The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this September features a remarkable presence from the Arab region, with 11 films on the program — five of them supported by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

Brought to life by Palestinian, Jordanian and Iraqi directors, the AFAC-funded films showing at TIFF address bold themes that are inspired from our region’s realities, diving into myths and dreams to narrate a tale of grief and hope of a youth in the making.

Annemarie Jacir’s historical drama Palestine 36 revisits the farmer-led 1936 revolt against British colonial rule, combining personal stories with rare archival footage. Screening in the Gala Presentations section, the film has also been nominated by Palestine for the 2026 Academy Awards International Feature submission.

Zahraa Ghandour’s Flana examines the disappearances of Iraqi women, through the filmmaker’s personal quest to find her childhood friend Nour. The film will premiere in the TIFF Docs section.

Under the TIFF Discovery program, Jordanian filmmaker Zain Duraie’s Sink narrates a story of motherhood, mental health and survival. Another Jordanian film, Ambush by Yassmina Karajah, will screen at TIFF’s Shortcuts section as it explores desire, surveillance, and the clash of personal freedoms.

Irkalla, Gilgamesh’s Dream by Mohamed Al-Daradji (Iraq) will screen in the TIFF Centerpiece section. It is a tale of childhood, myth and resilience that follows a dreamy street kid to the underworld, Irkalla.

Since 2007, AFAC has supported over 2,200 cultural projects across various artistic disciplines and in 22 Arab countries and the diaspora. Among these, the films AFAC has funded are regularly featured at leading international festivals, affirming AFAC’s position as the Arab region’s most comprehensive supporter of artistic and cultural expression.

In addition to AFAC-supported projects, other participating Arab films hail from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco and Palestine. Saudi film Unidentified by Haifaa Al-Mansour (Centerpiece section); The Voice of Hind Rajab by Tunisian director and previous AFAC grantee Kaouther Ben Hania (Special Presentations); Cairo Streets by Abdellah Taie (Wavelengths short) and Calle Malaga (Special Presentations) by Maryam Touzani, both from Morocco; Palestinian films With Hasan in Gaza by Kamal Aljafari and It’s So Beautiful Here by previous AFAC grantee Basma Al-Sharif (both to be presented in the Wavelengths section).

For the full program and screening schedule, check the TIFF website.