OUT OF AFRICA: TIFF 2026 CENTREPIECE LINEUP SPANS FOUR REGIONS OF AFRICAN CINEMA

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled its 2026 Centrepiece lineup, with multiple African films selected for competition.

Presented by Intrepid Travel, this year’s slate features 54 titles from filmmakers representing 50 countries, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and more, underscoring TIFF’s commitment to spotlighting the best in global cinema.

Selected titles from the African continent include:

Ben’Imana by Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo (Rwanda/Gabon) – In this powerful, feminist debut feature which won the Caméra d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Dusabejambo brilliantly explores the issue of forgiveness in the wake of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda.

Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala (Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo) – Drawing upon Fariala’s own experience as a displaced Congolese finding purpose in art, this rousing character study follows a young man trying to care for his family while forging his own path as a rapper in Bangui.

Future Tense by Jenna Cato Bass (South Africa) – An examination of climate change, human guilt, and South Africa’s identity via a bold time-lapse story based in the near future.

Soumsoum, The Night Of The Stars by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad) – Five years after Lingui, the Sacred Bonds, Haroun returns to TIFF with his latest feature, winner of the FIPRESCI Award at the 2026 Berlinale.

The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi’s Wives by Daniel Oriahi (Nigeria) – Adapted from Lola Shoneyin’s novel of the same name, a wealthy patriarch’s fragile household unravels when the youngest of his four wives fails to conceive. Blending sharp Nollywood wit with tenderness, this deeply satisfying drama explores topics of infertility, gendered inheritance, and shifting family power.

Elsewhere, Kaelo Iyizoba’s The Spectacular Death Of Prisca, a love letter to Nollywood, has been selected for TIFF’s 2026 Short Cuts programme.

The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs from 10 to 20 September 2026. Find out more here.