TINFF Official Selection for Durning Road

Durning Road TINFF Official Selection

I am proud to announce that my short World War Two Drama screenplay has been named as a Durning Road TINFF Official Selection for the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. TINFF is a large-scale Canadian awards festival. Without a doubt, being chosen to compete alongside this years exceptional cohort of fellow filmmakers from around the world is a privilege for me. Equally importantly now that the festival team celebrates their landmark 10-year anniversary in 2026.

Now in their tenth year, the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival in Canada has grown into a powerhouse for global cinema. What’s more, TINFF is proudly recognised as a Canadian Screen Award (CSA)-qualifying festival and a Telefilm Canada qualifying festival. TINFF is listed among Telefilm Canada’s Top 25 Medium-to-Large Scale Film Festivals for 2026–2027. Surviving the highly competitive submission process for an international festival with these prestigious credentials gives the script incredible momentum as it continues its global festival circuit run.

Significantly for a screenwriter, an Official Selection at this tier of validation is never achieved in a vacuum. Once more, I want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who helped me create this project. This includes those who read early drafts and offered feedback, to fellow filmmakers who have supported my writing journey. The collaborative spirit of the filmmaking community is what makes milestones like this so significantly rewarding.

As DURNING ROAD continues to move through its international festival journey, I look forward to tracking how the narrative connects with juries overseas. Stay tuned for more announcements at the paulamccool.com blog as the festival season progresses!

You can read the full premise and browse the complete list of script awards and announcements on the official Durning Road short screenplay page. Interested in Commissioning or development? Please do get in touch.