Over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of September, the annual Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) took place in Canada. As a Telefilm and IMDb-qualifying film festival that looks to embrace diversity and inclusivity, it showcased an immense amount of categories this year. With 83 categories ranging from best film, best international film, best male and female directors, best female and male actors, best student film, best costume, best cinematography and many more.
The objective of the festival is to celebrate and showcase the diversity of Toronto. They look to use the platform to advance filmmaking levels, create motivation for innovation and allow filmmakers to display their uniqueness by capturing these movements and experiences.
This year’s festival included conferences, screenings with Q&A, live music performances, stage plays, and dance and audiences development activities. Including mentorship programs that aimed to place inclusion at the center. It is not just an award ceremony, but a place where film, television and diversity can unite to bring forth a consistently growing style of creativity and storytelling.
In this year’s category of “Best Actor”, 13 contenders from all over the globe including Israel, UK, Nigeria and Canada went up against each other. Kunle Remi was able to take home the win for his role in FLAWS, based out of Lagos, Nigeria.
FLAWS was released in January 2023 and stars Kunle Remi as Sevi Brown. This gripping drama depicts the lives of a married couple whose world is flipped upside down when an uninvited guest intrude upon their home. As they grapple with trauma, anger, love and the boundaries of justice, Seyi, faces a moral dilemma: should he take the law into his own hands to protect his family, or be a law-abiding citizen? This film explores the complexities of coping with trauma, the limits of patience, the quest for justice, and the sacrifices made in the name of love.
Directors of FLAWS, Uyoyou Adia and Diana Childs, also came home with the win for Best African Female Filmmaker.
Although Kunle Remi wasn’t able to make it to the event due to a heavily filming schedule, he proudly accepts the award and thanks his fans for their immense and continuous support along his journey.