The 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is celebrating a major milestone this year. The fest kicked off on Thursday, September 4, and is running through September 14, the festival will showcase a massive program of 209 feature films, 6 Classics, 10 Primetime selections, and 66 shorts.
This year’s festival commenced with a focus on emerging talent, featuring the world premieres from three first-time directors. Mac Eldridge and Tom Dean’s Charlie Harper, starring Emilia Jones and Nick Robinson, and John Early’s directorial debut, Maddie’s Secret, will open the Discovery program. The lineup also includes a special tribute to a comedic legend with the world premiere of Colin Hanks’ documentary, John Candy: I Like Me.
RELATED: Deadline Studio At TIFF 2025 Portrait Gallery
The closing night film is the Canadian feature Peak Everything, directed by Anne Émond. Other standout Gala titles include Chloé Zhao’s historical drama Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley; David Michôd’s Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney in the titular role as boxer Christy Martin; and James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, which pits Rami Malek against Russell Crowe during the post-WWII trials. The section also features international heavyweights like Rebecca Zlotowski’s French film A Private Life and the South Korean film No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook.
The Special Presentations program lineup is particularly strong, with Rian Johnson’s third installment in the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and Paul Greengrass’s gripping drama The Lost Bus. Genre fans can look forward to Nia DaCosta’s take on the classic story of Hedda Gabler in Hedda, starring Tessa Thompson.
The lineup also includes the psychological thriller, Bad Apples, starring Saoirse Ronan, and Easy’s Waltz, the directorial debut of True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, starring Vince Vaughn. Filmmaker Hikari’s movie Rental Family stars Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Japan who finds a new purpose with a “rental family” agency.Â
The pre-announced TIFF Tribute Awards will be given to notable figures, including Guillermo del Toro (Ebert Director Award), Idris Elba (Impact Media), and Jodie Foster (Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award). Other Tribute Award recipients include HIKARI (Emerging Talent Award), and Catherine O’Hara (Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award).Â
Additionally, several awards will be voted on during the festival, with the most significant being the People’s Choice Awards, which are chosen by the audience and often predict Oscar success.Â
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival takes place Thursday, September 4–14, 2025.
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Frankenstein” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Christoph Waltz, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber, Guillermo del Toro, Christian Convery, Sofia Galasso, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi attend the premiere of “Frankenstein”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “No Other Choice” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Lee Byung-hun, Anita Lee, and Park Chan-wook attend the premiere of “No Other Choice”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Smashing Machine” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Benny Safdie attend the premiere of “The Smashing Machine”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Smashing Machine” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Mark Kerr and Dwayne Johnson attend the premiere of “The Smashing Machine”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Smashing Machine” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Dwayne Johnson attends the premiere of “The Smashing Machine”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Smashing Machine” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Emily Blunt
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Smashing Machine” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Benny Safdie, Mark Kerr and Ryan Bader attend the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival premiere of “The Smashing Machine”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Dust Bunny” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Bryan Fuller and Sigourney Weaver attend the premiere of “Dust Bunny”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – Dust To Dreams: Short Cuts 2025 Programme 04
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Idris Elba, Mo Abudu, Eku Edewor, Atlanta Bridget Johnson, Constance Olatunde, and Seal attend Dust To Dreams: Short Cuts 2025 Programme 04 during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Blue Moon” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott, Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke attend the premiere of “Blue Moon”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Tuner” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, and Dustin Hoffman attend the premiere of “Tuner”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Eleanor The Great” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Jessamine Burgum, Dustin O’Halloran, Scarlett Johansson, June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Erin Kellyman and Tory Kamen attends the premiere of “Eleanor the Great”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Eleanor The Great” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Scarlett Johansson
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Eleanor The Great” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Eleanor The Great” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Scarlett Johansson, June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Erin Kellyman attend the premiere of “Eleanor the Great”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Rental Family” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Shin Yamaguchi, Julia Lebedev, Brendan Fraser, Hikari, and Eddie Vaisman attend the premiere of “Rental Family”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Sacrifice” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Sam Richardson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Walak, and Chris Evans attend the premiere of “Sacrifice”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Dead Man’s Wire” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Cary Elwes, Gus Van Sant and Myha’la attend the premiere of “Dead Man’s Wire”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – Premiere Of Focus Features’ “Hamnet”
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley and director/writer/executive producer Chloé Zhao seen at the Premiere Of Focus Features’ “Hamnet”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – Premiere Of Focus Features’ “Hamnet”
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley and director/writer/executive producer Chloé Zhao seen at the Premiere Of Focus Features’ “Hamnet”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Couture” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Charles Gillibert, Zhang Xin, Ella Rumpf, Anyier Anei, Alice Winocour, and Angelina Jolie attend the premiere of “Couture”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Black Rabbit” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jason Bateman, Kate Susman, Zach Baylin and Jude Law attend the premiere of “Black Rabbit”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Nuremberg” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, James Vanderbilt, Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, and Richard E. Grant attend the premiere of “Nuremberg”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Christophers” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Michaela Coel, Steven Soderbergh and Jessica Gunning attend the premiere of “The Christophers”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Hedda” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Nia DaCosta, Imogen Poots, Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss attend the premiere of “Hedda”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Corey Salter, Jeremy Castro, Baz Luhrmann, Matthew Gross, Colin Smeeton and Marc Rosen attends the premiere of “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “California Schemin'” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) James McAvoy, Rebekah Murrell, Danny Page, Michael Mendelsohn, Lucy Halliday, Samuel Bottomley, Natalie Perrotta and Séamus McLean Ross attend the premiere of “California Schemin'”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Corey Salter, Jeremy Castro, Baz Luhrmann, Matthew Gross, Colin Smeeton and Marc Rosen attends the premiere of “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Roofman” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Kirsten Dunst and Channing Tatum attend the premiere of “Roofman”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Roofman” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Juno Temple, LaKeith Stanfield, Derek Cianfrance, Kirsten Dunst, and Channing Tatum attend the premiere of “Roofman”
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Wake Up Dead Man World Premiere | Netflix
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, and Cailee Spaeny attend Netflix’s “Wake Up Dead Man”
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Wake Up Dead Man World Premiere | Netflix
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Kerry Washington, Ram Bergman, Mila Kunis, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Daniel Craig, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Rian Johnson, and Josh O’Connor attend Netflix’s “Wake Up Dead Man”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Carolina Caroline” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Kyle Gallner, Samara Weaving, and Adam Carter Rehmeier attend the premiere of “Carolina Caroline”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Man In My Basement” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jason Aidoo, John Giwa-Amu, Diane Houslin, Walter Mosley, Willem Dafoe, Nadia Latif, Corey Hawkins, and Anna Diop attend the premiere of “The Man in My Basement”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Lost Bus” Premiere
(L-R) America Ferrera, Jamie Erlicht, Matthew McConaughey and Paul Greengrass attend the premiere of “The Lost Bus”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Lost Bus” Premiere
Jamie Lee Curtis
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Steve” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Alan Moloney, Tim Mielants, Simbi Ajikawo, Cillian Murphy, Jay Lycurgo, Max Porter and Tracey Ullman attend the premiere of “Steve” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 05
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Steve” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Tracey Ullman and Cillian Murphy attend the premiere of “Steve” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 05, 2025 in Toronto
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Steve” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Simbi Ajikawo, Jay Lycurgo, Tracey Ullman and Cillian Murphy attend the premiere of “Steve” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 05
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Steve” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Jay Lycurgo and Simbi Ajikawo attend the premiere of “Steve” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 05
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Steve” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Tracey Ullman attends the premiere of “Steve” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 05
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Little Lorraine” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Sean Astin and Matt Walsh attend the premiere of “Little Lorraine”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
(L-R) Sydney Sweeney and Christy Martin attend the premiere of “Christy”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
(L-R) Sydney Sweeney and Christy Martin attend the premiere of “Christy”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
(L-R) Sydney Sweeney and Christy Martin
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
Christy Martin
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
Katy O’Brian
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
Sydney Sweeney
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
Christy Martin attends the premiere of “Christy” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 05, 2025 in Toronto
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
David Michôd
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Christy” Premiere
Ben Foster
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Lovely Day” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Cast and crew attend the premiere of “Lovely Day” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 05, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Good Boy” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Anson Boon, Kit Rakusen, Jan Komasa, Naqqash Khalid, Ivan Kelava and Matthew Baker attend the premiere of “Good Boy” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 05
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Lowdown” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Sterlin Harjo and Ethan Hawke attend the premiere of “The Lowdown”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “The Lowdown” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Ethan Hawke attends the premiere of “The Lowdown”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jay McCarrol and Matt Johnson attend the premiere of “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Motor City” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Ben McKenzie, Ben Foster, Shailene Woodley, Potsy Ponciroli and Alan Ritchson attend the premiere of “Motor City”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Motor City” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Shailene Woodley and Ben Foster
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Motor City” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Shailene Woodley
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Killing Castro” Party
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Brad Feinstein, Fat Joe, Wyclef Jean, Diego Boneta and Eif Rivera attend the “Killing Castro” party
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Sentimental Value” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (3rd L-R) Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Joachim Trier attend the premiere of “Sentimental Value” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 04, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Sentimental Value” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Elle Fanning attends the premiere of “Sentimental Value”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Sentimental Value” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Renate Reinsve attends the premiere of “Sentimental Value”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Sentimental Value” Premiere
Renate Reinsve
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Sentimental Value” Premiere
(L-R) Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve, and Joachim Trier
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Mile End Kicks” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Juliette Gariépy, Stanley Simons, Barbie Ferreira and Devon Bostick attend the premiere of “Mile End Kicks”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Mile End Kicks” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (2nd L-R) Devon Bostick, Juliette Gariépy, Stanley Simons, Barbie Ferreira, Isaiah Lehtinen and Robert Naylor attend the premiere of “Mile End Kicks” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 04
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Mile End Kicks” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jay Baruchel and Rebecca-Jo Dunham attend the premiere of “Mile End Kicks”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Saipan” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Éanna Hardwicke, Lisa Barros D’sa and Glenn Leyburn attend the premiere of “Saipan” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 04, 2025
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Christopher Candy, Jennifer Candy, Ryan Reynolds, Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Shane Reid, Johnny Pariseau, Ashley Fox, and George Dewey attend the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds attend the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 04, 2025 in Toronto
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jennifer Candy, Rose Candy, and Christopher Candy
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty (L-R) Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “John Candy: I Like Me” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Ryan Reynolds
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Ruby McCollister, Leah Hennessey, Claudia O’Doherty, Vanessa Bayer, John Early, Kate Berlant, Emily Allan and Sarah Herman attend the premiere of “Maddie’s Secret”
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images John Early attends the premiere of “Maddie’s Secret” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 04
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Luca Intili, John Early and Harris Mayersohn
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images John Early
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Kate Berlant
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Vanessa Bayer
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Sarah Herrman
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Max Boehme and Senay Yibrah
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Maddie’s Secret” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images Emily Allan
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2025 Toronto International Film Festival – “Charlie Harper” Premiere
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Mallory Edens, Patrick Wachsberger, Nick Robinson, Mac Eldridge, Tom Dean, Laura Quicksilver, Ashley Stern and Wyck Godfrey attend the premiere of “Charlie Harper” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox on September 04
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Prime Video Hosts “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) George Stroumboulopoulos, Colin Hanks, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy speak onstage during the “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference hosted by Prime Video at The Second City Toronto on September 04
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Prime Video Hosts “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference
Image Credit: Getty Images (L-R) Colin Hanks, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy pose onstage during the “John Candy: I Like Me” Press Conference hosted by Prime Video at The Second City Toronto on September 04
It doesn’t matter how many times I watch the scene in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” when Steve Martin is really putting John Candys’ character down, saying mean, insulting things about him, John Candys INCREDIBLE performance ALWAYS makes me tear up….and that’s all John Candy. Like all of you, I still miss the guy.