Mimi Bartels Shines at Toronto Film Festival

Film producer Mimi Bartels has hit a big milestone with two of her productions at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and TIFF: The Market.

Bartels produced ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’, which was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. She also produced ‘Old Scores: The Black Book 2’, which was featured at TIFF: The Market 2026 under the Global Africa Hub powered by CANEX.

As a producer, Bartels has worked on over 30 films. Her work in distribution helped release more than 110 films.

She was the General Manager of FilmOne Studios and co-founded Anakle Films, where she now serves as Director of Creative and Productions.

Bartels has worked on projects that received great recognition. Her productions earned over 30 nominations at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, winning twice.

In 2021, Bartels was named Nigeria’s highest-grossing producer. She has also been a juror for the International Emmy Awards and the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.

Talking about the importance of having two productions at TIFF, Bartels said it shows her aim to share Nigerian stories with a global audience.

She said, “As I am focused on local to global content, TIFF 2026 was more meaningful in the journey of taking our titles to the world on our own terms.

“TIFF provides an opportunity not only to celebrate the work itself, but also to connect the stories we are telling in Nigeria with audiences, filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world. Having two projects represented in Toronto in different ways is a moment I’m particularly grateful for.”

Bartels also played a key role in ‘The Black Book’, Netflix’s most-watched African Original of 2023. She helped shape the project during its early stages and returned as a producer for its sequel, ‘Old Scores: The Black Book 2’, produced by Anakle Films and Invention Studios.

Her work on ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’, based on Lola Shoneyin’s popular novel, shows her commitment to sharing uniquely African stories. This project involves multiple companies, including EbonyLife Group, Nile Group, Genesis Group, and Silverbird Cinemas.

On her approach to producing, Bartels said her goal is more than just making films.

“The goal is not simply to make films. It is to build stories that connect with people, create value and have the potential to travel. That is an important part of how I think about producing,” she said.