What to know
- TIFF 2026 runs from Sept. 10 to 20, with 293 films screening across the festival.
- The festival is expected to bring plenty of major actors, musicians, directors and other industry stars to Toronto.
- Big names attached to this year’s films include Cate Blanchett, Penélope Cruz, Channing Tatum, Lalisa Manobal and Michelle Yeoh.
- A film’s TIFF appearance doesn’t guarantee that its stars will attend, but these are some of the names fans will want to watch for around the city.
Toronto is about to get a whole lot more star-studded. The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival is just weeks away, bringing thousands of film lovers, industry insiders and, of course, celebrities to the city.
The 51st edition of TIFF runs from Sept. 10 to 20, with this year’s festival featuring 293 films across its various programmes.
While movie lovers are busy planning which films they want to see, pop culture fans have another question on their minds: which celebrities might they spot around Toronto?
One of the best parts of TIFF is that the celebrity sightings don’t stop at the red carpet. With stars bouncing between premieres, screenings, press events, parties and restaurants across the city, you never quite know who you might run into.
And this year’s lineup is packed with some seriously recognizable names.
From Hollywood heavyweights like Cate Blanchett, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Channing Tatum to global stars like Lalisa Manobal, there are plenty of big names expected to have a presence at the festival.
Here are some of the celebrities whose films are part of TIFF 2026 and who fans will want to keep an eye out for around Toronto:
- Lalisa Manobal – Always Lalisa
- Chris Pine – Alpha Gang
- Cate Blanchett – Alpha Gang
- Javier Bardem – Bunker
- Penélope Cruz – Bunker
- Cynthia Erivo – Prima Facie
- Mark Ruffalo – Being Heumann
- Dylan O’Brien – Being Heumann
- Erin Doherty – Faith
- James McAvoy – Faith
- Chris Rock – Misty Green
- Daniel Kaluuya – Misty Green
- Mason Reeves – Josephine
- Channing Tatum – Josephine
- Gemma Chan – Josephine
- Hudson Williams – Making Waves With… Hudson Williams
- Amanda Seyfried – The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd
- Scoot McNairy – The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd
- Michelle Yeoh – The Surgeon
- Mahershala Ali – Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
Some of the biggest names on the list are attached to major Gala and Special Presentation titles.
Of course, a film being at TIFF doesn’t guarantee that every actor will make the trip to Toronto, so consider this your potential celebrity sighting list, rather than a confirmed attendance roster.
Still, with this many big names attached to this year’s festival, Toronto is once again set to become one of the best places in the world for celebrity spotting come September.
