Dolphin Subsidiary 42West's 2026 Toronto International Film Festival Slate Delivered 16 Titles Including "People's Choice" Documentary Award Winner
Dolphin’s 42West expanded its festival footprint at TIFF 2026 with 16 represented titles and a People’s Choice documentary win.
Rhea-AI Summary
Dolphin (DLPN) reported that its subsidiary 42West delivered a 16-title slate to the 51st Toronto International Film Festival in 2026, including one documentary that won the festival's People's Choice award. The world‑premiere documentary “Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been”, directed and written by Barry Avrich and produced by Taraji P. Henson, Avrich and Mark Selby, captured the People's Choice prize for Documentary Film.
Across documentary and narrative features, 42West supported world and North American premieres in TIFF sections such as Gala Presentations, Special Presentations, Centrepiece, Midnight Madness, Discovery and TIFF Docs. The slate included titles like “Pretenders,” “Babies,” “Evil Genius,” “A Girl Unknown,” “Look Back,” “Paradise Lost,” “Tangles,” “Up Against It,” “The Market,” “Freeing Flipper,” and “Air Bud Returns,” along with client appearances and panels involving talent such as Inde Navarrette and Theresa Park.
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Key Figures
- TIFF slate titles
- 16 titles
- Dolphin's 2026 Toronto International Film Festival slate
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / September 22, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and content production company, today announced the prominence of its subsidiary 42West at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. 42West has been a leader in film festival PR campaigns throughout its 21-year history, representing countless films at international and domestic festivals including Annecy, Berlin, Cannes, New York, Sundance, Telluride, Tribeca, and Venice.
This year, 42West delivered marquee talent and an impressive slate of 16 titles to Toronto, including one award winner: Barry Avrich's "Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been," which captured the coveted People's Choice prize for Documentary Film.
Also in attendance were several 42West personal clients:
- Actress Inde Navarrette, who returned to the Toronto festival a year later after the explosive 2025 premiere of "Obsession" to participate in a TIFF Lightbox Dialogues panel discussion with director Curry Barker
- Producer Theresa Park, who celebrated the critically acclaimed North American premiere of her film "Clarissa," alongside actors David Oyelowo, India Amartiefio, and Ayo Edebiri
- Actor Max Cortezi, who has a role in the film, "Trash Mountain", a comedic drama written by and starring Caleb Heron and Zooey Deschanel
- Actress Siena Rafter, who stars in Apple's "Being Heumann" alongside Mark Ruffalo, based on true events and adapted from Judith Heumann's memoir (Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist). The film was a runner-up for the Audience Award, opens theatrically on November 6 and streams on Apple November 13.
The company's 2026 TIFF film slate included:
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
DARLENE LOVE: I KNOW WHERE I'VE BEEN - World Premiere - TIFF Docs - Acquisition
Directed and Written by Barry Avrich
Produced by Taraji P. Henson, Barry Avrich p.g.a., Mark Selby
PRETENDERS - World Premiere - Gala Presentations - Acquisition
Directed by Joss Crowley
Written by Joss Crowley
Featuring Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers
NARRATIVE FEATURES
BABIES - World Premiere - Gala Presentations - Roadside / Vertical
Directed & Written by Lauren Miller Rogen
Starring Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Issa Rae, Dan Stevens, Kate Berlant, Zach Cherry, Ed Helms, Ashley Park, Sharon Stone, and David Strathairn
DRIFTER - World Premiere - Discovery - Acquisition
Directed by Sung Kang
Written by Sung Kang, Aaron Strongoni, Ted Chung
Starring Sung Kang, Tamara Braun, Michael Nehring, Gregory Cruz, Grant Sullivan, McCaleb Burnett, James Pumphrey, Shane Johnson, Adam LZ
EVIL GENIUS - World Premiere - Gala Presentations - Acquisition
Directed by Courteney Cox
Written by Courtenay Miles
Produced by Courteney Cox, Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan, Benjamin Hung, John Buderwitz
Starring David Harbour, Patricia Arquette, Michael Chernus, Garret Dillahunt, Ryan Eggold, Gregory Alan Williams, Tom McCarthy, Owen Teague, Harlow Jane, Danielle Macdonald
A GIRL UNKNOWN - North American Premiere - Centrepiece - Greenwich Entertainment
Directed by Zou Jing
Written by Zou Jing
Produced by Wang Yang, Didar Domehri, Cao Xi
HALF - World Premiere - Midnight Madness - Acquisition
Directed by Samjad
Written by Praveen Viswanath, Samjad
Produced by Anne Sajeev, Sajeev PK
Starring Ranjith Sajeev, Aiswarya Raj, Amala Paul, Abbas, Sreekanth Murali
HAPPILY EVER AFTER - World Premiere - Special Presentations - Acquisition
Directed by Feng-I Fiona Roan
Written by Feng-I Fiona Roan
Produced by Clifford Miu, Linhan Zhan
Starring Xuan Chen, Yeh Shu-hua, Kent Tsai, Kuie-Mei Yang, Jack Kao, Kent Tsai
LIGHT PILLAR - North American Premiere - Centrepiece - Greenwich Entertainment
Directed by Xu Zao
Written by Xu Zao
Produced by: Lu Xiaowei, Huang Yue, Shen Hancheng, Fu Xintong
LOOK BACK - North America Premiere - Special Presentations - GKIDS
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Screenplay by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Produced by: Daiju Koide
Executive Produced by: Muneyuki Kii
Starring Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Furi Nanase, and Rokka Okada
PARADISE LOST - World Premiere - Special Presentations - Distributor TBA
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
Screenplay by Yeon Sang-ho, Ryu Yong-jae
Produced by Yang Yoomin Hailey
Starring Kim Hyun-joo, Bae Hyeon-seong
TANGLES - North American Premiere - Centrepiece - Independent Film Company
Directed by Leah Nelson
Written by Leah Nelson, Sarah Leavitt, Trev Trenney
Produced by Vicky Patel, Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, Seth Rogan, and Lauren Miller Rogen
Starring Abbi Jacobson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Seth Rogan, Samira Wiley, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, Bowen Yang, Pamela Adlon, and Fern Grandin
UP AGAINST IT - World Premiere - Gala Presentations - Acquisition
Directed by Trudie Styler
Written by Camille Griffin, Chloe King
Starring : Antonio Banderas, Eva Birthistle, Úrsula Corberó, Forest Whitaker, Arinzé Kene, Richard E Grant, Eden Hamilton
THE MARKET
COMPOUND
Directed by James Mulachy
Written by James Mulachy, William Magnusson, Max Perkins
Produced by James Mulcahy, Vince Grimes, William Magnusson, Max Perkins
FREEING FLIPPER
Directed & Written by Barney Douglas
Subject: Ric O'Barry
Produced by Will Kane, Lincoln O'Barry, Anna Godas, Oli Harbottle
AIR BUD RETURNS
Directed by Robert Vince
Written by Robert Vince
Produced by Anna McRoberts
Executive Produced by Robert Vince, Michael Strange, Eric Vince, Stacey Vince
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ABOUT DOLPHIN
Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline.
At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120.
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Contact:
James Carbonara
HAYDEN IR
(646)-755-7412
james@haydenir.com
SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Which 42West-associated film won a prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival?
The documentary “Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been”, directed and written by Barry Avrich and produced by Taraji P. Henson, Barry Avrich and Mark Selby, won the People's Choice prize for Documentary Film at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
How many titles did 42West represent at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival?
42West represented an impressive slate of 16 titles at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, spanning documentary and narrative features across multiple festival sections.
Which 42West personal clients were highlighted as attending TIFF 2026?
42West personal clients at TIFF 2026 included Inde Navarrette, who participated in a TIFF Lightbox Dialogues panel; producer Theresa Park, celebrating the North American premiere of “Clarissa”; actor Max Cortezi, appearing in “Trash Mountain”; and Siena Rafter, who stars in Apple’s “Being Heumann.”
What was noted about the release of Apple’s film “Being Heumann” featuring Siena Rafter?
“Being Heumann,” starring Siena Rafter alongside Mark Ruffalo and based on Judith Heumann’s memoir, was a runner-up for the Audience Award at TIFF. It is scheduled to open theatrically on November 6 and to stream on Apple on November 13.
Which TIFF program sections featured 42West’s 2026 slate?
42West’s TIFF 2026 slate appeared across Gala Presentations, Special Presentations, Centrepiece, Midnight Madness, Discovery, and TIFF Docs, covering both world and North American premieres.