Baba Segi's Wives holds world premiere at Toronto
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives has held its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival as one of three Nigerian films in the 2026 line-up, according to Variety. TIFF lists the project as a 2026 film from Nigeria. Variety published its review on September 16, the most recent account of the production.
TIFF scheduled the first screening for 9:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11 at TIFF Lightbox, according to TIFF. The film appears in the Centrepiece programme. That strand brings together international features, with TIFF noting that the 2026 selection includes world premieres and award-winning titles from 50 countries.
A world premiere is the first public screening of a finished film. A Centrepiece slot places it in a curated international section rather than a competition strand. For a new adaptation, that kind of launch puts it before festival audiences, critics and buyers at the same time.
Daniel Oriahi is the director. The screenplay adapts Lola Shoneyin's novel. The adaptation is credited to Oriahi, Adze Ugah, Mo Abudu and Heidi Uys, with an adaptation meaning the novel has been reshaped as a shooting script with dialogue and scenes built for the screen.
Odunlade Adekola plays Baba Segi, the husband at the centre of the household. Omowunmi Dada plays Bolanle, the fourth and youngest wife. Iyabo Ojo plays Iya Segi, Mercy Aigbe plays Iya Tope and Bimbo Ademoye plays Iya Femi. Yolanda Okereke designed the costumes, the clothes that help place each character on screen.
Ahead of the festival, the title appeared in Variety's round-up of African projects heading to Toronto, published on September 11. That coverage framed TIFF as a market stop where filmmakers meet buyers and sales agents. The verified materials do not list further distribution details.
Mo Abudu is associated with Nigeria's EbonyLife. She discussed the TIFF premiere in a Variety interview published on September 14. The interview was published three days after the Lightbox screening.
EbonyLife has prior form with global streaming. Netflix signed a multi-title pact with the Nigerian company, a deal reported by Variety in June 2020. That agreement covered new originals from Nigeria.
For fans following Nigerian cinema abroad, this means a familiar story arriving with festival visibility. The cast brings together well-known screen names. The Toronto slot puts the adaptation before international buyers and audiences ahead of any wider release details.
