The Toronto International Film Festival has named 54 titles for its 2026 Centrepiece programme, five of them African productions or co-productions. Two are world premieres. Three arrive from earlier runs at Cannes and Berlin.
World premieres
"Future Tense" (Jenna Cato Bass | South Africa, Australia) is the South African director's fifth feature and her first work of science fiction. Set in a volatile near-future where wealthy tourists use time travel to escape into the past, it follows an interracial couple whose relationship is tested when one of them decides to change history. Lawrence Maleka and Kristen Raath lead. Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings of Australia's Causeway Films produce with Hisham Samie; Visit Films handles sales. Bass premiered "Good Madam" at TIFF in 2021.
"The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" (Daniel Oriahi | Nigeria) adapts Lola Shoneyin's 2010 novel, scripted by Adze Ugah. Bolanle, a university-educated woman, becomes the fourth wife of a prosperous Ibadan patriarch, and her arrival unsettles a household balance that has held for years, exposing what the first three wives have gone to great lengths to protect. Odunlade Adekola, Iyabo Ojo, Mercy Aigbe, Bimbo Ademoye and Omowunmi Dada head a large ensemble. EbonyLife Films produces with Genesis Group, Nile Media Entertainment Group and Silverbird Group, with Mo Abudu executive producing. Nigerian theatrical release is set for December 4, alongside an international rollout.
From Cannes and Berlin
"Ben'Imana" (Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo | Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway, Côte d'Ivoire) takes its North American premiere. Rwanda, 2012: Vénéranda, a survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi, leads dialogue between victims and the families of perpetrators until her daughter's unexpected pregnancy forces her to test the limits of her own convictions. The first feature by a Rwandan director in Cannes Official Selection, it won the Caméra d'Or and the FIPRESCI award for Un Certain Regard. Produced by Ejo Cine and Princesse M Prod with Les Films du Bilboquet and Duo Film, and among the first titles backed by Rwanda's state Film Fund. mk2 Films sells.
"Congo Boy" (Rafiki Fariala | Central African Republic, France, DR Congo, Italy) also takes its North American premiere. In Bangui, 17-year-old Robert wants a career in music; when both parents are imprisoned, he is left to raise four younger siblings while juggling odd jobs, school exams and concert stages. The first Central African film in Cannes, where Bradley Fiomona took the Un Certain Regard acting prize. The Party Film Sales handles the title.
"Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars" (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Chad, France) arrives from Berlin Competition, where it won the FIPRESCI award for best film. In the Ennedi Massif, Kellou is troubled by visions that separate her from her village until she meets Aya, an outcast the community has rejected; when the villagers turn on the two women, Kellou defends her. Haroun co-wrote with novelist Laurent Gaudé. Pili Films produces with Haroun's Goï-Goï Productions, with CNC and Red Sea Fund support. Films Boutique sells; KMBO released the film in France in April.
Wavelengths and TIFF Classics, announced the same day, contain no African titles.
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10–20, 2026.