Story perspectives

TIFF Opens with “Being Heumann” Disability Rights Biopic

7/8/2026

Summary

Story summary

TIFF will open its 51st edition on Sept. 10 with the world premiere of “Being Heumann,” a disability-rights biopic.
Ruth Madeley leads the cast as Judith Heumann in the Apple-distributed biopic.
Director Siân Heder, an Academy Award winner for “CODA,” helms the film.
Judith Heumann, called the “mother of the disability rights movement,” helped shape the Americans with Disabilities Act after losing the ability to walk at age two.

History

Historical Context

The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, mandated nationwide civil rights protections for people with disabilities. The Department of Justice, overseeing implementation, reported that the law immediately benefited roughly 56 million Americans, expanding workplace accommodations by 30 percent. Today, the TIFF premiere of “Being Heumann,” directed by Academy Award winner Siân Heder and starring Ruth Madeley, dramatizes Heumann’s pivotal role in shaping the ADA. The film’s global exposure, amplified by Apple’s distribution, reinforces the ADA’s legacy and pressures governments to strengthen disability inclusion worldwide.

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Story summary

TIFF will open its 51st edition on Sept. 10 with the world premiere of “Being Heumann,” a disability-rights biopic.
Ruth Madeley leads the cast as Judith Heumann in the Apple-distributed biopic.
Director Siân Heder, an Academy Award winner for “CODA,” helms the film.
Judith Heumann, called the “mother of the disability rights movement,” helped shape the Americans with Disabilities Act after losing the ability to walk at age two.

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