TIFF 2026 Sets Movies Starring Cate Blanchett, Mahershala Ali, Riley Keough
This year’s Toronto Film Festival continues to ramp up with its Special Presentations section including five titles: David and Nathan Zellner’s alien invasion comedy Alpha Gang, Rachel Morrison’s Love of Your Life; Bassam Tariq’s action drama thriller from Amazon MGM Studios/Orion, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother; Ben Shirinian’s The Housewife starring Naomi Watts and Luke Evans, and Benjamín Naishtat’s Glaxo.
Alpha Gang which stars Riley Keough, Cate Blanchett, Dave Bautista, Chris Pine and Lily Rose Depp, is making its international premiere in Toronto. The movie, which was first announced back in 2020, follows alien gang leader Alpha One and her crew who disguise themselves as 1950s bikers to invade Earth. Their conquest plan derails when they experience human emotions, complicating their mission. The Zellner’s previously had Sasquatch Sunset which world premiered at Sundance in 2024, that pic starring Keough and Jesse Eisenberg.
Argentinian filmmaker Naishtat was previously at TIFF with the 2018 feature Rojo. His latest Glaxo is set in a provincial factory town and follows four friends whose lives unravel after a retired cop and his alluring wife move in. Their arrival triggers passion and vengeance during Argentina’s transformative decades from the ’50s to ’80s.
Oscar nominated Mudbound DP Morrison returns to TIFF after 2024’s The Fire Inside with the romance drama Love of Your Life starring Margaret Qualley, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Catherine Keener. Pic follows Maya, a smart, wry nurse, who is swept up in an immersive love, that sets her life on a trajectory she never would have imagined.
The drama The Housewife centers around a New York Times journalist who tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in Queens. But when he befriends the suspect’s elegant and charming wife, the implications of his investigation become much more unsettling. Michael Imperioli and Tye Sheridan also star in the Alyssa Hill written feature.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which Tariq also wrote, stars Ali as Latif, a devoutly religious hitman, who embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children after his wife dies, confronting forces closing in and beliefs threatening to unravel. Giancarlo Esposito, John Cho, Tramell Tillman, and Tiffany Boone also star. Tariq recently directed three episodes on the Riz Ahmed Prime Video series, Bait. Tariq is a BAFTA Film Award nominee for the 2020 feature Mogul Mowgli. Trailer is below:
“Each year, we strive to curate a selection of films that feels most relevant to the moment with the power to spark a rich dialogue with our public audience, and these Special Presentations titles are true reflections of that,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “From debut directors to the most anticipated sophomore films of the year to vanguard voices, this group of films showcase the authenticity, the unexpected, and the ambition of cinema now. They are sure to be among the Festival’s most talked-about titles, captivating audiences and generating buzz long after the credits roll. We’re delighted to share these original works with TIFF audiences in September.”
The 51st TIFF, presented by Rogers, runs from Sept. 10-20.
Film details (in alphabetical order):
Alpha Gang | David Zellner, Nathan Zellner | USA
International Premiere
Glaxo | Benjamín Naishtat | Argentina, Brazil
World Premiere
Love of Your Life | Rachel Morrison | USA
World Premiere
The Housewife | Ben Shirinian | USA
World Premiere
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Bassam Tariq | USA
World Premiere
