TIFF The Market 2026 took place Sept 10–16 in Toronto.

Two characters lean on a neon-lit fish-market counter
MARKET SCREENING — SCREENED

Sept 14 · 9:45 PM

Eastern time

TIFF Lightbox — Theatre 6

Told to be quiet. Born to be loud.

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TIFF 2026 recap

An indie film.A unique angle.A grassroots push, on blast.

Our week in Toronto was transformative. Here’s how it happened.

The team dancing in front of the CN Tower
press features, TV and online
5press features, TV and online
panels at TIFF
2panels at TIFF
live performances
2live performances
street activation on King St
1street activation on King St
first-ever market screening
1first-ever market screening

The press tour

Five stops in one week

  • Jonathan Wong, Simon Yin and Howie Lai on the Global TV set

    Global TV

    The Morning Show

    Our first televised interview since making the feature. Jonathan Wong, Simon Yin and Howie Lai on the vertical, TIFF and the team uniform. It’s K-Swiss, obviously.

  • The team performing on the CP24 set

    CP24 Breakfast

    Interview and live performance

    With anchor Jennifer Hsiung on how going vertical broke down the barriers to making the film, then a live on-air "Low Key (Britney)" with dancers Carl Mandac and Michael Lo.

  • The team with host Stefano Bove at 1st On Film

    1st On Film

    Interview

    Choreographer Joe Tuliao joined us on R2R’s impact on Vancouver’s talent pool. Host Stefano Bove got a "Low Key" lesson and left an honorary Flower Boy.

  • Howie Lai and Jonathan Wong interviewed by Fête Chinoise

    Fête Chinoise

    Interview

    A homecoming. They’ve covered R2R since its days as a vertical, and this time we had news to share.

  • Howie Lai interviewed by The Gate at TIFF The Market

    The Gate

    Interview

    On how the R2R family has grown since the move from vertical to feature.

On stage at TIFF

A full room, and a sticker that took on a life of its own

Jonathan Wong sat on Telefilm Canada’s panel "From Script to Audience: Building Your Community" with Liz Duff, Chad Archibald and Liv Nasner, in front of a full audience.

Midway through, he revealed the sticker he’d been wearing. It was meant to read "I love flower boys", a nod to the film’s characters. It was printed "I love FBOYS". It caught on, and we handed it out at every press stop, panel and activation after that. If you see one in Toronto, now you know.

The Telefilm Canada panel on stage at TIFF The Market
A sheet of "I love FBOYS" stickers

Canadian Pavilion

Building a vertical series in Canada

At a panel hosted by Telefilm and Creative BC, co-creator Justina Shih and executive producer Paul Telner joined Monika Dalman on the cultural process of developing the vertical series in Canada.

In the spirit of R2R, Jon and our dancers opened with a live pre-show performance. It isn’t often that dance takes centre stage at an industry panel. They made it count.

Justina Shih and Paul Telner on the Canadian Pavilion panel
Jonathan Wong and dancers performing at the Canadian Pavilion

On King Street

Beautiful Asian Men, wanted

Mid-festival we took to the busiest street in Toronto for a guerrilla activation with one mission: find Asian men and tell them they’re beautiful.

The search for B.A.M.s was on, and the Beautiful Asian Men of Toronto came out in droves. Asian men deserve the chance to talk about it, so we handed them a microphone.

Passers-by on King Street during the activation
Two participants posing with flowers on King Street

New partners

An unscripted series, and NextShark on board

At Access Canada we sealed our partnership with Viral Nation and Media Trifecta on the unscripted pageant competition series.

Support came from outside Toronto too: NextShark Studios and founder and CEO Benny Luo joined the film as executive producers.

“Culturally specific stories shouldn’t have a ceiling.”

Benny Luo, NextShark
Read the Variety exclusive
The R2R team celebrating with Viral Nation and Media Trifecta
Benny Luo

TIFF Lightbox

The first-ever market screening

To close the week, Rags 2 Richmond screened for a market audience for the first time, at TIFF Lightbox.

Packed room. Great energy. The cast and crew stayed for a Q&A. It was the perfect way to end our TIFF.

Cast and crew on stage for the Q&A at TIFF Lightbox
Photo: Kevin Navia
The R2R team on the TIFF red carpet

Toronto taught us the appetite for this story exists, in convention halls and on public streets.

Panel

Sept 11th · 10:30 AM EST · Convention Centre — Stage 4

Presented by Telefilm Canada

From Script to Audience: Building Your Community

Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn (co-founder, Octagon Metatainment) joins Elevation Pictures' Liv Nasner and Black Fawn's Chad Archibald, moderated by Liz Duff, on how RAGS 2 RICHMOND built its audience from a 28-episode web series to a feature film.

  • Moderator: Liz Duff — Pop Culture Commentator and Host
  • Guest: Liv Nasner — Director, Specialty Marketing & Brand, Elevation Pictures
  • Guest: Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn — Multi-hyphenate artist and co-founder, Octagon Metatainment
  • Guest: Chad Archibald — Director / Producer / Founder, Black Fawn Films / Black Fawn Distribution
Panel flyer for From Script to Audience: Building your Community — Friday, September 11th, 10:30am at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, featuring moderator Liz Duff (Pop Culture Commentator and Host), and guests Liv Nasner (Director, Specialty Marketing & Brand, Elevation Pictures), Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn (Multi-hyphenate artist and co-founder, Octagon Metatainment), and Chad Archibald (Director / Producer / Founder, Black Fawn Films / Black Fawn Distribution)
PUBLIC ACTIVATION

Sept 12 · 12:00 – 6:00 PM EST · King Street

Photo opp on

KING ST

Are you the next

Asian Beauty King?

Come snap your "Flower Boy" photo with our professional crew.

You could win a chance to join our universe.

Get directions to King Street
LIVE PERFORMANCE

Live on the TelefilmCanada Pavilion stage

The cast steps into the spotlight for a live musical performance straight from the film, followed by an intimate panel on bringing RAGS 2 RICHMOND to the screen.

When
Mon, Sept 14 · 12:00 PM EST
Where
Telefilm Canada Pavilion, TIFF The Market