The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) prepares to welcome a powerhouse selection of Nigerian features this September. TIFF typically receives over 4,000 submissions annually from more than 100 countries. From the thousands of submissions, only 293 films made it into this year’s official selection. This information comes from TIFF’s official schedule release and press announcement on Now.
The Toronto International Film Festival 2026 will feature three Nollywood projects.
Leading the wave is Daniel Oriahi’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, an adaptation of Lola Shoneyin’s 2010 novel produced by EbonyLife Films.The story explores themes such as marriage, patriarchy, secrecy, and female agency within a polygamous household in Nigeria, will star Odunlade Adekola, Omowunmi Dada, Bimbo Ademoye, Iyabo Ojo, and Mercy Aigbe.
The film has been selected to premiere in TIFF’s Centrepiece section and will premiere in cinemas this december.
Next on this lineup is Clarissa, a highly anticipated drama directed by the Esiri Brothers. It had it’s world premiere at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and NEON acquired the distribution rights. Clarissa which is a contemporary Lagos-set reimagination of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, stars an international cast including Sophie Okenedo, David Oyelowo, India Amarteifio, and Ayo Edebiri.
Rounding out the selections is Kaelo Iyizoba’s The Spectacular Death of Prisca, chosen to premiere in TIFF’s competitive shorts formats lineup. The Spectacular Death of Prisca, framed as a retro, fever-dream love letter to the 1980s and early 2000s, stars Rita Dominic, Genevieve Umeh, Shamz Garuba, and Kenzy Udosen. The story about a mother’s high-stakes quest to save her daughter on the day of the wedding.
The festival will run from September 10th to the 20th in Toronto, Canada. As Nollywood filmmakers continue to secure prominent positions in several festivals, they amplify Nigeria’s presence and influence worldwide.
