TIFF Lightbox October 2025 Programming Highlights

This October, TIFF celebrates the visionaries who have shaped Canadian film culture, welcoming a lineup of stellar guests, special events, plus TIFF Cinematheque series and Halloween programming. Hot off the TIFF 50 World Premiere of While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts, a retrospective on the experimental works of Peter Mettler will be featured in Nothing But Time: The Films of Peter Mettler with guest curator José Teodoro, author of the forthcoming book Nothing But Time: Conversations with Peter Mettler on Life and Cinema(open in new tab)open_in_new. A further major retrospective on multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker Joyce Wieland (1930–1998) will be presented in Jigs and Reels: The Complete Films of Joyce Wieland.

Additional series and special events taking place at the Lightbox this season include: In Conversation With… Charlie Mackesy, a Canada-exclusive event for the launch of the British author’s Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm — his highly anticipated follow-up to the global bestseller The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse; a behind-the-scenes spotlight on a trio of Wes Anderson’s films in Wes Anderson, Made in Babelsberg; a series on the rapidly changing political and social climates of the 1970s in Europe in Eurovisions: Psychedelic Fairy Tales with guest curator Alicia Fletcher; and TIFF and Undivided Productions co-present a free short film showcase by Deaf creators.

TIFF will also honour John Candy (1950–1994) on what would’ve been his 75th birthday, with a special screening of Planes, Trains and Automobiles and conversation between author Paul Myers and actor Mike Myers. TIFF’s Film Reference Library will showcase its John Candy collection(open in new tab)open_in_new, on display October 3, 2025 – March 1, 2026, during library open hours in the CIBC Canadian Film Gallery. Admission is free to the public.

TIFF Lightbox is the place to be for a frightfully fun Halloween! The spooky season kicks off with the classic Bride of Frankenstein from director James Whale on October 12, as part of the TIFF Family Films series; TIFF Next Wave Presents Ti West’s X with the Final Girls Film Club(open in new tab)open_in_new on October 28; plus Midnight Madness brings the scares with a showing of Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City. On Halloween night, get ready for a different kind of bird-watching with a special presentation of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, on October 31, followed by a discussion with local ornithologist and former Collections Specialist at the Royal Ontario Museum Mark Peck.Look out for returning open_in_new like Frankenstein (on 35mm!), Peak Everything, Eleanor the Great, and an exciting lineup of New Releases including The History of Sound, A House of Dynamite, Plainclothes, and more coming to the Lightbox this fall. supported by Lavazza, returns for the 2025–2026 season starting October 14, with screenings on select Tuesday evenings. What’s showing? That’s the secret. This popular series delights audiences with a curated lineup, from Festival favourites and crowd-pleasers to small-budget indies and hidden gems. This season’s hosts are Robyn Citizen (Director of Programming, Festival & Cinematheque), Peter Kuplowsky (Lead Programmer, Midnight Madness; International Programmer, US Indies) and Keith Bennie (Vice President, Public Programming). Also back for the 2025–2026 season is , supported by Lavazza where guests can enjoy complimentary coffee and pastries while catching the world’s best cinema. This season’s hosts are Kelly Boutsalis (International Programmer, Canadian Features) and Christoph Straub (Director of Public Programming).Visit for up-to-date programming details. Tickets for October programming will be available to TIFF Members on Wednesday, September 24, and to the public on Friday, September 26.OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS