A Magnificent Wrap On TIFF50
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, dubbed TIFF50, closed on September 14 with TIFF’s announcement of 12 awards including the Platform Award, TIFF’s only juried competition, and the coveted People’s Choice Awards presented by Rogers. The festival welcomed over 700,000 guests, nearly 2,000 accredited media, 6,000 industry delegates, 1,200 screenings, and a stellar lineup of talent who graced 110 red carpets. This year’s awards include two exciting new additions: the International People’s Choice Award and the Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film. The recipients of the 2025 People’s Choice Awards presented by Rogers are: Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice (International), Barry Avrich’s The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue (Documentary), and Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (Midnight Madness). A winner emerged for the Short Cut awards. The awards were presented to the Best International Short Film, Best Canadian Short Film, and Best Animated Short Film. The short cuts award for best international short film went to Talk Me directed by Joecar Hanna (Spain/USA), while the Short Cuts award for best Canadian short film went to Chris Lavis and Maciek Szezerbowski The Girl Who Cried Pearls. Agnes Patron received the Short Cuts award for Best Animated short film. Each of the three winning films will receive a bursary of 10,000 Canadian dollars. The 2025 jurors for the Short Cuts Awards were Ashley Iris Gill, Marcel Jean and Connor Jessup.

…As Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Mother’s Love Premieres
After a transformative three-decade career in front of the camera, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, a TIME 100 honouree and one of Africa’s most revered cinematic voices, has stepped into a new creative role. On September 6, 2025, during the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Ekeinde premiered her directorial debut, Mother’s Love, marking a pivotal moment for her career and for contemporary African cinema. The exclusive screening held at TIFF’s Lightbox 5 for an audience of distributors, sales agents, and international industry delegates. The anticipation was palpable as the Nollywood icon — a legend, who helped define an era of African filmmaking —unveiled a story from her own perspective. Mother’s Love is a layered and intimate exploration of maternal resilience, highlighting the quiet but unyielding influence of mothers across different social classes. The film examines the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, particularly those of first-born daughters, while also tackling themes of grief, PTSD, and social stratification. The screening was attended by a distinguished group of film industry figures, including Nigeria’s NFVCB’s Director General, Shaibu Hussein, and acclaimed filmmakers such as Obi Emelonye, Lonzo Nzekwe, and Charles Uwagbai. Also in attendance were Mother’s Love supporting actress Lilian Afegbai, producer Rogers Ofime, producer and director Oreoluwa Awolowo Nora, writer Oyin Debby, media personality Effe Tommy, casting director and actor Lala Akindoju, as well as Linda Osifo and OC Ukeje. The premiere also drew a number of Ekeinde’s friends, including Thansine Brown, Aluminas Sileris, Debby Taw, Lonzo, and De Hunter. Mother’s Love was met with an overwhelmingly positive reception from both the audience and Ekeinde’s peers. UK-based director Emelonye, known for films like Last Flight to Abuja, praised it as “a debut that deserves to be studied at Harvard.” The film is scheduled for a Lagos premiere in early 2026 before embarking on a global theatrical tour, with a release timed to coincide with Mother’s Day, underscoring the film’s universal appeal. For Ekeinde, this directorial debut is not only a career milestone but a celebration of her remarkable 30-year journey in film—one that has taken her from Nollywood royalty to a global cultural force, and now, to a new chapter as a filmmaker shaping stories from behind the lens.

NFVCB Endorses Maiden AFRIFF Content Market
THE National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has expressed its support for the launch of the AFRIFF Content Market (AFCM), a pioneering initiative aimed at establishing Africa as a hub for global film trade. Speaking at the AFCM info session for industry stakeholders, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, hailed the launch as a bold step towards structured global content commerce, praising AFRIFF founder Chioma Ude for her vision and consistency in promoting African cinema. “The AFRIFF Content Market is a declaration that Africa is ready to move from mere content creation to structured, global content commerce,” Husseini stated. The AFCM seeks to position Lagos as Africa’s film commerce gateway, connecting the continent’s stories to global screens and investors. It also aims to provide a platform for filmmakers to connect with distributors, sales agents, financiers, and partners from around the world. Dennis Ruh, former European Film Market director and AFCM Lead Consultant, outlined the structure of global film markets, emphasizing their importance for networking, visibility, funding, and knowledge exchange. AFCM is billed to run alongside the yearly AFRIFF festival, which will be holding from November 2 to 9, 2025.