Being Heumann is an upcoming American biographical drama film directed by Sian Heder with Ruth Madeley starring as Judith Heumann alongside Mark Ruffalo. It is an adaptation of the memoir Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann.
The film is set to premiere as the opening film of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2026.
Contents
Cast
Ruth Madeley as Judith Heumann
Mark Ruffalo as Joseph A. Califano Jr.
Dylan O'Brien as Evan White
Madeline Delp as Kitty Cone
Rob Delaney as Congressman Miller
Ray Fisher as Chuck Jackson
Michael Patrick Thornton as Ed Roberts
Antwan Tolliver as Brad Lomax
Daniel Durant as Steve McCleeland
Jon Beavers as Jim Pechin
Roberta Colindrez as Joni Breves
Russell Harvard as Olin Fortney
Saad Kassis-Mohamed as Tony (Cameo)
Production
The film is directed by Sian Heder, who – with Rebekah Taussig – adapted the Judy Heumann memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist. The film is from Apple Studios and is produced by David Permut and Kevin Walsh, whose the Walsh Company has an overall deal with Apple. Heumann's managers, John W. Beach and Kevin Cleary of Gravity Squared Entertainment, are also producers.
In May 2025, Ruth Madeley was cast to play Heumann. Mark Ruffalo and Dylan O'Brien were added to the cast the following month. In July 2025, Madeline Delp, Rob Delaney, Ray Fisher, Michael Patrick Thornton, Antwan Tolliver, Daniel Durant, Jon Beavers, Roberta Colindrez, and Russell Harvard joined the cast.
Principal photography took place in Toronto in mid-2025.
Release
In July 2026, Being Heumann was announced as the opening film of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. It is scheduled to be released in select theaters on November 6, 2026, and will be released on Apple TV on November 13.