Masc premieres at TIFF as Bertil Nilsson makes feature debut
Bertil Nilsson has arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival with Masc, his first feature as a director.
The UK-set film had its world premiere in the festival's Next Wave Selects section, Deadline reported on September 13, 2026. The trade paper also published an exclusive clip from the film to mark the launch.
Nilsson is a London-based artist, according to TIFF. Masc is his feature directorial debut, and he co-wrote it with Joshua Griffin, who also stars, Deadline reported.
Griffin plays Robin. Robin is a queer, biracial man on the autism spectrum. Reece King plays Sky, the second central character, Deadline reported.
The story centres on a neurodivergent gay Londoner, as earlier described by Screen Daily. TIFF describes the film as a tender, unflinching portrait of self-performance and identity, according to its programme page.
In plain terms, that means a character study about how Robin presents himself to others and to himself. The film stays in London throughout.
The exclusive clip is brief and direct. Robin asks Sky where to get crack cocaine, Deadline reported. No further plot detail has been released through the festival or the clip.
Festival listings put the first Next Wave Selects screening on Saturday the 12th at 5:45 PM at TLB 1. A second screening was listed for Sunday the 13th at 8:30 AM at SCOTIA 9.
Nilsson attended the premiere on September 12, 2026. His appearance at the Toronto event was recorded in photographs from the premiere.
For audiences following Toronto, Masc adds another debut feature to this year's arrivals slate. Its cast, creative team and festival dates are now on public record.
