The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) begins tomorrow!
Always a staple at the festival are films helmed and led by Indigenous creatives, and TIFF has us covered this year with a slew of projects to watch featuring Indigenous talent behind and on-camera, for what’s sure to be a lively 10 days.
From dramedies to docuseries to psychological thrillers, the projects span a variety of topics, and you’re sure to find at least one (if not more) that you must see.
Without further ado, here are the 10 Indigenous feature films screening at TIFF 2026.
2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback
Directed by Darren Dale | Australia | World Premiere | Primetime
The fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker, a Warlpiri man, in the community of Yuendumu sent shockwaves across Australia. Darren Dale’s four-part docuseries reconstructs the events leading up to the shooting, as well as the life of Walker and the police officer who killed him. The docuseries peels back the layers of history, location, and the abuse of institutional power that created this horrible moment. An in-depth look at how race, the justice system, and police brutality shape Australia today, 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback is a must-watch at this year’s festival.
Showtimes:
- Monday, September 14 at 3:20pm
- Tuesday, September 15 at 6:25pm
Brace Your Heart
Directed by Amanda Kernell | Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Bulgaria | World Premiere | Platform
After a Sámi woman named Ejva inherits her late father’s reindeer herd, the expectations attached are extremely daunting. When she’s pushed into a courtship with a powerful local leader, Ejva’s situation becomes more dire when the relationship morphs into mistreatment. However, when she unexpectedly falls for another, she gets glimmers of the chance at a different life. As something that could threaten her future and her place amongst her people, Ejva has potentially life-changing decisions to make.
Showtimes:
- Tuesday, September 15 at 6:00pm
- Thursday, September 17 at 9:15pm
- Friday, September 18 at 12:00pm
God Bless You, Mr. Kopu
Directed by Alex Liu | New Zealand, Australia | World Premiere | Centrepiece
Mafu Kopu (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is struggling to make ends meet. So, when he meets charismatic American salesman Marco (Simon Rex), who is looking to hire ambitious door-to-door salespeople, Mafu sees a way out of his current predicament. However, becoming the star protegé and having money rolling in, Mafu strays further away from his Tongan heritage. Written and directed by Alex Liu, God Bless You, Mr. Kopu combines humour and heartbreak to create a must-see dramedy.
Showtimes:
- Monday, September 14 at 8:30pm
- Wednesday, September 16 at 6:15pm
- Saturday, September 19 at 9:40pm
How We Stand
Directed by Marie Clements | Canada | World Premiere | Centrepiece
Writer-director Marie Clements brings her own play, Tombs of the Vanishing Indian, to the big screen in How We Stand. A single mother and her young daughters risk everything by participating in the Native American Relocation Program. From Oklahoma, they end up in Los Angeles, drawn by the promise of stability and a career. However, when a traumatic event occurs at the Los Angeles river, the sisters are split into foster homes. 20 years later, they reunite. Each sister is on a very different path, but must reconnect with one another and the historical injustices they’ve faced. If this isn’t on your TIFF watchlist, it should be.
Showtimes:
- Sunday, September 13 at 3:45pm
- Tuesday, September 15 at 9:15pm
In Alaska
Directed by Vinnie Karetak, Jaap van Heusden | Canada, Netherlands | World Premiere | Special Presentations
Woody’s (Leo Matthew Temela) life is upended when he attempts to harm himself, and the errant bullet hits the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Labelled an eco-terrorist, Woody is pursued by federal agents and must go on the run if he wants to survive. Forced to leave the small Alaskan town he grew up in, he heads to Nunavut to look for family he doesn’t really know, but is hopeful they will take him in. In Alaska depicts the beauty and deadliness of the northern nature and landscape, showing that the feds aren’t the only thing Woody needs to be wary of.
Showtimes:
- Friday, September 11 at 11:45am
- Sunday, September 13 at 9:30pm
In the Heart of the South
Directed by Nyla Innuksuk | Canada | World Premiere | Platform
In this psychological thriller, the audience follows artist Yura Ivalu (Anna Lambe), whose virtual reality pieces have been taking the Toronto art world by storm. When Yura is given the opportunity to develop a film, she leans into a traumatic story from her youth, involving her old friend, Sesi (Zorga Qaunaq). However, when Sesi actually reappears, Yura’s life is upended in ways she couldn’t have imagined. The veneer of Yura’s polite perfection begins to slip, and she finds herself in a game to outwit and outlast as she believes Sesi is trying to replace her or worse. Directed by Nyla Innuksuk, the twists and turns In the Heart of the South will make this one of the standout films of TIFF 2026.
Showtimes:
- Thursday, September 10 at 9:00pm
- Saturday, September 12 at 9:15pm
- Friday, September 18 at 9:00pm
Seventeen
Directed by Justin Ducharme | Canada | World Premiere | Discovery
Selected by the TIFF Next Wave Committee, the lives of three queer Indigenous sex workers intersect in downtown Vancouver in Justin Ducharme’s first feature, Seventeen. The story isn’t about the work that Tamara (Nizhonniya Austin), Aiden (Taio Gélinas), and December (Aalayna) do, but about a deadline that each is trying to meet. As the clocks run down on their respective deadlines, chosen family steps up to help. But ultimately, the three have to do most of it on their own.
Showtimes:
- Monday, September 14 at 6:55pm
- Tuesday, September 15 at 12:20pm
Smudge the Blades
Directed Cody Lightning | Canada | World Premiere | Centrepiece
The Treaty 6 Blades are an under-18, all-Indigenous hockey team struggling to remain in the league in their final year of eligibility. However, when an on-ice incident results in them being kicked out of the league and their coach abandons them, the local arena’s Zamboni driver (Cody Lightning) offers to coach. A former player himself, he first takes on the job to woo the mother (Jana Schmieding) of one of the team’s players, but he soon realizes that he has a great team on his hands, he just needs to unlock their full potential. As Lightning’s second feature film, Smudge the Blades promises to be heartfelt and humorous sports dramedy.
Showtimes:
- Saturday, September 12 at 9:15pm
- Monday, September 14 at 12:00pm
Turtle Island Rap
Directed by Alexandra Lazarowich | Canada | World Premiere | TIFF Docs
Alexandra Lazarowich’s documentary follows the individual journeys of three Indigenous musical artists, A$h Da Hunter, Travis Thompson, and Wiidaaseh. Of course, there’s a look at their music, but the doc is an intimate into the lives of the three musicians, who candidly share about their families, the disappointments they’ve experienced, and much more. Turtle Island Rap is certain to be one of the best documentaries screening at TIFF 2026.
Showtimes:
- Sunday, September 13 at 6:20pm
- Tuesday, September 15 at 6:35pm
Where the River Begins
Directed by Juan Andrés Arango | Canada, Colombia, Norway | World Premiere | Centrepiece
Juan Andrés Arango’s third feature follows Yajaira (Girleza Duave Cerezo), an Indigenous woman living in Bogotá, Colombia, after being displaced from her Emberá village due to paramilitary violence. Trying to make ends meet while caring for her daughter María (Ana Michell Nama Dumaza), Yajaira experiences another tragedy and begins the strenuous and dangerous journey back home. Where the River Begins is a story about moving forward despite all odds.
Showtimes:
- Monday, September 14 at 6:10pm
- Wednesday, September 16 at 6:30pm
Muses of Media 
Leave a comment