Cillian Murphy starring Steve to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

The upcoming Netflix film Steve is set to premiere as the opener of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which runs September 4 through 14.

Steve stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy along with Emma Watson, Jay Lycurgo, Travey Ullman and Simbi Ajikawo. It will be the first TIFF appearance for director Tim Mielants, whose credits include Small Things Like These and Peaky Blinders — both of which also starred Murphy.

Based on English writer Max Porter’s novel Shy, Steve follows a day in the life of headteacher Steve (played by Murphy) and his students at a reformatory school in the mid-1990s.

The titular character struggles with his mental health amid the school's impending closure, while teenage student Shy (Lycurgo) wrestles with self-destructive impulses and a troubling past.

Porter contributes as an executive producer. The film is scored by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, who previously collaborated on the Annihilation soundtrack among various other projects.

The film is the first on TIFF's Platform programme lineup, alongside nine international films that the Festival says offer audiences "a first glimpse at some of the most compelling cinematic voices on the rise."

Steve will be released in Ireland on September 19.