, the story soon sees Peter bond with his son Arlo, with the young boy’s passion for DJing helping to bring the pair closer.
The film was acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival for its affectionate portrayal of Queer community, energetic visual style, comedy, and genuinely moving moments. Club Kid screens at TIFF as part of Special Presentations, marking its Canadian premiere. Showings are set for Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox, Sept. 18 at 9:30 p.m. at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Sept. 19 at 5:15 p.m. at the Scotiabank Theatre.
Trash Mountain
Trash Mountain is a poignant and funny homecoming story about grief, family and the complicated process of coming to terms with where you come from. Directed by Kris Rey, the film follows Gavin (Caleb Hearon), a Chicago drag-show emcee who returns to rural Missouri after the death of his father, who was a hoarder.
Joining Gavin is his sister Abbi (Zooey Deschanel), with the two taking on the task of sorting through their father’s enormous collection of belongings, a process that becomes even more pressing when the duo realize they need his missing Social Security card. As Gavin digs through the clutter, he’s forced to confront the emotional baggage he left behind, including his complicated relationship with his family and his conservative hometown.
With Hearon and Deschanel delivering winsome performances, Trash Mountain balances sharp Queer humour with genuine tenderness. Featuring Jackie Weaver and Jaboukie Young-White, the film explores grief, forgiveness and the surprising possibility of finding acceptance in the place you once couldn’t wait to leave.
Having its world premiere at this year’s TIFF, Trash Mountain plays on Sept. 11 at 5:45 p.m., Sept. 12 at 9:00 p.m., and Sept. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre.
Ancestors
Ancestors is a haunting and beautifully rendered journey through 1980s London, following one young man’s search for a missing friend while exploring love, loss and the legacy of a generation of Gay men. David Turpin makes his feature debut with a dreamlike film that captures a city forever changed by the AIDS crisis.
Éanna Hardwicke stars as Beau, an Irishman living in London who spends his days working in a café and his nights with his close friend Shell (Jessica Reynolds). When the mysterious Tiny (Jack Wolfe) enters his life and then disappears, Beau begins a search that takes him deeper into a world where memory, longing and love blur together. Along the way, he encounters Christina Hendricks’ enigmatic Gloria and gay screen icon Rupert Everett as Maurice, whose story reflects the resilience of a generation.
More than a story about the AIDS crisis, Ancestors is a tender meditation on what was left behind — and what was carried forward. From cruising culture and chosen family to the secret language of Polari, Turpin lovingly recreates a distinctly Queer world while honouring those who were lost, those who survived and the communities that cared for one another.
Having its world premiere at TIFF 2026, the film is screening at TIFF Lightbox Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., and at Scotiabank Theatre on Sept. 14 at 9:40 p.m. and Sept. 20.
I Am Mario
I Am Mario explores the reality of pregnancy for Trans communities through Mario, who has always wanted to be a father. The film sees that dream begin to take shape when the 40-year-old Transgender taxi driver falls pregnant. Suddenly, Mario is forced to reckon with deeply held ideas about masculinity, fatherhood and what it means to live authentically in a world that may not understand him.
As he navigates his pregnancy, Mario must confront not only his own beliefs but also the expectations of his family, colleagues and society. His journey becomes increasingly complicated as he weighs painful choices and the fear of revealing himself, forcing him to confront some difficult truths before he can face the prejudices around him.
The story, which is the feature debut for writer-director Sharon Kleinberg, is described as a compassionate, deeply human story, challenging the assumptions we attach to gender, pregnancy and parenthood. Centred on a moving performance from Transgender actor Oustin de León, I Am Mario asks what happens when becoming who you truly are means questioning everything you thought you knew about yourself.
Having its international premiere at TIFF, I Am Mario screens Sept. 12 at 12:10 p.m., Sept. 14 at 6:40 p.m., Sept. 20 at 3:50 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre.
Tangles
Tangles is a deeply moving animated drama about family, memory and the complicated experience of watching a parent change. Directed by Leah Nelson in her feature debut, the film adapts Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir about her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Set in 1990s San Francisco, the film follows Sarah (Abbi Jacobson) as she navigates a new romance with girlfriend Donimo (Samira Wiley) and exciting opportunities in her career, while her mother Midge (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As Midge’s condition progresses, Sarah and her family are forced to confront an unexpected reversal of roles as they become her caregivers.
Created in black-and-white 2D animation with bursts of colour, the film balances heartbreaking subject matter with plenty of humour. Boasting an impressive voice cast, including Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Seth Rogen and Bowen Yang, brings warmth and levity to a story ultimately rooted in the enduring love between family members.
Having its North American premiere at this year’s film festival, the movie screens Sept. 13 at 2:30 p.m., Sept. 16 at 9:00 a.m., and Sept. 18 at 12:15 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre.
Find the full lineup of 2SLGBTQIA+ films on the TIFF 2026 schedule.
