Dutch (co-)productions selected for Toronto International Film Festival 2026
A Tenderness*, directed by Sabrine Khoury and produced by Dewi Reijs for Buddy Film Productions, will world premiere in Short Cuts. The film follows a Palestinian mother living in Amsterdam who struggles to connect with her newborn during her parents’ visit. As family dynamics unfold, postpartum challenges and family expectations grow.
Also selected for Short Cuts is Patronymic*, directed by Mariia Ponomarova and produced by Family Affair Films, with sales handled by Shortsfit. On the train trip home to Kyiv, a filmmaker, Mariia Volodymyrivna Ponomarova, searches for her lost patronymic — a middle name connected to her father.
Mammalia, directed by Elia Kalogianni and produced with Dutch minority co-production support from Cinesud and GARUFO Films, completes the Dutch selection in the Short Cuts comeptition. Antonia (45) and Mavra (27) live together, confined to a house with domesticated animals. Family hierarchies create a competitive relationship between the two women, which turns into a power game and leads them to the brink of cannibalism. Hors du bocal is on board for sales.
Earlier the selecton of Dutch-Canadian feature In Alaska**, was announced already. The film, directed by Jaap van Heusden and Vinnie Karetak and starring Noomi Rapace, has been selected for Special Presentations, where it will celebrate its world premiere. The film is produced by IJswater Films in co-production with Experimental Forest Films, Uuktumiaq Studios (Canada), and EO Television. Sales are handled by WTFilms. Read the full announcement about the selection here.
Selected for the Platform programme is The Smell of Apples*, directed by John Trengove and minority co-produced by BALDR Film. Based on the novel by Mark Behr, the film is set in the heart of Apartheid’s white utopia, where 11-year-old Marnus’ accusation against his family’s black domestic worker’s grandson sets off a chain of events exposing the brutality beneath his family’s idyllic façade. Sales are represented by Cercamon.
Lisandro Alonso's Double Freedom, a Dutch minority co-production by Ilse Hughan for Fortuna Films, is selected for the Wavelenghts programme. The film celebrated its world premier earlier this year in Cannes. Sales are with Luxbox.
Conversation with the Sea, directed by Muayad Alayan and minority co-produced by KeyFilm, will have its North American premiere in the Centrepiece programme. Condemned to pay the social security contributions owed by his son, a father desperately tries to prove his death in this moving drama. World sales are handles by Mad Distribution. The world premiere will take place during the Venice International Film Festival this September.
Newly launched this year is TIFF: The Market, a brand new market place where the global film, series, and innovation industry come together. The market includes among other things the Innovation Hub, a designated space featuring a selection of projects that demonstrate the year’s best XR storytelling. Selected for this showcase is Lesbian Simulator*, by Iris van der Meule and Studio Biarritz, in co-production with Art et Essai (Canada) and Cassette for Timescapes (Belgium), continuing its succesful festival run which includes a.o. IDFA, SXSW and Annecy.
Toronto International Film Festival is one of the world’s leading film festivals, bringing together global cinema, industry professionals and audiences in Toronto every September.
*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Production Incentive
Source: SEE NL
Header image: A Tenderness