Toronto opens with 'Being Heumann,' Sian Heder's follow-up to 'CODA'

The Toronto International Film Festival opened its 51st edition on September 10 with Being Heumann, a biopic of disability rights activist Judy Heumann directed by Sian Heder. The world premiere played at Roy Thomson Hall, the festival's traditional opening-night venue, kicking off a ten-day run through September 20.

It's a notable follow-up: Heder's previous film, CODA, won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022 — one of the rare festival breakouts to carry a fest premiere all the way to the top Oscar. That track record is a large part of why Being Heumann was chosen to open a festival that has become one of the industry's key markets for acquisitions and awards-season positioning.

Who Judy Heumann was

Heumann was one of the central organizers of the disability rights movement in the United States, a role that included leading the 1977 sit-in at a San Francisco federal building that helped force regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act — a foundational moment for disability civil rights that predates the Americans with Disabilities Act by more than a decade. The film stars Ruth Madeley in the title role.

Why it matters for the festival

Toronto's opening-night slot is a closely watched signal for the fall festival circuit — it's often the first real marker of which films are being positioned for awards attention heading into January through March. A director coming off a Best Picture win opening the festival puts real weight behind that positioning, and buyers and press at Roy Thomson Hall on opening night are effectively getting the first public read on how the film plays with an audience.

Newswire Hollywood's calendar desk is tracking the rest of the festival's premiere slate through the 20th — see what else is on the calendar.