Watch international films at these Toronto festivals

Jul 9, 2026 · 1:00 pm · 7 min read

Movie watchers at the Toronto Arab Film Festival in 2025.
📸 Estelle/Toronto Arab Film Festival.

From Peruvian dramas and documentaries to Hungarian coming-of-age and romantic movies, Toronto is home to many festivals that showcase films from around the world.

Yara El Murr

Toronto’s movie scene is more than overpriced TIFF screenings and mainstream Cineplex showings.

The city has dozens of film festivals highlighting stories across the globe, including more than 15 events focusing on a specific diaspora that lives here. From Peruvian dramas and documentaries to Turkish arthouse productions, there’s something for everyone.

So, here’s a round-up of diasporic film festivals in Toronto to impress your cinephile friend with a unique movie date.

Toronto Arab Film Festival

The Toronto Arab Film Festival (or TAFF) is back for its seventh year with new films from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and their diasporas in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. The line-up includes fiction and documentary features, as well as three curations of short films with themes of identity, memory, migration, family and navigating the region’s political climate. The screenings are spread across three downtown locations over the last two weekends of July.

(Disclaimer: I’ve volunteered for TAFF in 2024 and 2025 and can attest to the good vibes and film selection.)

When: July 24 to Aug. 1
Where: Spadina Theatre (24 Spadina Rd.), Small World Centre (180 Shaw St.) and Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Ave.)
Tickets: $25, with discounted packages available through the TAFF website.

When: July 24 to Aug. 1
Where: Spadina Theatre (24 Spadina Rd.), Small World Centre (180 Shaw St.) and Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Ave.)
Tickets: $25, with discounted packages available through the TAFF website.

Peruvian Film Festival

The Peruvian Film Festival is just turning two. It already has a stacked line-up of 24 movies, ranging from dramas about family, love and migration to documentaries about political polarization, Indigenous Amazonian people and football. Many of the films are recent productions, and some date as far back as 1999. The festival is happening in downtown Toronto’s iconic Carlton Cinema throughout the end of July to coincide with Peru’s national month.

When: July 27 to Aug. 2
Where: Carlton Imagine Cinemas (20 Carlton St.)
Tickets: Free or $10, can be booked through Eventbrite

When: July 27 to Aug. 2
Where: Carlton Imagine Cinemas (20 Carlton St.)
Tickets: Free or $10, can be booked through Eventbrite

Toronto Pan Afrikan Film Festival

The 2026 Toronto Pan Afrikan Film Festival (TPAFF) centers around the theme EXODUS — “a call to witness and reflect on the departure, arrival, exile, homecoming, loss and liberation of African people across generations.” The line-up and tickets haven’t been announced yet, so keep an eye out on the festival’s Instagram account for details.

When: Aug. 14 to Aug. 16
Where: Small World Centre (180 Shaw St.)
Tickets: Tickets and film selection TBA on the website.

When: Aug. 14 to Aug. 16
Where: Small World Centre (180 Shaw St.)
Tickets: Tickets and film selection TBA on the website.

Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival

The Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) promotes diverse cinema, with a special focus on Nollywood — a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, referring to the Nigerian film industry. You can watch this year’s festival’s official theme song on YouTube. The festival has already announced films nominated for an award and opened registration for its VIP Festival & Gala Pass.

When: Sept. 4 to Sept. 12
Where: Small World Centre (180 Shaw St.)
Tickets: $150 for a VIP Festival and Gala pass for Canadian residents, register here.

When: Sept. 4 to Sept. 12
Where: Small World Centre (180 Shaw St.)
Tickets: $150 for a VIP Festival and Gala pass for Canadian residents, register here.

CaribbeanTales International Film Festival

This year, CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) and the Caribbean Film Festival (CFF) are collaborating to present a special joint edition in Toronto titled, “Screen Share: Caribbean Stories, Collective Power.” The festival will include a celebration of Jean Augustine and her impact on Canadian and Caribbean communities, on her 89th birthday. The full festival line-up and ticket release haven’t been announced yet, so keep an eye on CTFF’s website.

When: Sept. 8 to Sept. 13
Where: Harbourfront Centre Theatre (231 Queens Quay W.)
Tickets: TBA on CTFF’s website.

Toronto Hungarian Film Festival

On the last weekend of September, you can catch Hungarian cinema feature films from 2025 and 2026 at the Hungarian Film Festival. The festival’s program will be presented at Paradise Cinema and Carlton Cinema, and will commemorate the late Mari Törőcsik, a celebrated Hungarian actress who was named Best Actress at the Cannes Festival in 1976.

When: Sept. 24 to Sept. 27
Where: Carlton Imagine Cinemas (20 Carlton St.), Paradise Cinema (1006 Bloor St. W) and Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave.)
Tickets: $20, can be booked through the festival’s website.

When: Sept. 24 to Sept. 27
Where: Carlton Imagine Cinemas (20 Carlton St.), Paradise Cinema (1006 Bloor St. W) and Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave.)
Tickets: $20, can be booked through the festival’s website.

Greek International Film Festival Tour of Canada

The Greek International Film Festival Tour of Canada screens Greek films in 11 cities across the country, including Toronto. The programming has a wide range of films, from a chronicle of a saint’s life to the story of an old restaurant through a chicken’s eyes.

When: Sept. 24 to Oct. 4
Where: Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave.), Paradise Cinema (1006 Bloor St. W) and Pan Macedonian Building (406 Danforth Ave.)
Tickets: $20 or $25, can be booked through the festival’s website.

When: Sept. 24 to Oct. 4
Where: Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave.), Paradise Cinema (1006 Bloor St. W) and Pan Macedonian Building (406 Danforth Ave.)
Tickets: $20 or $25, can be booked through the festival’s website.

Toronto Palestine Film Festival

The Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) has become a staple program at TIFF Lightbox for almost two decades. Returning for its 19th edition titled, “From my eyes,” the festival is coming back this fall in the first week of October. You can subscribe to the TPFF newsletter to be the first to know when the films are announced. (Disclaimer: I’ve volunteered for TPFF in 2023 — it’s a must-see in the city.)

When: Sept. 30 to Oct. 9
Where: TIFF Lightbox (250 King St. W.)
Tickets: TBA on the festival’s website.

When: Sept. 30 to Oct. 9
Where: TIFF Lightbox (250 King St. W.)
Tickets: TBA on the festival’s website.

Toronto Chinese Canadian Film Festival

The Toronto Chinese Canadian Film Festival celebrates contemporary Chinese cinema through screenings, cultural activities, and community storytelling at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto in Scarborough. This year’s programming isn’t out yet, but you can check what screened last year and keep an eye out for the 2026 line-up on the festival’s website.

When: Oct. 16 to Oct. 18
Where: Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (5183 Sheppard Ave. E.)
Tickets: TBA on the festival’s website.

When: Oct. 16 to Oct. 18
Where: Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (5183 Sheppard Ave. E.)
Tickets: TBA on the festival’s website.

Reel Asian

Reel Asian showcases 50 to 80 films from Asia and its diasporas each year across six Toronto locations, including the iconic Hot Docs cinema, TIFF Lightbox and OCAD. It’s definitely one of the bigger, more established and well-known diasporic film festivals in the city. While the 2026 line-up isn’t out yet, events are happening before the festival in the winter, so make sure to follow Reel Asian on Instagram for the latest.

When: Nov. 11 to Nov. 21
Where: Multiple, TBA
Tickets: TBA on its website.

When: Nov. 11 to Nov. 21
Where: Multiple, TBA
Tickets: TBA on its website.

Want more? Some diasporic festivals already happened earlier this year — including the Toronto Irish Film Festival in March and the Toronto Turkish Film Festival in early July — and some haven’t announced their 2026 edition yet, like the EKRAN Toronto Polish Film Festival, which usually happens in November. If these pique your interest, make sure to follow each on Instagram and keep an eye out for upcoming programming.

Did I miss one you go to every year? Send me an email at yara@thegreenline.to or send a DM on social media.