TIFF Day One: African Excellence, Global Cinema and Who Gets to Tell Our Stories?

Day one of the Toronto International Film Festival started with exactly the kind of energy I hoped TIFF 2026 would bring: international cinema, African excellence, unexpected conversations and a reminder that some of the most important moments at a film festival happen away from the red carpet.

My first day brought me to the Global Africa Hub, where I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Danai Gurira, the Zimbabwean American actor, playwright and producer many audiences around the world know as the fierce and unforgettable Okoye from Marvel’s Black Panther films. I also had the opportunity to connect with African filmmakers and talented members of Nollywood, Nigeria’s powerhouse film industry. Yes, Wakanda and Nollywood pulled up to Toronto, and I was absolutely here for it, but beyond the excitement of meeting incredibly talented people, there was a much deeper conversation taking place.

The Global Africa Hub creates a space for African filmmakers, producers and other industry professionals to connect, collaborate and expand the global reach of African cinema. Spaces like this are important because African filmmakers are not simply looking for somewhere to screen their work. They are looking for investment, distribution, partnerships and access to the international infrastructure that determines which films travel and which stories reach audiences around the world.

One of the most interesting conversations I had with Danai and other African creatives centred around a subject that deserves far more attention: who is actually writing African stories? We discussed the reality that African films and stories are sometimes written, shaped or interpreted by people who are not African and who may not have the lived experience, cultural understanding or historical relationship necessary to fully understand the communities they are portraying. It was a conversation that stayed with me long after we finished talking.

There is nothing inherently wrong with people being interested in cultures outside of their own, and filmmaking has always involved collaboration across borders, cultures and backgrounds. However, there is a major difference between collaborating with African storytellers and speaking for Africans while African writers, directors and producers remain outside the rooms where the most important creative decisions are being made.

For generations, Africa has been interpreted for the world through somebody else’s lens. Too often the continent has been reduced to poverty, war, corruption, disease, tribal conflict or an exotic backdrop to somebody else’s adventure. Those realities may exist in parts of Africa, just as poverty, violence and political dysfunction exist elsewhere in the world, but they are nowhere close to representing the fullness of an entire continent.

Africa is 54 countries with thousands of cultures, languages, traditions and histories. It is innovation, comedy, romance, family, politics, spirituality, fashion, music, technology, business, struggle and extraordinary creativity. No single narrative can define a continent that vast, which is precisely why Africans must be positioned not simply as the subjects of African stories, but as the writers, producers, directors, executives and owners behind them.

There is also an economic component that cannot be ignored because storytelling is not simply culture, it is an industry. When African stories become commercially successful but the ownership, financing, writing and distribution remain predominantly outside African hands, we have to ask who ultimately benefits from African creativity. Representation in front of the camera matters tremendously, but representation without creative authority and economic participation can only take us so far.

What excited me about the conversations at the Global Africa Hub was hearing African creatives talking about changing that equation. The conversation is bigger than simply asking Hollywood and other international film industries to include Africa. It is about African filmmakers developing the relationships, financing, infrastructure and distribution necessary to tell our own stories, own those stories and take them directly to audiences around the world.

Nollywood is already demonstrating what becomes possible when Africans build an industry around African storytelling. Nigeria has developed one of the world’s most prolific film industries, creating stories that unapologetically centre African characters, families, humour, traditions, conflicts and experiences. Its enormous reach proves something that should no longer be up for debate: there is a global audience hungry for African stories, and Africans do not need to dilute who we are to make those stories valuable.

Day one reminded me why I love covering festivals like TIFF. Yes, there are celebrities, premieres, beautiful clothes, cameras and all the glitz and glamour that come with one of the world’s major film festivals, but underneath all of that are important conversations about culture, ownership, opportunity and whose voices get amplified. Meeting Danai Gurira and connecting with members of Nollywood and other African filmmakers was certainly a highlight of my first day, but the conversation surrounding ownership of African storytelling may have been even more significant.

Our stories deserve to travel the world, but Africans should never have to surrender ownership of our voices in order for the world to hear them. If day one is any indication of what TIFF 2026 has in store, there are going to be plenty more conversations worth having, stories worth telling and maybe a few surprises along the way. This was only the beginning, so stay tuned because there is much more TIFF coverage to come.

Check out the reel here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJkD9Sha6c/?stkn=MWpnYmQyM2I2ZDhzMw==