TIFF 2026 Day 1 Red Carpet Roundup: The Housewife, River, Patrick Dempsey & More

TIFF 2026 officially kicked off in Toronto, and Day 1 already gave us plenty to talk about.From our first red carpets of the festival to a surprise Patrick Dempsey sighting and a Q&A that gave us a little more insight into what it was like filming in Newfoundland, it was a pretty packed start to TIFF.

Here’s a look at some of our favourite moments from Day 1.

The Housewife Red Carpet

We started TIFF 2026 on the red carpet for The Housewife, which premiered as part of the festival’s Special Presentations programme. Director Ben Shirinian was joined by cast members Naomi Watts, Tye Sheridan, Michael Imperioli and Luke Evans for the premiere. And because sometimes the simplest questions give you the most interesting answers, we asked the cast to describe The Housewife in just one word.

Michael Imperioli: “Soothing.”

Naomi Watts: “Haunting.”

Tye Sheridan: “Cat and mouse.”

Three very different answers, which honestly makes us even more curious to see how they all come together in the film. We also spotted Patrick Dempsey stopping by the premiere to show his support for the film, giving us one of our first celebrity sightings of TIFF 2026.

River Brings Midnight Madness Energy

Later in the day, we headed to the red carpet for River, part of TIFF’s always-popular Midnight Madness programme. Director Joshua Giuliano attended alongside Max Mattern, Jessica Rothe, Jane Levy and Dane DiLiegro.

Midnight Madness carpets always have such a different energy from the rest of TIFF, and River was a fun way to shift into the later part of Day 1. With Jessica Rothe and Jane Levy among the cast, there was already a lot of excitement around the premiere, and it was great getting the chance to see the cast together ahead of the screening.

Inside the Below Q&A

We also got the chance to sit in on a Q&A for Below, where one of the most interesting parts of the conversation actually had less to do with filming and more to do with the experience of being welcomed into Newfoundland.  Josh Harnett spoke about how much the hospitality of the community became part of the production experience.

One of the moments that stayed with him was seeing a ghost tour pass by while they were there and realizing that the cast and crew had been invited into a side of St. John’s that tourists might not normally get to experience. That feeling continued throughout the shoot. He shared a story about actor Larry Barry inviting him out for a lobster boil. They walked along the coastal path with a bucket of lobster, collected water straight from the ocean, cooked everything over a fire and sat together while Larry shared stories about Newfoundland and its history from his own perspective.

It was one of those stories that really showed how much a filming location can become part of the experience behind a movie. Rather than simply arriving somewhere to shoot and leaving, it sounded like the production genuinely became part of the community while they were there.

A Strong Start to TIFF 2026

Day 1 of TIFF 2026 gave us a little bit of everything.

We had major red carpets with The Housewife and River, quick moments with their casts, a Patrick Dempsey sighting and a Q&A that reminded us that some of the best TIFF stories happen beyond the actual screenings.

And this was only Day 1.

With plenty more premieres, red carpets, interviews and unexpected celebrity sightings still ahead, TIFF 2026 is officially underway.