South African filmmaker Charlie Vundla and actress Terry Pheto have their sights firmly set on the Oscars.

But first the duo need to dominate next month's Toronto International Film Festival.

Vundla has teamed up with Oscar winner Pheto and newcomer Louis Roux in the feature film, Cuckold. In the low-budget film Vundla shows off his skills as writer, director, producer and the lead actor.

Cuckold stars Vundla as Smanga, a professor consumed by his alcohol and drug addiction, while his wife, Laura, played by Pheto, deals with her own demons making her a "despicable human being".

Smanga's school friend, played by Roux, saves him from self-destruction.

Vundla has described it as a deeply personal yet risqué look at their journey to saving his house, his marriage and his life.

The film makes its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival next month in the World Cinema section.

Pheto said: "If you're a filmmaker, you want your film to premiere in Toronto, it's a pat on the back and a great opportunity.

Toronto was where Oscar winners like Long Walk to Freedom and 12 Years A Slave first premiered, I think Cuckold could definitely go to the Oscars."

Audiences will remember Vundla as the writer and director behind How to Steal 2 Million. But, he said, Cuckold is a different film.

"With this film, I wanted to go from filmmaker to artist.

"I wanted this film to have my fingerprint, it's a private visual diary.

"This film is so personal that I think the genre is Charlie Vundla and the audience will feel like a fly on the wall," he said.