The 50th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will open on Sept. 4 at Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall with the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me, directed by Colin Hanks.

The feature documentary is produced by Ryan Reynolds, George Dewey and Johnny Pariseau through Reynolds’ U.S. banner Maximum Effort; Company Name’s Hanks and Sean Stewart; Zipper Bros Films’ Glen Zipper; and Shane Reid. It acts as a tribute to Canadian actor and comedian John Candy and includes never-before-seen home videos, intimate stories from Candy’s family as well as recollections from close friends and collaborators.

“We love that John’s global career started in Toronto, and we can’t wait to share John Candy: I Like Me with everyone at this year’s Opening Night Gala premiere,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a statement. “For us, it’s the perfect way to kick off TIFF’s 50th edition.”

Candy is known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television and his roles in films such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles and The Great Outdoors. Candy died of a heart attack in 1994 at 43-years-old.

John Candy: I Like Me is an Amazon MGM title and will premiere globally on Prime Video in October.

“He wasn’t just a great actor; he was an even better person. People loved his everyman qualities, but they didn’t know how relatable John really was,” said Reynolds and Hanks in a joint statement. “We are incredibly honoured to have gotten to know the man better through this process and to bring the real John Candy to audiences starting with his hometown of Toronto.”

Image courtesy of The Toronto International Film Festival. Photo by Connie Tsang