Founded in 1976, the festival is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals worldwide.

Nearly 300 films are expected to be screened over the 10-day event, and the different segments of the festival feature 13 Arab and African films.

CENTREPIECE
 

The festival will screen five African and Arab films as part of its Centrepiece segment for narrative feature films. These films include:

Front Row
 

Front Row (Algeria) will be screened in the Centrepiece's subsection of films Luminaries.

Directed by Merzak Allouache, the film is a dramedy that focuses on a conflict between two strong-willed women competing for the best spot at the beach, the front row, offering an unobstructed view of the horizon. 

In this light-hearted film, Allouache creates diverse characters while exploring the peculiarities and challenges of social interactions at the beach.

This is the second time that a film by Allouache has been screened in Toronto.

His desert drama Divine Wind (2018) had its world premiere at the TIFF's Masters programme.

To a Land Unknown
 

Inspired by Ghassan Kanafani's novella Men in the Sun (1962), the narrative feature To a Land Unknown is Mahdi Fleifel's debut film.

Several countries have contributed to producing the film, including Palestine, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. It will have its North American premiere in Toronto.

The plot of To a Land Unknown revolves around a Palestinian refugee residing on the outskirts of Athens. He falls victim to a deceitful smuggler and embarks on a quest for vengeance.

Fleifel is a Dubai-born Palestinian-Danish filmmaker whose credits as a director include several highly successful films.

His film A Drowning Man (2019) scooped BAFTA and Palme d'Or for Best Short Film nominations and a Short Cuts nomination at TIFF 2017.

His feature documentary A World Not Ours (2012) was nominated to the People's Choice Award at TIFF (2012).

Happy Holidays
 

In Happy Holidays, the Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti presents "four interconnected characters who share their unique realities, highlighting the complexities between genders, generations, and cultures," reads the film's synopsis.

Before TIFF, Happy Holidays was screened at the Venice Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Orizzonti Award for best film.

Born in Jaffa in historic Palestine, Copti's films examine the social problems of Arab-Palestinian society in Israel. 

His debut feature film Ajami (2009), created with Israeli filmmaker Yaron Shani, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Village Next to Paradise
 

The Village Next to Paradise is directed by Mo Harawe, a Somali filmmaker known for titles such as Life on the Horn (2022) and Will My Parents Come to See Me (2022). 

The Village Next to Paradise had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

The film explores a young family in a windy Somali village as they balance their aspirations and the intricate world around them. Love, trust, and strength will help them navigate their paths in life.

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos

 

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos showcases a seven-year effort to reveal how poverty is used to justify unfair police raids and the destruction of communities. 

With a mix of thriller, documentary, and magical realism elements, this film captures the resilience of individuals fighting to defend their community and home in Africa’s biggest city.

The film marks the debut from Nigeria’s Agbajowo Collective, Elijah Atinkpo, Temitope Ogungbamila, Tina Edukpo, Okechukwu Samuel, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, Mathew Cerf, and James Tayler.

WAVELENGTH
 

The festival's Wavelength segment, named after Michael Snow's film Wavelength, screens feature-length, short experimental, and arthouse films.

This year two films from Egypt are screened within this TIFF's Wavelength. These films are:

Drama 1882 
 

Drama 1882 focuses on the story of Colonel Ahmed Urabi and his resistance against British imperialists.

Directed by Wael Shawky, the film delves into the interactions between different armies and among the Egyptian soldiers. It also sheds light on the harsh measures those in power are willing to take to retain control.

Shawky is known for the Cabaret Crusades series (2010–2015), where he explores the history of the Middle East through performances, sculptures, and films to address gaps in documentation.

Perfumed with Mint
 

Muhammed Hamdy’s film tells the story of two friends tragically afflicted by the problem of survival, depicted through mint growing on their bodies. The film reflects on an entire generation haunted by doubts about the future that arouse a sense of fear that appears in the form of a contagious disease. 

Hamdy has worked as a cinematographer in several films, the most prominent being The Square (2013), which earned an Oscar nomination and won an Emmy.

DISCOVERY
 

The festival's Discovery segment screens a director's first or second film. 

This section features just one film from Africa:

Freedom Way

 

The film is Afolabi Olalekan's feature debut.

It sheds light on political challenges affecting young Nigerians from various backgrounds, pushing a generation to seek opportunities elsewhere for a better future.

Olalekan is a filmmaker, producer, and editor from Lagos, Nigeria. Before Freedom Way, he directed the short films Caught Up (2019) and Without You (2021).

TIFF DOCS
 

The TIFF Docs segment screens documentary films. This year, the festival features three titles from Africa and the Arab world. These films include:

Sudan, Remember Us
 

The film is directed by Hind Meddeb, a Paris-based filmmaker who grew up between France, Morocco, and Tunisia. 

In 2019, her journey also took her to Khartoum where she had an opportunity to witness the political changes in Sudan first-hand.

This trip became the basis for her film Sudan, Remember Us, as she began filming with young activists advocating for a civilian government through peaceful protests, music performances, poetry readings, and mural paintings. 

Meddeb is not new to Toronto Festival; her film Paris Stalingrad screened at TIFF 2019.

From Ground Zero
 

From Ground Zero is a collaborative work involving 22 artists living in the Gaza Strip. 

The film was supported by the Mashawari Fund for films and filmmakers in Gaza, a body established by Gaza-born Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi in November 2023. 

Ground Zero offers a contextual and critically important perspective beyond the harsh realities depicted in live streams.

The production of this documentary aims to support internally displaced artists who are survivors of Israel's nearly year-long war on Gaza.

Two of Masharawi’s previous works were screened at the Toronto festival: Falastine Stereo (2013) and Leila’s Birthday (2008).

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
 

The documentary is directed by Raoul Peck, the director behind the award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro (2016).

In Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, Peck uses unpublished images to create an emotional portrayal of South African photographer Ernest Cole. While following the life of an artist living in exile, the film becomes a powerful story of Apartheid.

Cole is known for his book House of Bondage (1967), which showcased powerful images of apartheid from a Black perspective. 

In his twenties, he lived in exile in the United States and Europe, where he witnessed different forms of racism. Facing homelessness, he passed away from cancer in 1990, shortly after Nelson Mandela's release from prison.

GALA PRSENTATION
 

The Gala Presentation segment of TIFF features "high-profile feature films".

This year one title from the African continent is screened in the section:

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
 

In her directorial debut, the American-South African actress Embeth Davidtz adapts Alexandra Fuller's memoir to explore the decline of colonialism from the perspective of eight-year-old Bobo, living in years when Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) nears its crucial 1980 election, marking the end of white rule.

Davidtz appeared in films and TV, including Schindler’s List (1993), Matilda (1996), Mad Men (2009-2012), Ray Donovan (2016), and The Morning Show (2019-2021).

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
 

This segment is dedicated to screening what TIFF calls "notable feature films."

The Special Presentations section will screen one entry from Africa:

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
 

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, which debuted at Cannes, will also feature in the TIFF Next Wave Selects segment, which screens films for youth.

This is the second feature by Zambian-Welsh filmmaker Rungano Nyoni. The film is a surrealist drama exploring the hidden secrets within families.

Nyoni is a self-taught writer and director who was born in Zambia and grew up in Wales. She has created several short films. Her debut feature, I Am Not a Witch (2017), premiered at Cannes.