Kaelo Iyizoba’s Nollywood love letter recognised as Festival celebrates Canadian and international winners across 12 categories
Babajide Fadoju
Kaelo Iyizoba’s The Spectacular Death of Prisca, a love letter to Nollywood, has received an Honourable Mention in the Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The recognition marks another significant milestone for Nigerian cinema on the global stage, coming just days after the Festival’s Discovery and Centrepiece announcements featured strong Nigerian representation.
The Short Cuts jury described the film as “a delightful mashup of melodrama, action and comedy that reminded us of the pure joy of making and watching cinema.” They praised its “remarkable precision in both filmmaking and performance,” adding that it “turns family dynamics into something heightened, absurd and unexpectedly revealing.” The top prize in the category went to Elia Kalogianni’s MAMMALIA.
In the Canadian categories, Serville Poblete’s Sunburn won Best Canadian Feature Film, with the jury calling it “a vibrant, funny, and deeply human film that brings a fresh, visceral energy to Toronto.” Adrian Buitenhuis’s Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story received an Honourable Mention. Cody Lightning’s Smudge the Blades won Best Canadian Discovery, with Yuula Benivolski’s The Black Box is Orange earning an Honourable Mention.
Other Short Cuts winners included Michael Del Monte’s Fight Kid (Best Canadian Short Film) and Varun Raman and Tom Hancock’s Into The Betaverse (Best Animated Short Film). David Turpin’s Ancestors claimed the FIPRESCI Prize, while Hosam Abu Dan’s Thirteen in Gaza won the NETPAC Award. The Festival presented 294 films from 72 countries and welcomed over 800 talent across 98 red carpets.