Toronto/CMEDIA: Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, about Scottish actor Ian Charleson (1949–1990), ‘Elsinore’ is a 2026 biographical drama film, winner of the TIFF26 International People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers had its Canadian premiere as a special presentation in 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
Launched in 1978, the TIFF People’s Choice Award, presented by Rogers, celebrates the Festival’s Toronto’s passionate and discerning public audience. The honour now spans four categories: overall, International, Documentary, and Midnight Madness.
Set in 1989, the plot of the story begins when Daniel Day-Lewis abruptly walks off the stage mid-performance during a production of Hamlet. Ian Charleson (played by Andrew Scott), facing a downturn in his career with a terminal AIDS diagnosis, seizes the vacancy as his final chance to achieve artistic glory. The conflict arises when his doctor, Margaret Johnson (played by Olivia Colman), warns him that the grueling physical and mental demands of the role will shorten his life, to which Ian defiantly resolves that he would rather die playing Hamlet than give up. The film tracks Ian as he divides his time between intense hospital treatments and backstage rehearsals. Along the way, he navigates complex relationships with friends, family, and figures from his past—including a tense encounter with filmmaker Derek Jarman—while finding joy, humor, and profound community support. The conflict of the story arises when his illness, largely a secret from the cast and public, Charleson manages to push through and complete a remarkable 24-performance run on stage before his health finally forces him to stop.
The film is about a painful chapter in queer history with considerable humor from the gay slang regardless of sexuality. There are scenes at the clinic, where gay men constantly encounter friends and ex-lovers receiving treatment at various stages of the illness. The appearances of the director Derek Jarman (David Dawson) is one of the the most remarkable insights into queer history, With the progression of his own illness progresses, Derek urges Ian to go public about his health, to help destigmatize AIDS outside of LGBTQ circles.
“You have a responsibility to the dead, to the dying,” Derek tells him. Reflecting on his choice to stay silent (until after his death) Ian says, “Of course, in the theater no one gives a fuck.”
The emotional depth of “Elsinore” comes from the way Ian embraces life while knowing how fragile has become. “When it comes to life, it’s always been Hamlet,” Charleson says. It is about the joy of doing the work. Ian knew what he wanted to do with the time he had. Watching him walk toward Hamlet, knowing what Charleson knew about his own body and his own future, is heartbreaking. For “Elsinore“, the stage is not an escape from life. There is a similarity between last year’s People’s Choice winner, “Hamnet“, which also ends with the final scene from Hamlet, and here another People’s Choice-winner brings that same Shakespearean world into its closing moments.
Simon Stone was born in Basel, Switzerland. His debut feature The Daughter (15) premiered at the Festival and was adapted from his own stage production of The Wild Duck. Other credits include The Dig (21) and The Woman in Cabin 10 (25). Elsinore (26) is his latest film.
