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The Music Stars Expected in Toronto for TIFF 2026
From Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson and K-pop superstar LISA to icons Darlene Love and Chrissie Hynde and rising Indigenous hip-hop artists A$h Da Hunter, Travis Thompson and Wiidaaseh, here are the musicians expected to be in Toronto for TIFF 2026.
Neil Peart: No One's Disciple
Expected talent: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Chad Smith
Rush’s surviving members, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, are set to honour their late bandmate Neil Peart in the new documentary titled Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple. Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, the film will make its world premiere at TIFF, tracing the legendary drummer’s decades-spanning career through interviews with Lee and Lifeson and other musicians influenced by his work. It will also revisit some of Rush’s greatest songs, with Peart’s place behind the kit taken by The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Tool’s Danny Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree and King Crimson.
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Always Lalisa
Expected talent: LISA
K-pop global superstar LISA will give fans a rare look into the behind-the-scenes of her career in Always Lalisa. An intimate documentary tracing her journey as an artist, the film will make its world premiere at the festival. The Sue Kim-directed film highlights one year of the Billboard Canada cover star's career, including stories from LISA's early days of “childhood ambition” to her success with girl group BLACKPINK to her transformation into a solo act.
Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been
TIFF
Expected talent: Darlene Love
Canadian director and TIFF mainstay Barry Avrich will profile one of the most acclaimed soul singers in Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been, which will receive its world premiere at the festival. The film will reportedly include interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Cher and Dionne Warwick, who will “sing the praises of an underappreciated musical icon in this high-spirited and warm-hearted portrait.”
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Pretenders
TIFF
Expected talent: Chrissie Hynde
Tough, stylish and effortlessly cool, Chrissie Hynde is the real deal. Surveying her five decades of work with the Pretenders, you’d think she came out of the gate a rock star. The truth is more complicated — and more fascinating. Helmed by documentarian Joss Crowley, Pretenders will receive its world premiere at the fest, chronicling the evolution of one of rock’s most singular female icons through extensive interviews with Hynde and archive footage.
Gail
TIFF
Expected talent: Raine Maida, Duncan Coutts, Steve Mazur, Jason Pierce, Gail E. Lichtman
One superfan of Canadian alt-rock band Our Lady Peace gets her time to shine in this music documentary titled Gail. With the tagline “more than a fan, less than a friend,” the Michael Maxxis-directed documentary follows the longtime listener throughout the band’s 30th anniversary tour. Gearing up for its world premiere at the festival, it’s set to feature an original score by Canadian composer Lesley Barber and orchestral arrangements by Eric Rosse.
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Turtle Island Rap
Expected talent: A$h Da Hunter, Travis Thompson, Wiidaaseh
In Turtle Island Rap, Cree director Alexandra Lazarowich’s verité-style feature documentary debut will make its world premiere at the festival. It follows “the bumpy road to success” through the lens of three aspiring Indigenous rappers: A$h Da Hunter, Travis Thompson and Wiidaaseh. Blending performance, personal conversations and a look at their creative processes, the documentary is a portrait of three rising acts shaping today’s Indigenous culture.
Bleeding Hearts
TIFF
Expected talent: Zella Day, Jesse Woods, Beau Bedford
This real-life love story follows musicians Zella Day and Jesse Woods who create their collaborative alt-country band Chaparelle with producer Beau Bedford. Directed by Andrew Morgan, Bleeding Hearts will receive its world premiere next month. The film festival describes the film as “a documentary with as much drama as a season of Nashville,” a reference to the mid-2010s country music TV drama.
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Find the full list of expected talent here.
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