Stuffed, a twisted musical starring Emmy winner Jodie Comer and Harry Melling, is set to open the Discovery program at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
Comer plays a taxidermist who has longed to stuff a human specimen. She gets a chance when she meets a lonely man and volunteer played by Melling, only to see their pact turn into an unexpected romance where love and death collide. The world premiere in Toronto for Stuffed marks the feature debut of writer-director Theo Rhys, who co-wrote the script with Joss Holden-Rea.
On Wednesday, Toronto also unveiled, as part of its 2026 Discovery program, world premieres for David Turpin’s Irish feature Ancestors, starring Eanna Hardwicke and Rupert Everett; Drifter, the directorial debut of Fast & Furious star Sung Kang rooted in the race car culture; Ghasideh Golmakani’s Head to Head, an absurd Iranian satire on state control; and writer-director Ulrike Tony Vahl’s feature length debut, Krux, set in post-Second World War Germany.
There’s also Discovery sidebar first looks for Alexandra Pechman’s Magazine, about a young intern, played by Lily McInerny, facing intoxicating power dynamics at a prestigious New York City literary magazine; and Tom Nicoll’s Salvation, about the seductive promise of the online self-improvement culture.
And there’s an international premiere for Stephanie Ahn’s feature directorial debut Bedford Park, which bowed at Sundance; and Voices, a Motown-infused 1960s period musical from debut filmmaker and former NFL player Deantè Gray.
The 51st edition of the Toronto Film Festival will run Sept. 10 to 20, 2026. Additional film lineup announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
The full 2026 Discovery program also includes:
A Common Story, Anna Foglietta, Italy
Arne Goes to Space, Lars Vega, Sweden
I Am Mario, Sharon Kleinberg, Mexico
In Waves, Phuong Mai Nguyen, France, Belgium
Nosotros, Joaquín Ruano, Guatemala, Mexico
Purgatory, Lindsay Lanzillotta, Canada, USA
Seventeen, Justin Ducharme, Canada
Sisters, Ione Hernández, Spain
Strong Son, Ian Bawa, Canada
The Daughters of Abraham, Hanael El Yousfi, France
The Fortunate Isles, Helena Girón, Samuel Delgado, Spain, Greece
We Are Born Good, Leung Chuen Yeung, Hong Kong
What Lies Between Us, Amalie Næsby Fick, Denmark
Zjili: A Story of Sisterhood and The Burdens of Excess, Christine Boateng, Hajara Musah Chambas, Ghana