TORONTO & SAN SEBASTIAN 2026: Titles Selected From Asia Pacific & Africa
UPDATED: Below is a list of films selected for the main sections of Toronto and San Sebastian film festivals originating from or mostly filmed in Asia Pacific and Africa (or from filmmakers originating from these regions but based elsewhere) with sales agents and nationalities of co-production partners where known. See here for the Locarno and Venice line-ups. This list is a work in progress so please DM me if you have updates or additions.
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL [SEPT 10-20]
TORONTO GALA PRESENTATIONS:
The Assassin(s) (South Korea) WP
Dir: Hur Jin-ho
Prod Co: Hive Media Corp
Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret Of The First Emperor (Vietnam) IP
Dir: Nguyen Phan Quang Binh
Int’l sales: BHD/Vietnam Media
Tenzing (US, Australia) CP
Dir: Jennifer Peedom
Int’l rights: Apple Original Films
TORONTO SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS:
The Age Of Goodbyes (Taiwan, Malaysia) WP
Dir: Edmund Yeo
Prod Cos: Happy Together Pictures, Renaissance Films
All Of A Sudden (Japan) NAP
Dir: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Int’l sales: Cinefrance Studios, Bitters End (Asia)
NA distribution: Neon
Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo (US, UK, Japan) WP
Dir: Takashi Miike
Int’l sales: Neon International
Clarissa (US)
Dirs: Arie Esiri & Chuko Esiri
Int’l sales: Neon International
Happily Ever After (Taiwan) WP
Dir: Feng-I Fiona Roan
Int’l sales: Moebius Entertainment
Look Back (Japan) NAP
Dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Int’l sales: K2 Pictures
Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? (Japan)
Dir: Shinya Tsukamoto
Prod Cos: Kinoshita Group, Kino Films
Paradise Lost (South Korea) WP
Dir: Yeon Sang-ho
Int’l sales: CJ ENM
Phoolan (India) WP
Dir: Richie Mehta
Int’l rights: Amazon Prime Video
Possible Love (South Korea)
Dir: Lee Chang-Dong
Int’l rights: Netflix
TORONTO DISCOVERY:
Head To Head (Iran, Germany) WP
Dir: Ghasideh Golmakani
The Daughters Of Abraham (France) IP
Dir: Hanaël El Yousfi
Int’l sales: Les Films du Losange
We Are Born Good (Hong Kong) WP
Dir: Leung Chuen Yeung
Int’l sales: Edko Films
Zjili: A Story Of Sisterhood And The Burdens Of Excess (Ghana) WP
Dir: Christine Boateng, Hajara Musah Chambas
TORONTO PLATFORM:
Angh (India) WP
Dir: Theja Rio
Prod Cos: Winter Hymns Film, Undercover Squirrel
Children Untold (Japan) WP [OPENING FILM]
Dir: Miwa Nishikawa
Int’l sales: Intramovies
Djinn Wedding (Turkey) WP
Dir: Ferit Karahan
Prod Co: Berton Medya Yapim
Silenced Nights (Philippines) WP
Dir: Lawrence Fajardo
Prod Cos: Quantum Films, House On Fire
The Smell Of Apples (South Africa, Netherlands, Chile) WP
Dir: John Trengove
Prod Cos: Portobello Productions, Baldr Film, Quijote Film
The World Before (South Korea) WP
Dir: Yoon Dan-bi
Prod Co: AtNine Film
TORONTO PRIMETIME:
2.6 Seconds: Death In The Outback (Australia)
Dir: Darren Dale
Documentary series
SAN SEBASTIAN FILM FESTIVAL [SEPTEMBER 18-26]
OFFICIAL SELECTION:
What Remains (Artakalan) (Turkey, France, Luxembourg, Bulgaria)
Dir: Yeşim Ustaoğlu
Int’l sales: The Match Factory
In My Father’s Room (Japan)
Dir: Maha Harada
Int’l sales: Bitters End
NEW DIRECTORS:
The Ballet Lesson (Japan)
Dir: Kazuya Murayama
Prod: Kazuya Murayama
Lovers Sleep Alone (Germany)
Dir: Massih Parsaei
Prod Co: FilmFive (Germany)
Mugalim (Kazakhstan)
Dir: Ayana Nurdinova
Supported by: Kazakhstan Ministry of Culture & Information
Will You Still Be My Friend (Taiwan, Singapore)
Dir: Lu Po-Shun
Prod Cos: InLight Film Studio, Verdant Peak Films
The World Before (South Korea) WP
Dir: Yoon Dan-bi
Prod Co: AtNine Film
