TIFF spotlights taxidermy musical, disability-rights drama and studio market push

Toronto International Film Festival’s 51st edition is bustling with diverse premieres, from the gothic-tone musical “Stuffed,” in which Jodie Comer plays a reclusive taxidermist and Harry Melling volunteers as a human specimen, to Siân Heder’s “Being Heumann,” a dramatization of the 1977 disability-rights sit-in that casts performers with disabilities, including Ruth Madeley as Judy Heumann. Warner Bros. attended the event to highlight its new Clockwork label, slated to debut with Sean Baker’s “Ti Amo!”.

The festival also launched a formal film market, drawing platforms such as Netflix, Apple, Amazon MGM, Neon, A24 and Mubi. Several high-profile studio projects, including Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger” starring Tom Cruise, are opting to forgo festival screenings. The lineup reflects TIFF’s shift toward showcasing mid-budget, audience-friendly titles amid a broader industry trend of studios bypassing fall festivals.