Covering the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival: A Celebration of Global Cinema
Hi loves, this weekend brought me to the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, better known as TINFF, for a day of film, interviews and timeless red carpet glamour in Toronto.
I attended, capturing moments from the festival and speaking with attendees throughout the day. While I’ve covered quite a few events more recently, incorporating more structured onsite interviews as a media representative introduced a slightly different dimension to the experience.
There was also something particularly special about experiencing TINFF for myself. I grew up watching Nollywood films, so this is a world of storytelling that has been familiar to me for as long as I can remember.
Experiencing a festival celebrating that industry here in Toronto, this time from a professional perspective, felt like a lovely full circle moment. And of course, a film festival provided the perfect excuse to dress up for the occasion.
The TINFF Experience: Celebrating Nollywood & Beyond
For anyone unfamiliar with it, the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival brings together films and filmmakers from Nigeria, Canada and around the world, with a program spanning feature films, shorts, documentaries and more.
This year marked an especially notable chapter for TINFF as the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary, with programming taking place from September 4 to 12.
Alongside its Nollywood roots, the festival has a deeply international reach. And while TINFF itself was a new experience for me, Nollywood certainly wasn’t.
Though my life has richly consisted of living in different parts of the world, I’m Nigerian myself, and have personally grown up watching Nollywood films over the years with family. Classic 2000s movies featuring familiar faces like Van Vicker and Nadia Buari have definitely been part of my catalogue. Anyone familiar with that era will probably remember just how present they were, and are, within the wider Nollywood scene.
My watchlist has naturally evolved quite a bit since then. Lately, I’ve especially been loving Uche Montana’s movies and fabulous style. Monica and Monica 2 have been recent favorites and were honestly such good watches. At the TINFF 2026 festival later this week, she’s also been announced to receive major recognition at the Fashion Essence 2026 gala, with the Honorary Award of African Versatile Actress of the Year.
All of this made experiencing TINFF feel particularly fitting. It was an opportunity to encounter something I had grown up with in an entirely different setting, through an international film festival here in Toronto. And looking through the program, the versatility of the festival quickly became apparent.
Around the World Through Film
I attended the September programming at Fairview Theatre, where the day’s schedule extended well beyond Nigerian cinema. Films from Nigeria appeared alongside selections covering North America, Europe, Asia and beyond, giving the day’s programming a holistic and international scope.
Some were only a few minutes long while others were full length features, creating a beautiful program where you could immerse yourself in different countries, cultures and styles of storytelling throughout the day. I particularly enjoyed seeing that breadth within the program. There was something quite compelling about having a variety of stories occupy the same screen throughout a single day, particularly at a festival rooted in celebrating Nollywood while creating space for filmmakers and perspectives from much further beyond.
For anyone who enjoys discovering international cinema, it also makes TINFF the kind of festival where you could easily select a few screenings and make an afternoon of it.
A Little Film Festival Glamour
Naturally, I couldn’t talk about my TINFF experience without getting into the fashion.
A film festival felt like the perfect occasion to dress up a little, so I opted for a cream floral midi dress paired with gold jewelry, cream flats and my structured cream bag.
Feminine, polished and perfect for a moment at the movies.
Once I arrived at Fairview, the TINFF media wall and festival displays offered a lovely introduction to the day before heading inside. I’ve always loved everything surrounding an event just as much as the main attraction itself. The warm lights, overall setting, and smaller visual details all become part of the experience, and film festivals naturally possess a certain glamour that makes those moments particularly fun to capture.
There was something rather fitting about going from the media wall straight into a morning screening.
A Morning at the Movies
The film I watched that morning was an early premiere of A Visit to Ward 4, which explored themes such as grief, family, faith and hope. One sentiment that particularly stayed with me was the idea of moving through life with hope, despite not immediately being granted a resolution, yet still choosing to believe and continue moving forward, even as life might change unexpectedly.
Following the screening, the afternoon shifted into another facet of the TINFF experience: interviews.
Conversations at TINFF
Spending part of the day speaking with attendees added an entirely different dimension to the festival.
What I enjoyed most was hearing the range of perspectives that emerged, and there’s something truly worthwhile about seeing where a question leads once someone begins sharing their own thoughts.
It also felt particularly suited to a film festival. So much of cinema revolves around perspective and storytelling, and the conversations surrounding a film can become another layer of the experience altogether.
Moving between the theater and interviews gave the day a more expansive feel. There were polished moments in front of the camera, conversations unfolding around the festival and plenty happening in between. It brought a different variety to the event coverage I’ve done previously, and one I particularly enjoyed.
One aspect of TINFF I truly appreciated was seeing many facets of the film industry converge within the same setting. Filmmakers, actors, media and audiences moved through the festival spaces alongside one another, creating an atmosphere shaped as much by the people surrounding the films as the stories appearing on screen.
There’s a particular energy that comes with creative spaces like these. Conversations unfold between screenings, introductions are made and perspectives cross paths, all against the backdrop of a shared appreciation for film.
Through a Different Lens
By the time I wrapped up my day, TINFF had offered a completely different way of experiencing something that had actually been familiar to me for as long as I can remember. Growing up, Nollywood was something I knew through years of watching the movies with family. This time, I was experiencing it within a Toronto film festival, surrounded by an international program and spending part of my day interviewing and capturing memories from the event.
I think that contrast is what I enjoyed most.
So much of what I love exploring has an international dimension to it, whether that means discovering beautiful destinations, immersing myself in different cultures or even getting to know a place through its unique culinary landscape. In many ways, that perspective has also been shaped by my own experiences living in different parts of the world. TINFF offered another lovely avenue through which to explore that international landscape, this time through film.
It felt like a natural extension of something I already love, simply viewed through an entirely different lens.
TINFF was a lovely addition to the many ways I’ve been able to experience Toronto’s diverse landscape, and I’d certainly enjoy exploring more of the film festival world along the way. There’s something rather special about being transported between different places, cultures and stories without ever leaving the theater, and I’ve enjoyed sharing my experience with you.
More on TravelwithCamillaT
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You can also follow along on my socials where I’ll be sharing more from my time at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, including moments from throughout the day and a closer look at my TINFF experience.
Have you ever attended TINFF, or explored the world of Nollywood and global cinema? Let me know in the comments. Perhaps I’ll catch you at a future film festival.
Love,
Camilla-T. 🎬✨
For collaborations and inquiries, feel free to reach out at contactcamilla.t@gmail.com.
Wow. Soulds so posh and exciting to meet with those stars. You had a Star studded evening.
I had never heard of the Toronto film festival. Thanks for sharing such an in depth article on your experience!
What an amazing experience! I love how this brought together Nollywood, international films, culture, and fashion all in one event. It must have been especially meaningful to experience something you grew up watching from a completely different perspective as media.
What a lovely review of your experience. You looked absolutely stunning. I am from South Africa, I love that Nigeria - Africa has this platform for their films. I really enjoyed this line from your piece: "One sentiment that particularly stayed with me was the idea of moving through life with hope, despite not immediately being granted a resolution, yet still choosing to believe and continue moving forward, even as life might change unexpectedly." I enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing.
This sounds like an amazing event! I love your personal connection to the TINFF. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful pictures and details about the festival.