NEW YORK – “Being Heumann,” a film directed by Siân Heder, will kick off the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as it focuses on the life of the late disability rights activist Judith Heumann.
The festival organizers announced that “Being Heumann” will have its world premiere on the opening night, September 10, and will run until September 20.
Judith Heumann, who passed away in 2023, was often referred to as the “mother of the disability rights movement.” Her advocacy was pivotal in the push for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which transformed accessibility rights in the U.S. Heumann lost her ability to walk at just two years old, but she became a leading figure in the fight for disability rights, even appearing in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Crip Camp” released in 2020.
“Being Heumann” is Heder’s follow-up to her acclaimed 2021 film “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This was a significant achievement, as it marked the first time a streaming service, Apple, received Hollywood’s highest honor. Apple is also involved in the release of “Being Heumann.”
Cameron Bailey, the chief executive of TIFF, expressed excitement about the premiere, stating, “We’re thrilled to open this year’s Festival with Siân Heder’s inspiring follow-up to her Oscar-winning ‘CODA.’ ‘Being Heumann’ features an electric performance from Ruth Madeley in the story of Judy Heumann, a world-changing advocate for accessibility.”
In addition to “Being Heumann,” the festival has also announced gala world premieres for other films, including Susanna White’s legal thriller “Prima Facie,” starring Cynthia Erivo, and Hur Jin-ho’s Korean thriller “The Assassin(s).”
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The story has been updated to correct that the film “Crip Camp” was from 2020, not 2000.
