TORONTO, September 10, 2026 – The 51st Toronto International Film Festival opened on September 10 with the world premiere of Being Heumann. The film was presented as the Opening Night Gala at Roy Thomson Hall, with director Siân Heder and the creative team appearing on the red carpet.
The film is based on the real-life story of American disability rights activist Judy Heumann. Ruth Madeley plays Heumann, with the story focusing on the 1977 “504 sit-in” in San Francisco. At the time, a group of disabled people occupied a federal government building in a sustained protest, demanding that the government implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability.
Although the story has a clear social and political background, the film does not treat the history in a completely heavy way. Humour, love, friendship and the everyday lives of those involved are kept at the centre of the film, becoming an important part of what makes Being Heumann different from a more traditional historical biopic.
CCTVMedium interviewed Heder on the red carpet that evening. She said that from her earliest conversations with Judy Heumann, she wanted the film to be more than the story of a social movement. She also wanted audiences to see the real people behind the history.
Heder recalled that when she discussed the film with Heumann, Heumann was very focused on which historical details had to be preserved. Heder, meanwhile, kept asking about more personal and even slightly “undignified” details of everyday life. She said what would make audiences fall in love with the story was Judy as a person, not only Judy as a disability rights activist.
In Heder’s view, Being Heumann should not be understood only as a film made to “educate” audiences. She described it as a “wild, fun ride,” and even said it has the feeling of a “heist movie” — a group of young people taking over a federal government building and carrying out one of the longest sit-in protests in American history.
The film’s production also tried to put that idea into practice on set. Heder said she decided from the beginning to cast disabled actors. Because accessible facilities available to the production were limited at the time, the team had to redesign trailers, makeup spaces, ramps and other parts of the set. She said that although the shoot involved a lot of trial and error, it also created a path that future productions can continue to follow.
Heder previously won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for CODA, which also won Best Picture. With Being Heumann, she once again turns her lens toward the disabled community, this time focusing on the complex, funny and imperfect people behind a real social movement.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
