Hudson Williams Unveils YAGA at TIFF Primetime Premiere

YAGA, a Crave and AMC+ supernatural mystery thriller, will have its world premiere on September 10, 2026, in TIFF’s Primetime section at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.

The screening marks a notable step in star Hudson Williams’ transition from his breakout role in the gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry to leading-man status on the Crave/AMC+ series.

Created and written by Kat Sandler, YAGA is based on her own stage play and reimagines the Baba Yaga myth as a contemporary mystery thriller.

Williams plays Henry Park, with Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, and Clark Backo rounding out the cast. The series is scored by Trevor Yuile and runs for eight episodes.

Tickets for the world premiere screening are on sale via Ticketmaster.

Hudson Williams’ Career Shift

Williams, the B.C.-born actor who rose to international fame as Shane Hollander in the hit Crave series Heated Rivalry, will take part in a TIFF In Conversation With… session geared toward creators and audiences under 25.

The conversation will cover both Heated Rivalry and his role in YAGA, positioning the 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival as a launchpad for the actor’s next chapter.

TIFF organizers also announced In Conversation With… sessions for Chris Rock, Korean actor and singer Lee Min-ho, director Rachel Morrison, and Andrew Scott.

The Primetime section, which spotlights episodic work alongside the festival’s feature slate, gives YAGA a high-visibility debut ahead of its broader Crave and AMC+ rollout.

TIFF’s Primetime Push

The YAGA premiere arrives as TIFF continues to position Primetime as a destination for prestige television, with the festival running September 10 to 20.

Sandler’s move from stage play to series gives the Baba Yaga material a fresh entry point, and the TIFF bow places it directly in front of international buyers and press before its wider release.

Williams is also set to appear in the upcoming independent feature Apparatus, rounding out a year that has shifted his profile from breakout to leading man.

The TIFF conversation, paired with the YAGA world premiere, is built to capitalize on that momentum in front of a homegrown Canadian audience.

“This year’s In Conversation With… series brings together trailblazers and extraordinary storytellers for conversations that will offer audiences a deeper look at their craft and careers.”

— Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF

The Primetime slot also reflects a broader pattern at TIFF, where episodic work has become a consistent draw for both industry and audiences, complementing the festival’s film programming rather than playing second fiddle to it.

For Williams, the timing places him at the center of two parallel TIFF conversations: the one he’ll have on stage, and the one his new series will spark on screen.

Sources

• The Hollywood Reporter