ⓒCourtesy of K2 Pictures

Japanese filmmaker Miwa Nishikawa‘s film, “Children Untold,” a story about a 12-year-old girl living as a boy to escape post-war Tokyo, will debut in the 2026 Platform competition at the Toronto Film Festival.

The drama starring Ami Koyae, Fumi Nikaido, and Koji Yakusho is based on Nishikawa’s unpublished novel. On Tuesday, TIFF showcased 12 features as world premieres for the festival section, which featured international films not part of the Hollywood studio system.

Also included are first looks at Theja Rio’s “Angh” from India, Jan Holobek’s “Wild Wild East” set in occupied Poland during World War II, Amanda Kernell’s “Brace Your Heart“, Kernell’s third drama, and Korean director Yoon Daba’s coming-of-age tale “The World Before.“

Other world debuts comprise Ferit Karahan’s “Djinn Wedding“, a Turkish family drama; “The Smell of Apples“, John Trengove’s third film about a sheltered young white boy grappling with his nation’s apartheid system; and Irene Dionisio’s “Idda“, the Italian filmmaker’s sophomore feature following “Pawn Street.”

The Platform program secured world premieres for Nyla Innuksuk’s “In the Heart of the South,” starring Anna Lambe, a standout performer from North of North; Bertil Nilsson’s “Mass,” a directorial debut that draws from the filmmaker’s personal, neurodivergent, and gay experiences;

The jury for this year’s Platform competition is chaired by Argentine filmmaker Pablo Trapero and consists of British director Amma Asante, Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang, Canadian indie producer Luc Déry, and Hong Kong film executive Albert Lee. TIFF revealed that Sian Heder, the CODA filmmaker, will premiere her film “Being Heumann” in the 51st edition of TIFF. The Toronto Film Festival is set to run from Sept. 10 to 20. More film lineup announcements will be made in the coming weeks.