tiff 2025 opener

Source: Candy Family Estate

‘John Candy: I Like Me’

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025 will open with the world premiere of Colin Hanks’ documentary John Candy: I Like Me.

It will open the 50th edition of the festival on Thursday, September 4 at Roy Thomson Hall, with the festival running from September 4-14.

The film explores the life of Canadian actor and comedian Candy, using previously unseen home videos, access to his family, and interviews with collaborators.

Candy rose to fame in the 1980s through comedy films including Stripes, Brewster’s Millions and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. He died in 1994, aged 43.

I Like Me is the third documentary feature from Hanks, son of actor Tom Hanks, after 2015’s All Things Must Pass and 2017’s Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis.

The film is produced by Colin Hanks for his Company Name with Ryan Reynolds for his Maximum Effort, for Amazon MGM Studios. It will launch worldwide in Prime Video in the autumn.

“Comedy fans all over the world grew up on John Candy’s humour,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “We love that John’s global career started in Toronto. Colin Hanks has made a hugely entertaining film packed with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but like John, this movie is all heart.”

“People loved his everyman qualities, but they didn’t know how relatable John really was,” said a statement from Colin Hanks and Reynolds. “He went through the same struggles we all do, except now we talk about them.”