2026 Toronto International Film Festival Platform Lineup

Before today I have not write about Toronto fest as even do each year read what's going on, there was not much about new movies from around the world except USA. But everything changed when AMPAS decided TIFF was going to be one of the world film festivals where the winner of a prize will get an instant spot at the Oscars in the International Feature Film category.

In the case of TIFF is the non-English-language majority winner of the Plataform program the one to qualify to be considered for #Oscars2027 shortlist of 15. The fest until recently was a non-competitive festival and became competitve thanks to this section. For those who do not know, the program was created 11 years ago and gets its name from Jia Zhang-ke's ground breaking second feature, Platform.

AMPAS selection it also implied changes to Platform as now the lineup has expanded to 12 films as well as the jury which was expanded to a five-member international jury. All 12 films are World Premieres.

Have to admit that the lineup is unexpected and quite interesting when thinking about films in this program from previous years; so, task becomes a lot more interesting than what I imagine and just hope in the future the lineup will increment to be closer to those from the other film festivals that qualify films to #Oscars2027, meaning 21 to 23 films.

The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 10 to September 20, 2026. To check announcement at official site go here.

One of the following films will be TIFF submission to #Oscars2027 International Feature Film category and all, except two, are not in the English-language. The two in question are Masc (seems is only in English) and In the Heart of the South (in English and Inuktitut) that have no official breakdown but most site list them as English only films. So, in theory, there are 10 films that if the win Platform Award will be submitted to #Oscars2027 International Feature Film.

2026 Platform Program

Opening Film: わたしの知らない子どもたち Watashi no Shiranai Kodomotachi (Children Untold), Miwa Nishikawa, Japan
Angh, Theja Rio, India
첫세계 Cheot-segye (The World Before), Yoon Dan-bi, South Korea
Cinlerin Düğünü (Djinn Wedding), Ferit Karahan, Turkey
Die Reuk van Appels (The Smell of Apples), John Trengove, South Africa, Netherlands, and Chile
Dziki, dziki wschód (Wild Wild East), Jan Holoubek, Poland
Garrat du Váimmu (Brace Your Heart), Amanda Kernell, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Bulgaria
Idda, Irene Dionisio, Italy
In the Heart of the South, Nyla Innuksuk, Canada
Masc, Bertil Nilsson, UK
Silenced Nights, Lawrence Fajardo, Philippines
Vicentina Pede Desculpas (On Behalf of My Son), Gabriel Martins, Brazil

Platform Jury
President: Pablo Trapero, producer, director and writer, Argentina
Amma Asante, writer and director, UK
Sylvia Chang, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer, Taiwan
Luc Déry, producer, Canada
Albert Lee, festival director, Hong Kong