Nia DaCosta’s Hedda, a gripping reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, will make its World Premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this September. The film, led by and produced by Tessa Thompson, will begin streaming globally on Prime Video starting October 29, 2025.
Set over the course of a single, charged night, Hedda follows a woman at a breaking point. Hedda Gabler, portrayed by Thompson, finds herself caught between the ache of an unresolved past and the suffocating stability of her present. As emotions simmer and secrets emerge, her internal unrest gives way to an unraveling that pulls everyone around her into a collision of passion, manipulation, and betrayal.
The feature marks DaCosta’s TIFF debut and showcases a departure from her previous work on The Marvels and Candyman, opting here for a more intimate, psychological exploration of character.
Alongside Thompson, the ensemble cast includes Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, and Nina Hoss. The film was written and directed by DaCosta and produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Gabrielle Nadig, Nia DaCosta, and Tessa Thompson. Behind the scenes, Hedda features music by Hildur Guðnadóttir, costume design by Lindsay Pugh, editing by Jacob Schulsinger, production design by Cara Brower, and cinematography by Sean Bobbitt.
Hedda joins an impressive slate of world premieres at TIFF, including Alejandro Amenábar’s The Captive, Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, Sung-hyun Byun’s Good News, and Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks.
“These first five films of our Official Selection reflect the innovation, heart, and global perspective that have made our Festival a home for great cinema over the past 50 editions,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey when announcing this year’s Special Presentations lineup.
The festival will run from September 4 through September 14 in Toronto.
The world premiere at TIFF positions Hedda as one of the fall’s most anticipated psychological dramas, offering audiences a fresh and contemporary take on one of literature’s most enigmatic women.