East African cinema will take centre stage at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), taking place from 10–20 September, with Rwanda’s Ben’Imana and the Kenya-set international co-production Call Me Queen among the films representing the region.
Ben’Imana, the debut feature from Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, will screen in TIFF’s Centrepiece programme, marking its North American premiere. The film made history in May 2026 as the first film by a Rwandan director to premiere in the Official Selection at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, where it went on to win both the prestigious Caméra d’Or and the FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics.
Ten years in the making, Ben’Imana explores the complex legacy of trauma and reconciliation through the story of a woman confronting painful memories while navigating conversations between survivors and the families of perpetrators. Her own moral ambiguity is brought into sharp focus when her daughter becomes pregnant.
The film stars Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi, Isabelle Kabano, Kesia Kelly Nishimwe, Leocadie Uwabeza, Antoinette Uwamahoro and Aime Valens Tuyisenge.
At TIFF, Ben’Imana will screen alongside a strong selection of African productions, including Nigeria’s Clarissa, directed by Arie and Chuko Esiri, which will screen in Special Presentations. The Centrepiece programme will also feature Congo Boy, a Central African Republic–DRC co-production directed by Rafiki Fariala, and Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars, a France–Chad co-production directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.
Kenya will also be represented at the inaugural TIFF: The Market, running from 10–16 September, with Call Me Queen featuring in the Market Screenings programme.
A Kenya–Germany–UK–France co-production, Call Me Queen is set in Nairobi in the late 1990s and follows the relationship between a Rwandan woman and an Irish journalist as they challenge powerful pharmaceutical companies operating at the centre of the AIDS crisis.
The film is adapted from Lara Santoro’s 2007 novel Mercy and directed by German-born, French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef, whose previous work includes More Than Ever.
Rwandan-French actress Eliane Umuhire, known for A Quiet Place: Day One, leads the cast alongside Irish actress Denise Gough of Andor. The ensemble also includes Dominic West (The Crown), Danny Sapani (The Diplomat), Nice Githinji (Subterranea), Michelle Tiren (Nawi) and Helen Keli (Lazizi).
The TIFF Market screening comes ahead of the film’s theatrical releases in Germany on 15 October and Kenya on 30 October.
Beyond East Africa, African cinema will have a notable presence across TIFF 2026. Other titles include South Africa–Australia co-production Future Tense in Centrepiece; Nigeria’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives in Centrepiece; The Smell of Apples, a South Africa–Netherlands–Chile co-production, in Platform; Ghana’s Zjili: A Story of Sisterhood and the Burdens of Excess in Discovery; and the Nigerian short The Spectacular Death of Prisca and Egypt–France–Belgium co-production The Day I Smoked a Cigarette with My Father in Short Cuts.
Together, these films highlight the growing international visibility of African filmmakers and the diversity of stories emerging from across the continent, with TIFF providing an important platform for African cinema to reach global audiences, industry professionals and international distributors.
