Kaelo Iyizoba’s The Spectacular Death of Prisca will have its world premiere in the Short Cuts programme at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.
The 23-minute short stars Rita Dominic, Genoveva Umeh, Kenzy Udosen, Fae Olumide and Shamz Garuba.
It follows a mother thrown into a fever-dream quest to rescue her daughter on her wedding day. Drawing from Old Nollywood, the film uses the bold aesthetics, plot twists and exaggerated melodrama associated with films from the 2000s.
TIFF describes it as a “love letter to Nollywood.” The short is also a proof of concept for Iyizoba’s planned feature, A Nollywood Story.
TIFF’s Short Cuts program presents short films from emerging and established filmmakers.
Selected films are eligible for Best International Short Film, Best Canadian Short Film and Best Animated Short Film. Each winner receives a $10,000 CAD bursary.
This year’s jury comprises Joecar Hanna, Chris Lavis and Iris Ng. Sonja Baksa and Mariam Zaidi curate the programme.
Other selected films include:
- Bloodline — Fala Chen
- Driftwood — A.C. Birch
- Till the Milk Runs Dry — Kalainithan Kalaichelvan
- Almost Pink — Justine Prince
- 2:Love — Ronni Shalev
- Buddies — Fraser Wolfe
Iyizoba, a 2025 TIFF Filmmaker Lab alumnus, previously directed Boy Meets Girl, Nkemefuna, and Before We Fall Asleep, recently released as part of the second Zikoko Life anthology.
Watch the teaser for The Spectacular Death of Prisca below.
