This year, Australia has presence with no less than ten productions featured at the blockbuster Toronto International Film Festival
2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback – Documentary series directed by Bundjalung filmmaker Darren Dale and produced by Blackfella Films.
Closing Night – Directed by Australian actor and filmmaker Cody Fern.
Elsinore – British production, directed by acclaimed Australian theatre and film director Simon Stone.
Future Tense – South African-Australian eco-thriller directed by Jenna Cato Bass.
God Bless You, Mr Kopu – New Zealand-Australian comedy thriller directed by Tongan-New Zealand director Alex Liu.
Girl Group – Written, directed by, and starring Australian comedy icon Rebel Wilson.
Kick On – Directed by Australia’s Nick Kozakis.
Prima Facie – Australian-UK co-production, Directed by Susanna White.
Tenzing – Directed by Australian mountaineer and filmmaker Jennifer Peedom.
When the Ground Paused – Part of the short film program, directed by Australia’s Jess Barclay Lawton.
Amongst this lineup are seven Australian composers whose works are featured in the films:
Brian James Kruger – composer of God Bless You, Mr Kopu
Brian James Kruger is a multi-instrumentalist artist who effortlessly combines modern electronic mixing and beat making techniques with classical performance practices. His unique approach has left a lasting impact on the worlds of film and contemporary music composition.
Over the years Brian has been guest Concertmaster of The Perth Symphony Orchestra and Australian Baroque, both high level professional orchestras. He’s scored music for advertisements, documentaries, short films, and last year his first feature film.
Brian has won both West Australian Music Industry awards and the Martin Simms awards for his composition and performance contributions, and is widely regarded as one of the hardest working and highest quality of artists in his field.
Official Website: https://www.brianjameskruger.com/
Caitlin Yeo – Composer of the documentary series 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback
Caitlin Yeo is a multi award winning Australian screen composer with over 80 film and TV credits. She is well known for her bold and inventive scores including Every Little Thing (Sundance 2024), After The Party (TVNZ, ABC, UK Channel4), Bad Behaviour (Berlinale 2023), New Gold Mountain (SBS), Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story (Disney+), David Stratton: A Cinematic Life (Festival de Cannes 2017, ABC), The Rocket (Tribeca winner 2013), and Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (Sydney Festival 2019).
Caitlin has won three AACTA awards (New Gold Mountain, Playing with Sharks, and The Dark Emu Story), 8 APRA AGSC Screen Music awards (including best feature twice for The Rocket (2013) and The Butterfly Tree (2017), 2 Film Critics Circle Awards, amongst many others. Caitlin’s music is often described as captivating, intuitive and emotional. She was the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award (an award that recognises a trailblazing screen practitioner whose work stands for innovation, imagination, and high impact), and the 2023 Australian Women’s Film Festival Groundbreaker Award. Both awards are a great honour for Caitlin as she is the only composer to have received them.
Official Website: https://www.caitlinyeo.com/
Gabriel Isaac Mounsey – co-composer for Kick On.
Gabriel Mounsey is an accomplished Film Composer, Mixer, Arranger, Music Editor, and Electronic Musician. Dual national of both Australia and Germany, he is largely based out of Los Angeles. Over his 2+ decade career he has contributed to over 50 film and tv|streaming series, and has released multiple electronic records under various guises. He has toured live and has mixed numerous albums.
Gabriel has been nominated for Best Film Score at the Deutscher Film Prize for Drei, Composed the score to the short film Open Heart which was nominated for Best Documentary short at the Academy Awards, was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing at the Golden Reel Awards for The Matrix Resurrections, and was nominated for best Original Score in Television at the 2025 AACTA Awards for Boy Swallows Universe. Gabriel is a frequent collaborator of directors Greg McLean, Tom Tykwer, and Lana Wachowski and composer Johnny Klimek.
Official Website: https://www.gmounsey.com/
Johnny Klimek – co-composer for Kick On.
Johnny Klimek is a fourth generation film composer, equally comfortable in the electronic studio and on the recording stage with Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic, as he was for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. This dual-identity asserted itself again in the adaptation of Cloud Atlas (2012), on which Johnny teamed up with the Wachowski’s and his sturdiest collaborator, German auteur Tom Tykwer.
Official Website: https://waveproductionsandfilms.com/
Michael Yezerski – composer of Rebel Wilson’s Girl Group
Michael Yezerski is always looking for new musical languages to express the inexpressible. The result is music that is emotional, beautiful, intense, and surprising. His deep understanding of storytelling has led to assignments covering an impressive range, with the common thread being that all his scores function as vital, active participants in the films’ narratives.
Buddy, Casper Kelly’s 2026 Sundance opener, has garnered significant praise and attention including for Michael’s driving, multi-layered score. The film is a breakout hit at the US Box Office. Michael is known for bringing genuine emotion to his genre scores. He continues this tradition in 2026 with Rebel Wilson’s second feature, Girl Group (Toronto International Film Festival Gala Presentation 2026), a score that blends humor, with a moving emotional subtext. The same can be said of his score for Wilson’s first feature film, The Deb, which closed TIFF 2024.
Michael’s minimal, horrific atmospheres on The Devil’s Candy brought him international acclaim. That work led to a string of significant horror engagements, including Keith Thomas’ The Vigil, an episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals. More recently, he has completed The Killings at Parrish Station and Claremont.
Official Website: https://michaelyezerski.com/
Stefan Gregory – composer of the film Elsinore
Stefan Gregory’s unusual background in theatre, rock ’n roll, and mathematics has helped forge his unique perspective on composition. His style ranges from orchestral to minimal electronic, from dirty electric guitars to delicate chamber instruments and voices.
His score for The Rooster, starring Hugo Weaving and Phoenix Raei, is created entirely using vocals. It won the 2024 APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Award for Best Soundtrack Album, and was also nominated for Feature Film Score Of The Year.
He has written music for many of the most esteemed theatre companies in the world, including: The National Theatre, The Young Vic, Barbican (London); Theatre Basel; L’Odeon (Paris); Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Armoury (New York); Schaubühne (Berlin); Burgtheater (Vienna); Salzburg Festival; International Theatre Amsterdam; Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre (Sydney). He has also been commissioned by the Australian Ballet, Queensland Opera and Powerhouse Museum. His music has won various awards, including an APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Award for Best Soundtrack Album, a Helpmann Award, Sydney Theatre Awards, OBIE, and he has been nominated for a Dramadesk, and an AACTA award.
He was a recipient of a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship. During his brief stint as a rock guitarist in Faker, the band had a platinum single (This Heart Attack) and four ARIA award nominations.
Official Website: https://stefangregory.com.au/
Tiaryn Griggs – composer of the short film, When The Ground Paused.
Tiaryn is a versatile, transformative performer, with a voice that spans from the ethereal to the commanding. She is known for her signature blend of jazz, songwriting and a magnetic stage presence. Tiaryn has shared the stage with the likes of Sex On Toast, Killing Heidi, Clare Bowditch, Kathleen Halloran, 30/70, Kylie Auldist, The Vaudeville Smash, Meg Mac, Sampa The Great and many more, touring nationally and internationally, often stealing the show with her enigmatic solos and uninhibited dancing. Tiaryn has released three eclectic EPs and her Debut album Disco Dress in May, independently, devoted to the craft, she has been forging her sound and her place in the Australian music scene.
Tiaryn also created the score for a short film The Sweetness by filmmaker Jessica Barclay Lawton, a heartfelt film that was short-listed in the 2022 Sydney Film Festival. As a composer, Tiaryn channels her creativity through the piano, and crafts textures using a diverse array of hand percussion, drums, vibraphone, pedal steel, guitar, and bass to enrich each song. Tiaryn’s passion for surprising harmonic expression is deeply influenced by her jazz piano background, and serves as a musical symbol of her unwavering commitment to honesty, growth, and hope. Tiaryn has collaborated with several producers, writers, hip hop acts and musicians over the years, honing her craft. Emerging from the trials of the pandemic and significant personal upheavals, Tiaryn has harnessed her experiences to create a vibrant, raw, and defiant body of work. Mixing child-like magic with the sensibility of a powerhouse diva, this latest collection of songs explores profound truths, inviting the listener to connect and feel deeply.
Visit her website: https://www.tiarynmusic.com/
When The Ground Paused credits: Score producer Tiaryn Griggs. Improvised score performed by Julien Wilson and Melina Van Leeuwen.
Want to hear music from these composers, as well as the history of Australian films – and films from TIFF festivals in recent years?
Check out our TIFF 2026 playlist. More details on what’s on the playlist is below.
Music from TIFF 2026 Films & Composers:
“exit” by Boler Mani – Features in the TIFF 2026 film Kick On.
“I Went Home (featuring Sean Carey)” by Caitlin Yeo from the film Every Little Thing. Caitlin composed the TIFF 2026 mini-series 2.6 Seconds: Death In The Outback.
“Waiting for a God” by Tiaryn Griggs – A single from the composer of the short film When The Ground Paused.
“Mama Ma” by Stefan Gregory – From the National Theatre’s Phaedra. Gregory is the composer of the TIFF 2026 film Elsinore.
“Fall At Your Feet” by Michael Yezerski from The Black Balloon (TIFF 2008). Crowded House cover. Michael is the composer of the TIFF 2026 film Girl Group.
“Lawn Standoff” by Gabriel Mounsey and Johnny Klimek from Breaking In – Composers of the TIFF 2026 film Kick On.
“Meditation” by Caitlin Yeo from the film Guided by Horses. Caitlin composed the TIFF 2026 mini-series 2.6 Seconds: Death In The Outback.
“Jammin’” by Ardijah – Featured in the TIFF 2026 film God Bless You, Mr Kopu.
“In The Grass” by Stefan Gregory – From in the film Cottontail (2023). Stefan composed the TIFF 2026 film Elsinore.
“Cloud Atlas Finale” co-composed by Johnny Klimek for Cloud Atlas (TIFF 2012) – Co-composer of the TIFF 2026 film Kick On.
“Shark Kingdom” by Caitlin Yeo from the film Shark Kingdom (2025). Caitlin composed the TIFF 2026 mini-series 2.6 Seconds: Death In The Outback.
“The Glass Menagerie” by Stefan Gregory – From the production of the same name. Gregory is the composer of the TIFF 2026 film Elsinore.
“Safely” by Tiaryn Griggs – A single from the composer of the short film When The Ground Paused.
“AU Falcon” by Lavez – Features in the TIFF 2026 film Kick On.
“Kleo’s Revenge” by Johnny Klimek for the Netflix series Kleo – Co-composer of the TIFF 2026 film Kick On.
“Utopia” by Michael Yezerski from The Lost Thing. Michael is the composer of the TIFF 2026 film Girl Group.
“It’s Alright” by Kruger James – the project of the composer of God Bless You, Mr Kopu, Brian James Kruger.
Music from past TIFF Films, Composers and the history of Australian cinema:
“Vegas” by Antony Partos from the film Christy (TIFF 2025)
“The Worker” by Party Dozen, as featured in The Royal Hotel (TIFF 2023)
“Estranged” by Stevie Jean. Stevie starred in Rebel Wilson’s The Deb (TIFF 2024). This film was also composed by Michael Yezerski.
“Overture from Crocodile Dundee” by Peter Best from Crocodile Dundee (1986)
“Sparkling Diamonds” from Moulin Rouge (2001)
“Love is in the Air (Ballroom Mix)” by John Paul Young from Strictly Ballroom (TIFF 1992, People’s Choice Winner)
“The Road” by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis from the film The Road (TIFF 2009)
“This Heart Attack” by Faker, which featured in the 2008 film Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger. Stefan Gregory, the composer of Elsinore, was a member of this band.
“Somersault” by Decoder Ring from Somersault (TIFF 2004)
“What A Man” by Jessica Mauboy from The Sapphires (TIFF 2012)
“Don’t You Worry” by Electric Fields from Sweet As (TIFF 2022)
“The Day The World Stood Still” by Tina Arena & Australian Boys Choir from The Dish (TIFF 2000)
“Show Me The Way” by 18YOMAN ft. tiffi from Leviticus (2026)
“Crushed Velvet” by Molly Lewis. Molly is featured in the documentary Whistle (TIFF 2025)
“One Crowded Hour’ by Augie March, as featured in The Royal Hotel (TIFF 2023)
“Lazarus Drug” by Megan Washington, as featured in Bluey (Episode “The Sign”, 2024). Washington also composed music for The Deb (TIFF 2024)
“The Sheep Rustlers” by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra from Babe (1995)
“These Days” by Powderfinger, featured in the film Two Hands (1999)
“Dinner Time” by Spiderbait, featured in the film Looking for Alibrandi (2000)
“The Dressmaker Closing Credits” by David Hirshfelder, from the film The Dressmaker (TIFF 2015)
“Don’t Fly Away (PNAU Remix)” by PNAU, Elvis Presley from the film Elvis (2022)