BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions TIFF’s Most Unconventional Soundtrack on Screen

I walked into BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions not fully knowing what to expect, but what I got was something I’ve never quite experienced at TIFF before. This wasn’t just a film, it was a full-body experience.

Directed and conceived by Kahlil Joseph, the project is backed by some heavy-hitting executive producers: Anikah McLaren, David Linde, and Steven Soderbergh, with production by Onye Anyanwu, Amy Greenleaf, Nic Gonda, and Joseph himself. But let me tell you, this film doesn’t lean on star power. It holds its own.

Here’s the thing: BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions doesn’t play by the rules. It unfolds like a record album, each of its 21 “tracks” bleeding into the next, mixing visuals and sound with a rhythm that feels alive. It’s intriguing, thought-provoking, and unique in the way music is woven directly into the stories, music doesn’t just accompany the film, it isthe film.

The stereo soundscape had me feeling like I was sitting in the middle of a conversation between history and the present, between ancestors and the digital age.

The film pulls from everywhere. Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. Du Bois, Saidiya Hartman—and then layers in the chaos of YouTube clips, TikTok, journalism, and old film reels. It shouldn’t work, but it does. It’s disorienting at times, but in the best way, forcing you to pay attention, to really hear what’s being said.

We travel 247 years across land and sea, weaving fictional and historical figures into this sweeping story of Black existence. Guest artists drop in like surprise features on an album, each adding their own verse, their own energy. And just like a great mixtape, you’re never sure what the next track will hit you with, but you know it’s going to hit.

When the lights came up, I sat there for a second, letting it all sink in. BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions isn’t designed to give you neat answers or a tidy ending. Instead, it’s a mirror, a challenge, and a conversation all rolled into one. At TIFF, where films compete for attention, this one didn’t just stand out, it demanded to be felt.

Another one to add to your must see list