What to know
- Open World Toronto Film Festival runs Sept. 25 to 27 at Kensington Studios, 19 Kensington Ave.
- The 11th edition focuses on emerging and underrepresented filmmakers, with screenings from Canada and abroad.
- Highlights include Rejection Webseries on Friday, What We Deserve and Code Noir on Saturday, and A Poem From Anna on Sunday.
- Admission is by donation. General admission is available through Eventbrite, and program times may change.
TIFF may be over, but Toronto’s festival season isn’t. Open World Toronto Film Festival is taking over this weekend, giving moviegoers another chance to discover independent films and meet some of the faces behind them.
The festival is in its 11th year and says its focus is on emerging and underrepresented filmmakers. Its program brings films from Canada and abroad into one venue, alongside Q&A’s, industry conversations, live performances and parties.
For anyone who wants a smaller festival outing, you can build a visit around one screening and stay for whatever catches your eye afterward.
Here is a guide on where to start.
Friday: Stories, screenwriting and a late-night party
Friday begins at 5 p.m. with a red carpet and guest interviews. One of the conversations, “Beyond the Headlines: The Toronto Stories We’re Missing,” starts at 6:25 p.m. At 7 p.m., a Writers Guild of Canada talk turns to contracts, careers and the business of screenwriting.
The evening’s film options include Rejection Webseries at 7:40 p.m. The Canadian project follows a millennial philosopher navigating lovers, manuscript rejections and some questionable decisions as she searches for the meaning of life. Filmmaker Marie Queenan is scheduled for a Q&A afterward. The festival has named the project its 2026 Best Web Series winner.
For something shorter, Honey screens at 9:17 p.m. The seven-minute Canadian film follows a commercial performer cast as the perfect 1950s housewife who begins to buckle under her director’s pressure. It also has a filmmaker Q&A.
Those who want to make a full night of it can stay for the Friday party with DJ Nalani, beginning at 11 p.m.
Saturday: Documentaries and a historical drama
Saturday has the fullest schedule, with doors opening at 11 a.m. and screenings, conversations and networking running throughout the day.
One afternoon pick is Shelley Jarrett’s Canadian documentary What We Deserve: Restorative Justice & Reparation, screening at 3:04 p.m. The film examines the history and lasting harms of the transatlantic slave trade and makes a case for restorative justice.
Jarrett and members of the filmmaking team are scheduled to speak with the audience afterward.
At 7:25 p.m., Code Noir takes viewers to the Isle de France in 1760. The nearly two-hour historical drama follows a young lawyer whose challenge to his uncle’s slaveholding practices leads him to discover his own mixed heritage.
The festival has already named it Best Feature Film and awarded filmmaker Marie Annick Sadhoo Best Director. A team Q&A follows the screening.
There is also a late documentary option. After Melissa, scheduled for 9:39 p.m., follows people in Jamaica during the first two weeks after the devastating hurricane. According to the synopsis, it centres on families facing damaged homes, disrupted work and the emotional toll of recovery.
The film is this year’s Best Documentary winner, and a Q&A is scheduled after the screening.
Sunday: A short film and a closing celebration
Sunday starts at 4 p.m. with live performances before the screenings begin. At 5:05 p.m., the Canadian short A Poem From Anna centres on a woman living with disabilities and her brother, who is also her caregiver. Their different ideas about her independence and future put pressure on their relationship.
The 15-minute film won the festival’s Best Story and Screenplay award, and filmmaker Sidrah Laldin and her team are scheduled for a Q&A.
Moviegoers looking for a feature can stay for Unlicensed at 5:35 p.m. The British drama follows a former trader trying to reconnect with his family after prison, only to find himself preparing for an unlicensed boxing match.
Mark Hampton, who won the festival’s Best Actor award, is scheduled for a Q&A after the film.
The final evening also includes a 7:42 p.m. talk on pitching for film and television. A closing party with DJ Nalani begins at 9 p.m.
Open World Toronto Film Festival runs Sept. 25 to 27 at Kensington Studios, 19 Kensington Ave. Admission is by donation, and visitors can reserve general admission through the festival’s Eventbrite listing. General admission is not a reservation for a specific screening. Check the full schedule before going, as the festival says program times may change.
