tiff26 Midnight Madness: Three Films On My Radar

Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival is a program that means the world to me for both professional and personal reasons. The anticipation of a premiere at midnight is worth the price of a ticket alone. The buzz and excitment as the theater begins to fill up with people is palable. Programmer Peter Kuplowsky once again as searched the globe for the state of genre cinema. Here are three movies I'm anticipating. 

River directed by Jashua Giuliano

A corner stone of the program is the feature debut by filmmakers. Opening this years slate of movies is River written and directed by Joshua Giuliano. River is a movie that is anchored in the slasher genre while taking the beats of the genre and crafting entirely new movements and subverting expectations. 

 

Vintage Violence directed by Eugene Kotlyarenk. (The Code, Spree) Two distinct cultural worlds collide, violence ensues. Tiff midnight movies has seen copious amounts of blood cover the movie screen.Vintage Violence is set to unleash even more blood and gore upon the audience. 

Kick On directed by Nick Kozakis. As Alex says in A Clockwork Orange, "fancy, a bit of the old ultra-violence" Kick On delivers on the violence. Peter Kuplowsky mentions the Alfred Molina "drug deal gone bad" scene in Boogie Nights, which I consider one of the best scenes in American Cinema. Sign me up!

tiff26 IDDA Directed by Irene Dionisio (Platform) First Look. Toronto International Film Festival 2026

 

First-look image has been released for IDDA, the sophomore narrative feature from rising Italian filmmaker Irene Dionisio (Pawn Street), following today’s announcement of the film’s world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform Competition. Starring two of Italy’s top emerging actresses, Tecla Insolia (The Art of Joy) and Romana Maggiora Vergano (There’s Still Tomorrow), the film follows childhood friends Adele and Sofia, now in their thirties, whose lifelong bond is challenged during a journey hiking up the eerie volcanic landscapes of Sicily’s Mount Etna.

 

Irene Dionisio is an Italian filmmaker and visual artist whose work was screened at majorfestivals, including Venice Critics’ Week, Visions du Réel and Festival dei Popoli. She receivedthe Solinas Prize, France’s SCAM Prize, and Jury Prize at Tehran’s Cinema Verité for herfeature documentary SHORES (2015). Dionisio's first narrative feature PAWN STREET (2017)premiered at Venice Critics’ Week. It was nominated for the David di Donatello & Globo d’Oroawards for Best Debut, winning the Silver Ribbon for Best Screenplay. Her video installationswere exhibited internationally, from Venice'S Palazzo Grassi to OCAT Shanghai. Dionisio wasthe artistic director of Turin's historic LGBTQI film festival Lovers for three years.

COYOTE TEETH: Teaser Trailer. The New Movie by Award-Winning Filmmaker Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

Here is the the teaser trailer for Robert Arron Mitchell's new movie, Coyote Teeth. The movie is currebtly being submitted to film festivals.

COYOTE TEETH: Teaser Poster Reveal. The New Film From Award-Winning Filmmaker Robert Aaron Mitchell

Here is the teaser poster reveal for my new film which wrapped principal photography on June 29, 2026. Post-production work has been on-going throughout the production phase of this movie. I have begun to submit the movie to film festivals. Here is the official IMDb page: Link Here

 

DIRECTOR STATEMENT 

My name is Robert Aaron Mitchell, and for the past year, I have been crafting this cinematic experience. First and foremost, the movie should speak for itself, or I have failed as a filmmaker. That being said, perhaps a little context is not a bad thing. 

I live in Dilley, Texas, which is a small town in South Texas that is the location of one of the largest detention centers in the United States of America. Its primary purpose is to incarcerate families. As of this writing on June 13, 2026, over five hundred babies have been imprisoned here. This place is run by the for-profit corporation Core Civic. The Orwellian name of this place is the South Texas Family Residential Center. In actuality, it is a concentration camp to enrich shareholders. I live next door to this monstrosity. 

I think a lot about evil. I also think about a phrase that is uttered many times, “This is not us.” These four words negate a 250-year history of the United States of America. This is us. We live, operate, and benefit from the machine and systems of cruelty of this country. 

My motivation in crafting this cinematic experience was my attempt to stay sane so I can assist people who are being devastated by the United States of America, so I can continue to decolonize my mind as well as continue the work of dismantling the systems of cruelty I live in. I am a lifelong student of Midnight Movies, and with all earnestness, I have done my best to craft a film worthy to be called weird. The movie is ultimately about complicity. 

 
 

tiff50 JOHN CANDY I LIKE ME: This Is How You Prep For A Red Carpet Arrival!

 

John Candy: I Like Me the new documentary about one of the great on-screen comedians of all time John Candy had it's world premiere at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. The documentary was directed by Colin Hanks. It was produced by Mr. Hanks and Ryan Reynolds and a slew of other notable folks. How do you arrive the red carpet premiere? In a 1986 Chrysler LeBaron convertible of course! The car made famous in Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Look below for an exclusive video of the stunt person face timing Ryan Reynolds as he gets The Lebaron in perfect....or not so perfect red carpet shape! 

tiff50 THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! The 2025 TIFF People's Choice Awards

 

                                                                 HAMNET

The Toronto International Film Festival audience is world renowned. Countless films have screened in Toronto over the now fifty year history of the film festival. Since The People's Choice Award inception in 1978 many films have gone on to receive wider acclaim and wider audiences. tiff has now become the unofficial/official kick off to the awards season. Past winners include The Big Chill (1983) Roger & Me (1989) Life is Beautiful (1998) Slumdog Millionaire (2008) as well as The King's Speech (2010) The last Sunday sees the festival winding down. The international film press has packed up and flown out of the city. People ten days into screening after screening are still heading into a movie theater. The buzz of the festival is still humming strong. Without further ado here are the 2025 Toronto International People's Choice winners. 

TIFF People's Choice Award HAMNET dir: Chloé Zhao 

TIFF People's Choice International Award: NO OTHER CHOICE dir: Park Chan-wook 

 TIFF People's Choice Midnight Madness Award NIRVANA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE

dir: Matt Johnson

TIFF People's Choice Documentary Award THE ROAD BETWEEN US: THE ULTIMATE RESCUE dir: Barry Avrich 

Platform Award TO THE VICTORY! Dir: Valentyn Vasyanovych

tiff50 DEAD LOVER: Closing Night Midnight Madness Poster Reveal

 

 

Dead Lover is the 2025 Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival closing film. The last midnight madness screening of the year is always a bittersweet night/morning. It is also a celebration of the programme and the filmmakers who premiered their films throughout the ten nights. Tonight Dead Lover directed by Grace Glowicki and co written by Grace and Ben Petrie has a new poster ahead of the closing night screening.