Four years ago, writer-director Siân Heder pulled off one of the great Oscar upsets of all time when her heartwarming family drama CODA claimed the Best Picture statuette over Jane Campion’s acclaimed Western The Power of the Dog at the 2022 Oscar ceremony. That victory also made history as CODA entered the record books as the first Sundance Film Festival premiere to ever win the Academy’s top prize, and the first-ever streaming release to be crowned Best Picture.
Naturally, expectations are high for Heder’s follow-up, Being Heumann, which received a prominent awards season berth as the opening-night attraction at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Ahead of that Sept. 10 TIFF premiere, Apple TV — which previously released CODA after scooping it up at Sundance — has unveiled the first teaser trailer for the period drama, which will open in select theaters on Nov. 6 before coming to streaming on Nov. 13.
Set in the 1970s, the film depicts the true story of pioneering disability rights activist Judith Heumann, played onscreen by stage and screen actress, Ruth Madeley. Before passing away in 2023, the real Heumann waged numerous court battles to advance key battles for America’s disabled community. Being Heumann specifically focuses on a famed sit-in that Heumann spearheaded in 1977 in San Francisco, which still holds the record for the country’s longest sit-in at a federal building
“They see you in front of the stairs and they think that you’re the problem,” Madeley tells her followers in the trailer. “The stairs are the problem!”
Watch the first teaser trailer and read on for everything else to know about Being Heumann.
The story
Here’s the official Being Heumann logline from Apple TV: “They wouldn’t take Judy Heumann’s phone calls, so she took their building. In 1977, a young disabled woman and a scrappy coalition of outsiders decide they’ve had enough. What begins as one impulsive act becomes the longest occupation of a federal building in American history, as hundreds spontaneously seize government offices and refuse to leave until the bureaucrat in their way takes action. Bringing rebellion in all its forms to the hallowed halls, a movement’s accidental leaders struggle to find their path forward where none has ever been paved for them.”
The cast and creative team
Besides Madeley, the cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O’Brien, Madeline Delp, Rob Delaney, Ray Fisher, and Michael Patrick Thornton.
Behind the camera, Heder is joined by co-writer, Rebekah Taussig, to craft a screenplay based on Heumann’s own memoir. The producing team includes Kevin J. Walsh, David Permut, John W. Beach, and Kevin Cleary. Jamie D. Ramsay serves as the director of photography, Francesco Le Metre composed the score, and Geraud Brisson is the editor.
The awards prospects
Based on CODA‘s 3-for-3 Oscar run — besides its Best Picture victory, it also won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur — Being Heumann comes into awards season with plenty of pedigree. Apple would love to add another Best Picture nomination to its shelf after Killers of the Flower Moon and F1 received nods, and Heder could once again compete in Best Adapted Screenplay and potentially receive her first Best Director nod. And in a year that’s still light on Best Actress contenders, Madeley could navigate her way into the race.
The release date
Being Heumann will open in limited theatrical release on Nov. 6, and stream on Apple TV on Nov. 13.
