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Toronto International Film Festival

January 06, 2023

Coordinates: 43°38′48″N 79°23′25″W / 43.64667°N 79.39028°W / 43.64667; -79.39028

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permanent destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, located in Downtown Toronto. TIFF's mission is "to transform the way people see the world through film".[2]

Toronto International Film Festival
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
Founded1976; 46 years ago
Most recent2022
No. of filmsFewest, 50 (2020); most, 460 (1984)[1]
LanguageInternational
Websitetiff.net

Year-round, the TIFF Bell Lightbox offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, industry support, and the chance to meet filmmakers from Canada and around the world. TIFF Bell Lightbox is located on the north west corner of King Street and John Street in downtown Toronto.

Bell Lightbox is the cultural centrepiece and home to TIFF programming outside festival dates.

In 2016, 397 films from 83 countries were screened at 28 screens in downtown Toronto venues, welcoming an estimated 480,000 attendees, over 5,000 of whom were industry professionals.[3] TIFF starts the Thursday night after Labour Day (the first Monday in September in Canada) and lasts for eleven days.

Founded in 1976, TIFF is now one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind in the world.[4] In 1998, Variety acknowledged that TIFF "is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile pics, stars, and market activity". In 2007, Time noted that TIFF had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period".[5] This is partially the result of the festival's ability and reputation for generating "Oscar buzz".[6]

The festival's People's Choice Award—which is based on audience balloting—has emerged as an indicator of success during awards season, especially at the Academy Awards. Past recipients of this award include Oscar-winning films, such as Life Is Beautiful (1998), American Beauty (1999), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), The King's Speech (2010), 12 Years a Slave (2013), La La Land (2016), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Green Book (2018), Jojo Rabbit (2019), and Nomadland (2020).

The festival's current executive director is Cameron Bailey.[7]

The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival took place from September 8 to 18, 2022.[8]

Background

The Toronto International Film Festival was first launched as the Toronto Festival of Festivals, collecting the best films from other film festivals around the world and showing them to eager audiences in Toronto. Founded by Bill Marshall, Dusty Cohl, and Henk Van der Kolk,[9] the inaugural event took place from October 18 through 24, 1976. That first year, 35,000 filmgoers watched 127 films from 30 countries presented in ten programmes. Piers Handling has been the festival's director and CEO since 1994, while Noah Cowan became co-director of TIFF in 2004. In late 2007, Cowan became the artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, while longtime programmer Cameron Bailey succeeded as co-director. As of 2013, Bailey is now the artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as TIFF Bell Lightbox's year round programming.[10]

TIFF was once centred on the Yorkville neighbourhood, but the Toronto Entertainment District later gained a greater level of prominence.[11][12] TIFF is known for the celebrity buzz it brings to the area with international media setting up near its restaurants and stores for photos and interviews with the stars. In 2010, TIFF opened its permanent headquarters, TIFF Bell Lightbox, a year-round home for the appreciation of film in the heart of downtown Toronto, although TIFF films are still screened at a wider variety of venues, including the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, rather than exclusively at the Lightbox.

TIFF has grown, steadily adding initiatives throughout the years. TIFF Cinematheque (formerly Cinematheque Ontario) and the Film Reference Library (FRL) opened in 1990. The TIFF Kids International Film Festival (formerly Sprockets) launched in 1998. Film Circuit began exhibiting independent and Canadian films in under-serviced cities across Canada in 1994.

The festival also organizes the TIFF Film Circuit, a program which partners with local organizations in other Canadian towns and cities to present screenings of films that have previously been shown at TIFF.

History

 
TIFF box office at the Manulife Centre in 2006

The festival was founded in 1976 at the Windsor Arms Hotel by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl.[13] Beginning as a collection of the best-regarded films from film festivals around the world, it had an inaugural attendance of 35,000.[14] Ironically, however, Hollywood studios withdrew their submissions from TIFF due to concerns that Toronto audiences would be too parochial for their products.[15]

In 1978, the decision was made to replace the name "Festival of Festivals" with "Toronto International Film Festival" as well as a move to a new location for the festival, moving from the Harbour Castle Hotel to the Plaza II, and also a new director, with Wayne Clark replacing Marshall. The number of galas increased from one to two per night and the Canadian Film Awards were incorporated into the festival.[16] From 1994 to 2009, the umbrella organization running TIFF was named "Toronto International Film Festival Group" (TIFFG). In 2009, the umbrella organization TIFFG was renamed to TIFF.[17]

In 2001, Perspective Canada, the programme that had focused on Canadian films since 1984, was replaced by two programmes:

  • Canada First!, a forum for Canadian filmmakers presenting their first feature-length work, featuring eight to 15 films, and
  • Short Cuts Canada, which includes 30-40 Canadian short films.

Otherwise, Canadian films are now simply included alongside international films in the other film programs rather than being grouped as a dedicated Canadian film stream.

In 2004, TIFF was featured as the site of murder mystery in the film Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, a comedy film starring Martin Short.

In 2007, it was announced that the organization generates an estimated annual impact of $67 million CAD.[18] By 2011, that benefit had grown to $170 million CAD.[19]

In 2008, Rose McGowan caused controversy at a TIFF press conference for her film Fifty Dead Men Walking, when she noted that "I imagine, had I grown up in Belfast, I would 100% have been in the IRA".[20]

In 2009, TIFF's decision to spotlight films from Tel Aviv created a controversy with protesters, saying it was part of an attempt to re-brand Israel[21] in a positive light after the January 2009 Gaza War.[22][23][24][25]

In 2017, TIFF reduced the number of films screened compared to the 2016 festival[26] with 255 feature-length films in 2017 vs about 400 films in 2016, and also eliminated two venues that had been used in prior years.[27]

In 2019, it was reported that due to a request from its owner, Cineplex Entertainment, no TIFF films distributed by subscription video-on-demand services (specifically Amazon Video and Netflix) are being screened at Scotiabank Theatre—which has been considered the "primary" venue of the festival.[28]

The 2020 version announced that it would be both in-person and virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that film screening would be "masks optional". It was criticized for creating a potential superspreader event as the social nature of the festival could increase the risk for COVID-19 transmission.[29] The festival reversed the decision within 24 hours citing a surge of new cases in Ontario.[30]

Notable film premieres

Films such as American Beauty, Ray, Mr. Nobody, 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Five Obstructions, Singapore Sling, and I Am Love have premiered at TIFF. Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Ray Charles ultimately won him the Academy Award for Best Actor while Slumdog Millionaire went on to win eight Oscars at the 2009 Academy Awards. Precious, which won the 2009 TIFF People's Choice Award, went on to win two Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards. The King's Speech, the winner of the 2010 TIFF People's Choice Award, won four Oscars at the 83rd Academy Awards, while Silver Linings Playbook, the winner of the 2012 TIFF People's Choice Award, went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence. In 2019, the festival opened with Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, the first time the festival ever opened with a Canadian documentary film.[31]

Many Hollywood studios premiere their films in Toronto due to TIFF's easy-going non-competitive nature, relatively inexpensive costs (when compared to European festivals), eager film-fluent audiences and convenient timing.[32][33][34]

TIFF Bell Lightbox

In 2007, the Festival Group began construction on TIFF Bell Lightbox, a new facility at the corner of King and John Streets in downtown Toronto, on land donated by Ivan Reitman and family. The $181 million facility is named for founding sponsor Bell Canada, with additional support from the Government of Ontario and Government of Canada.

In 2010, the organization opened its new headquarters at TIFF Bell Lightbox. The facility, designed by local firm KPMB Architects, provides extensive year-round galleries, cinemas, archives and activities for cinephiles.[35] The five-storey facility contains five cinemas, two gallery spaces, film archives and an extensive reference library, study spaces, film lab facility, and a research centre. There is also a gift shop, two restaurants, a lounge, a cafe, and a three-storey atrium.[36] Cooperatively with Daniels Corporation, there is a 46-storey condominium atop, called the Festival Tower.

The first film screening was Bruce McDonald's Trigger. The first exhibition was a retrospective on Tim Burton, organized by the Museum of Modern Art (New York City). Subsequent exhibitions include Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions, Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess, Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style, and Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition, all of which were organized by TIFF, as well as one called Essential Cinema, featuring posters, images and props from TIFF's The Essential 100 list of films.[37][38]

The Film Reference Library (FRL) is a large Canadian film research collection. The library is a free resource for film lovers, filmmakers, students, scholars, and journalists, and is located on the fourth floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox. An affiliate member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), the FRL promotes Canadian and global film scholarship by collecting, preserving, and providing access to a comprehensive collection of film prints, and film-related reference resources (including books, periodicals, scripts, research files, movies, press kits, and about 80 special collections.

In 2016, the festival received a donation of 1,400 film prints, and launched a campaign to raise money for the preservation and storage of the films.[39]

Canada's Top Ten

Each year, TIFF releases a Canada's Top Ten list of the films selected by a poll of festival programmers across Canada as the ten best Canadian feature and short films of the year, regardless of whether or not they were screened at TIFF.[40] The films selected are announced in December each year.

Previously, the winning films were screened at a smaller follow-up "Canada's Top Ten" festival at the Lightbox the following January, with a People's Choice Award then presented for that minifestival.[40] In 2018, TIFF announced a change, under which instead of a dedicated festival, each Top Ten film will receive its own standalone theatrical run at the Lightbox throughout the year.[41]

Since 1984, every decade TIFF has also produced a Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time list. This list is produced from a wider poll of film industry professionals and academics throughout Canada, separately from the annual top-ten list.

Awards

The festival's major prize, the People's Choice Award, is given to a feature-length film. It is not a juried prize, but is given to the film with the highest ratings as voted by the TIFF-going populace.[42] It is presently referred to as the "Grolsch People's Choice Award";[43] past sponsors of the award have included Cadillac.[44] The winners of this award have often later earned Academy Award nominations.[45] People's Choice Awards are also presented for Documentary and Midnight Madness films. Each of the People's Choice Awards names first and second runners-up in addition to the winners.

However, TIFF does present juried awards in some other categories. The festival presents three major awards for Canadian films: Best Canadian Film, Best Canadian First Feature Film, and Best Canadian Short Film, as well as awards for Best International Short Film, two FIPRESCI-sponsored International Critics' Prizes for the Special Presentation and Discovery programs, and a NETPAC Prize for the best film from Asia having its world premiere at the festival.[46]

In 2015, the festival introduced Platform, a juried programme that champions director's cinema from around the world; one film from the stream is selected as the winner of the Platform Prize.

For all of the juried awards, honorable mentions may also be given, although the juries are expected to select one overall winner.

For 2019, TIFF announced two new awards, the TIFF Impact Award to honour production companies for work that has had an impact on the film industry, and the Mary Pickford Award to honour an emerging female filmmaker.[47] In the same year the festival introduced the TIFF Tribute Awards, a gala ceremony at which distinguished actors and filmmakers are honoured for their lifetime career achievements; unlike most award categories, the Tribute Award honorees are named in advance of the festival.[48]

Sections

The hundreds of films screened at the annual festival are divided into sections (referred to by TIFF as "Programmes") based on genre (e.g. documentary, children's films), format (e.g. short films, television episodes), the status of filmmaker (e.g. "masters", first-time directors), and so forth. Up until the early 2010s there were sections reserved for Canadian films, but beginning in 2015 all Canadian films are integrated in sections with films from outside Canada.

Currently the festival's 14 sections are as follows:[26]

  • Contemporary World Cinema: narrative feature films by established directors
  • Discovery: films that are typically the director's first or second feature film
  • Gala Presentations: high-profile feature films, often featuring international movie stars, presented with a red carpet
  • In Conversation With...: interviews of a director or other figure from the film industry, generally accompanied by brief excerpts from films (up until the 2014 festival, this section was called "Mavericks")
  • Masters: feature films by "the world's most influential art-house filmmakers"
  • Midnight Madness: genre films (traditionally at TIFF each film in this section has one screening scheduled for 11:59pm and another the following afternoon); the section was launched at TIFF in 1988 and was programmed by Colin Geddes from 1998 to 2016,[49] now programmed by Peter Kuplowsky
  • Platform: a competitive section launched in 2015, named for Jia Zhangke's film Platform, of films from around the world that do not have distribution in North America.[50][51] Every year the Platform section has a high-profile international jury which confers the C$25,000 Platform Prize; both documentaries and narrative films are eligible for inclusion in the section.
  • Primetime: television episodes making either their world premiere or North American premiere projected cinematically; this section was launched in 2015
  • Short Cuts: a section of short films (usually six to ten short films included at each screening) both Canadian and international; up until the 2013 festival only Canadian short films were screened and the section was called Short Cuts Canada, in 2014 a new section called Short Cuts International was added, and then in 2015 they were merged into a section called Short Cuts
  • Special Presentations: high-profile feature films, usually Canadian premieres if not world premieres
  • TIFF Cinematheque: unlike the other sections which present new films, the TIFF Cinematheque section has films from all eras of cinema, often classic films that have been newly restored
  • TIFF Docs (formerly called Reel to Reel): documentary films
  • TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave (formerly called Sprockets): films for children and teenagers; however, this is not a dedicated program in its own right, but a designation added to youth-suitable films that are already in one of the other programs.
  • Wavelengths: experimental films and art films, both feature-length and shorts (this section was named for Michael Snow's film Wavelength)

In previous years, sections at TIFF have included Perspectives Canada, Canada First!, City to City (2009 to 2016), Future Projections, Vanguard (up to 2016), and Visions (up to 2011).

Media coverage

In 2016, TIFF hosted 1,800 members of the press and print media outlets such as the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The Times of India, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, and the Toronto Sun have published a significant amount of festival coverage.[52][53] Also, the major industry trade magazines Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen International all produce daily editions during TIFF. TIFF reports also appear in weekly news magazines; American, Canadian and international entertainment shows; news services; and a wide range of film and celebrity blogs.[54]

References

  1. ^ (Press release). Toronto International Film Festival. September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  2. ^ . TIFF. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "2016 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FACT SHEET" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on October 24, 2016.
  4. ^ "Toronto 2013: Why the festival matters". BBC News. September 4, 2013. from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Keegan, Rebecca Winters (August 2007). . Time. Archived from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  6. ^ "Toronto Film Festival: Oscar Buzz Begins". CBS News. September 19, 2009. from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  7. ^ "Cameron Bailey appointed CEO of Toronto International Film Festival". Toronto Star, November 30, 2021.
  8. ^ "‘The Swimmers’ chosen as Toronto International Film Festival opening night gala film". The Globe and Mail, July 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Goffin, Peter (January 1, 2017). "TIFF co-founder Bill Marshall, 77, remembered as pioneer of Canadian film". Toronto Star. from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  10. ^ "Cameron Bailey named artistic director of Toronto International Film Festival" Archived January 21, 2015, at archive.today. National Post, March 14, 2012.
  11. ^ Mudhar, Raju (August 25, 2010). "From mega clubs to mega culture in Entertainment District". Toronto Star. from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  12. ^ Allen, Kate (August 24, 2011). . Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  13. ^ Stavrou, Philip (September 2005). . CTVglobemedia. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  14. ^ (Press release). Toronto International Film Festival. September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  15. ^ Sterritt, David (April 2010). . FIPRESCI. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  16. ^ "Toronto Re-Names, Relocates Its Festival; Wayne Clark In". Variety. April 12, 1978. p. 48.
  17. ^ . Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  18. ^ . Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (Press release). September 7, 2007. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  19. ^ (Press release). Toronto International Film Festival. August 16, 2011. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  20. ^ The Globe and Mail (2008–2011). "Director apologises for Rose McGowan's IRA comments". Belfast Telegraph. Phillip Crawley, Publisher.
  21. ^ Israel set to launch in GTA, Canadian Jewish News, August 21, 2009.
  22. ^ Posner, Michael (February 11, 2010). "TIFF focus on Tel Aviv draws protests". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  23. ^ Klein, Naomi (October 31, 2009). "We don't feel like celebrating with Israel this year". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  24. ^ "Canadian director protests TIFF Tel Aviv spotlight". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 29, 2009. from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  25. ^ "A conversation with organizers of the Toronto film festival protest". World Socialist Web Site. International Committee of the Fourth International. from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  26. ^ a b "TIFF Unveils 2017 Programmes & Programmers" (PDF) (Press release). Toronto International Film Festival. February 23, 2017. (PDF) from the original on February 24, 2017.
  27. ^ Victoria Ahearn (February 23, 2017). "TIFF downscales for 2017". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  28. ^ Lindahl, Chris (September 7, 2019). "TIFF Confirms Cineplex Policy Banning Netflix and Amazon From Primary Screening Venue". IndieWire. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  29. ^ Etan Vlessing (September 8, 2020). "As Toronto Film Fest Screenings Go Mask-Optional, Attendees Fear Event Will Be a Coronavirus "Superspreader"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  30. ^ Etan Vlessing (September 9, 2020). "Toronto Film Fest Reverses Controversial Face Mask Policy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  31. ^ "New documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band to open TIFF 2019". CBC News. July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  32. ^ Ebert, Roger (September 2008). "Starting off the season". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  33. ^ "TIFF unspools with celebrities eager to connect with fans". The Canadian Press. CTV. September 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  34. ^ Rich, Joshua (January 2005). "Fest intentions". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  35. ^ Dixon, Guy (September 9, 2010). "Lightbox aims to draw filmmakers to its facilities - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail. Toronto.[permanent dead link]
  36. ^ Norman Wilner (September 9–16, 2010). "Let there be lightbox". NOW. from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  37. ^ Germain, David (September 9, 2010). "No place like home: Toronto film fest opens new HQ". U-T San Diego News. The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  38. ^ "A look at the Stanley Kubrick Exhibition TIFF 2014". The Vancouver Sun. Canoe Sun Media. November 27, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  39. ^ "TIFF gains cach of 1,400 film prints" November 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, November 16, 2016. Page E2.
  40. ^ a b "TIFF reveals Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival line-up" December 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, December 8, 2015.
  41. ^ "TIFF scraps popular Canada's Top Ten Film Festival". Now, November 7, 2018.
  42. ^ Walmsley, Katie (September 2009). "Oprah flick 'Precious' wins top award at Toronto". CNN. from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  43. ^ . TIFF. 2016. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  44. ^ Chris Knight (September 18, 2011). "Lebanese film wins TIFF People's Choice Award". National Post.
  45. ^ "‘The Imitation Game’ wins top prize at TIFF" November 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, September 14, 2014.
  46. ^ Knegt, Peter (September 2009). "'Precious' tops Toronto winners". IndieWire. from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  47. ^ "Toronto Film Festival Expands Tribute Gala With New Awards". Variety, June 27, 2019.
  48. ^ Michael Rosser, "Anthony Hopkins, Chloe Zhao, Mira Nair to receive TIFF Tribute awards". Screen Daily, August 12, 2020.
  49. ^ Graham Winfrey (February 7, 2017). "TIFF Programmer Colin Geddes Departing After 20 Years". IndieWire. from the original on February 25, 2017.
  50. ^ Anne Thompson (July 15, 2015). "Why the Toronto Film Festival is Adding 'Platform' Competition Sidebar". IndieWire. from the original on February 24, 2017.
  51. ^ Etan Vlessing (August 11, 2016). "Toronto: Natalie Portman's 'Jackie' Biopic, 'Moonlight' From Brad Pitt's Plan B Join Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on August 11, 2016.
  52. ^ Dargis, Manohla (September 18, 2015). "Toronto Film Festival: Separating Contenders From Pretenders". The New York Times. from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  53. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (September 18, 2015). "TIFF 2015: The most fascinating films that closed the festival". Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  54. ^ "Cinema Scope | TIFF Reviews Index". from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

External links

 
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January 06, 2023
toronto, international, film, festival, coordinates, 64667, 39028, 64667, 39028, tiff, often, stylized, tiff, largest, publicly, attended, film, festivals, world, attracting, over, people, annually, since, founding, 1976, tiff, grown, become, permanent, destin. Coordinates 43 38 48 N 79 23 25 W 43 64667 N 79 39028 W 43 64667 79 39028 The Toronto International Film Festival TIFF often stylized as tiff is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world attracting over 480 000 people annually Since its founding in 1976 TIFF has grown to become a permanent destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Bell Lightbox located in Downtown Toronto TIFF s mission is to transform the way people see the world through film 2 Toronto International Film FestivalKing Street West during the 2016 Toronto International Film FestivalLocationToronto Ontario CanadaFounded1976 46 years agoMost recent2022No of filmsFewest 50 2020 most 460 1984 1 LanguageInternationalWebsitetiff wbr netYear round the TIFF Bell Lightbox offers screenings lectures discussions festivals workshops industry support and the chance to meet filmmakers from Canada and around the world TIFF Bell Lightbox is located on the north west corner of King Street and John Street in downtown Toronto Bell Lightbox is the cultural centrepiece and home to TIFF programming outside festival dates In 2016 397 films from 83 countries were screened at 28 screens in downtown Toronto venues welcoming an estimated 480 000 attendees over 5 000 of whom were industry professionals 3 TIFF starts the Thursday night after Labour Day the first Monday in September in Canada and lasts for eleven days Founded in 1976 TIFF is now one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind in the world 4 In 1998 Variety acknowledged that TIFF is second only to Cannes in terms of high profile pics stars and market activity In 2007 Time noted that TIFF had grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival period 5 This is partially the result of the festival s ability and reputation for generating Oscar buzz 6 The festival s People s Choice Award which is based on audience balloting has emerged as an indicator of success during awards season especially at the Academy Awards Past recipients of this award include Oscar winning films such as Life Is Beautiful 1998 American Beauty 1999 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2000 Slumdog Millionaire 2008 The King s Speech 2010 12 Years a Slave 2013 La La Land 2016 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri 2017 Green Book 2018 Jojo Rabbit 2019 and Nomadland 2020 The festival s current executive director is Cameron Bailey 7 The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival took place from September 8 to 18 2022 8 Contents 1 Background 2 History 2 1 Notable film premieres 2 2 TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 3 Canada s Top Ten 3 Awards 4 Sections 5 Media coverage 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditThe Toronto International Film Festival was first launched as the Toronto Festival of Festivals collecting the best films from other film festivals around the world and showing them to eager audiences in Toronto Founded by Bill Marshall Dusty Cohl and Henk Van der Kolk 9 the inaugural event took place from October 18 through 24 1976 That first year 35 000 filmgoers watched 127 films from 30 countries presented in ten programmes Piers Handling has been the festival s director and CEO since 1994 while Noah Cowan became co director of TIFF in 2004 In late 2007 Cowan became the artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox while longtime programmer Cameron Bailey succeeded as co director As of 2013 Bailey is now the artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival as well as TIFF Bell Lightbox s year round programming 10 TIFF was once centred on the Yorkville neighbourhood but the Toronto Entertainment District later gained a greater level of prominence 11 12 TIFF is known for the celebrity buzz it brings to the area with international media setting up near its restaurants and stores for photos and interviews with the stars In 2010 TIFF opened its permanent headquarters TIFF Bell Lightbox a year round home for the appreciation of film in the heart of downtown Toronto although TIFF films are still screened at a wider variety of venues including the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto rather than exclusively at the Lightbox TIFF has grown steadily adding initiatives throughout the years TIFF Cinematheque formerly Cinematheque Ontario and the Film Reference Library FRL opened in 1990 The TIFF Kids International Film Festival formerly Sprockets launched in 1998 Film Circuit began exhibiting independent and Canadian films in under serviced cities across Canada in 1994 The festival also organizes the TIFF Film Circuit a program which partners with local organizations in other Canadian towns and cities to present screenings of films that have previously been shown at TIFF History Edit TIFF box office at the Manulife Centre in 2006 The festival was founded in 1976 at the Windsor Arms Hotel by Bill Marshall Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl 13 Beginning as a collection of the best regarded films from film festivals around the world it had an inaugural attendance of 35 000 14 Ironically however Hollywood studios withdrew their submissions from TIFF due to concerns that Toronto audiences would be too parochial for their products 15 In 1978 the decision was made to replace the name Festival of Festivals with Toronto International Film Festival as well as a move to a new location for the festival moving from the Harbour Castle Hotel to the Plaza II and also a new director with Wayne Clark replacing Marshall The number of galas increased from one to two per night and the Canadian Film Awards were incorporated into the festival 16 From 1994 to 2009 the umbrella organization running TIFF was named Toronto International Film Festival Group TIFFG In 2009 the umbrella organization TIFFG was renamed to TIFF 17 In 2001 Perspective Canada the programme that had focused on Canadian films since 1984 was replaced by two programmes Canada First a forum for Canadian filmmakers presenting their first feature length work featuring eight to 15 films and Short Cuts Canada which includes 30 40 Canadian short films Otherwise Canadian films are now simply included alongside international films in the other film programs rather than being grouped as a dedicated Canadian film stream In 2004 TIFF was featured as the site of murder mystery in the film Jiminy Glick in Lalawood a comedy film starring Martin Short In 2007 it was announced that the organization generates an estimated annual impact of 67 million CAD 18 By 2011 that benefit had grown to 170 million CAD 19 In 2008 Rose McGowan caused controversy at a TIFF press conference for her film Fifty Dead Men Walking when she noted that I imagine had I grown up in Belfast I would 100 have been in the IRA 20 In 2009 TIFF s decision to spotlight films from Tel Aviv created a controversy with protesters saying it was part of an attempt to re brand Israel 21 in a positive light after the January 2009 Gaza War 22 23 24 25 In 2017 TIFF reduced the number of films screened compared to the 2016 festival 26 with 255 feature length films in 2017 vs about 400 films in 2016 and also eliminated two venues that had been used in prior years 27 In 2019 it was reported that due to a request from its owner Cineplex Entertainment no TIFF films distributed by subscription video on demand services specifically Amazon Video and Netflix are being screened at Scotiabank Theatre which has been considered the primary venue of the festival 28 The 2020 version announced that it would be both in person and virtual due to the COVID 19 pandemic and that film screening would be masks optional It was criticized for creating a potential superspreader event as the social nature of the festival could increase the risk for COVID 19 transmission 29 The festival reversed the decision within 24 hours citing a surge of new cases in Ontario 30 Notable film premieres Edit Films such as American Beauty Ray Mr Nobody 127 Hours Black Swan The Five Obstructions Singapore Sling and I Am Love have premiered at TIFF Jamie Foxx s portrayal of Ray Charles ultimately won him the Academy Award for Best Actor while Slumdog Millionaire went on to win eight Oscars at the 2009 Academy Awards Precious which won the 2009 TIFF People s Choice Award went on to win two Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards The King s Speech the winner of the 2010 TIFF People s Choice Award won four Oscars at the 83rd Academy Awards while Silver Linings Playbook the winner of the 2012 TIFF People s Choice Award went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence In 2019 the festival opened with Once Were Brothers Robbie Robertson and The Band the first time the festival ever opened with a Canadian documentary film 31 Many Hollywood studios premiere their films in Toronto due to TIFF s easy going non competitive nature relatively inexpensive costs when compared to European festivals eager film fluent audiences and convenient timing 32 33 34 TIFF Bell Lightbox Edit TIFF Bell Lightbox In 2007 the Festival Group began construction on TIFF Bell Lightbox a new facility at the corner of King and John Streets in downtown Toronto on land donated by Ivan Reitman and family The 181 million facility is named for founding sponsor Bell Canada with additional support from the Government of Ontario and Government of Canada In 2010 the organization opened its new headquarters at TIFF Bell Lightbox The facility designed by local firm KPMB Architects provides extensive year round galleries cinemas archives and activities for cinephiles 35 The five storey facility contains five cinemas two gallery spaces film archives and an extensive reference library study spaces film lab facility and a research centre There is also a gift shop two restaurants a lounge a cafe and a three storey atrium 36 Cooperatively with Daniels Corporation there is a 46 storey condominium atop called the Festival Tower The first film screening was Bruce McDonald s Trigger The first exhibition was a retrospective on Tim Burton organized by the Museum of Modern Art New York City Subsequent exhibitions include Fellini Spectacular Obsessions Grace Kelly From Movie Star to Princess Designing 007 50 Years of Bond Style and Stanley Kubrick The Exhibition all of which were organized by TIFF as well as one called Essential Cinema featuring posters images and props from TIFF s The Essential 100 list of films 37 38 The Film Reference Library FRL is a large Canadian film research collection The library is a free resource for film lovers filmmakers students scholars and journalists and is located on the fourth floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox An affiliate member of the International Federation of Film Archives FIAF the FRL promotes Canadian and global film scholarship by collecting preserving and providing access to a comprehensive collection of film prints and film related reference resources including books periodicals scripts research files movies press kits and about 80 special collections In 2016 the festival received a donation of 1 400 film prints and launched a campaign to raise money for the preservation and storage of the films 39 Canada s Top Ten Edit Each year TIFF releases a Canada s Top Ten list of the films selected by a poll of festival programmers across Canada as the ten best Canadian feature and short films of the year regardless of whether or not they were screened at TIFF 40 The films selected are announced in December each year Previously the winning films were screened at a smaller follow up Canada s Top Ten festival at the Lightbox the following January with a People s Choice Award then presented for that minifestival 40 In 2018 TIFF announced a change under which instead of a dedicated festival each Top Ten film will receive its own standalone theatrical run at the Lightbox throughout the year 41 Since 1984 every decade TIFF has also produced a Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time list This list is produced from a wider poll of film industry professionals and academics throughout Canada separately from the annual top ten list Awards EditThe festival s major prize the People s Choice Award is given to a feature length film It is not a juried prize but is given to the film with the highest ratings as voted by the TIFF going populace 42 It is presently referred to as the Grolsch People s Choice Award 43 past sponsors of the award have included Cadillac 44 The winners of this award have often later earned Academy Award nominations 45 People s Choice Awards are also presented for Documentary and Midnight Madness films Each of the People s Choice Awards names first and second runners up in addition to the winners However TIFF does present juried awards in some other categories The festival presents three major awards for Canadian films Best Canadian Film Best Canadian First Feature Film and Best Canadian Short Film as well as awards for Best International Short Film two FIPRESCI sponsored International Critics Prizes for the Special Presentation and Discovery programs and a NETPAC Prize for the best film from Asia having its world premiere at the festival 46 In 2015 the festival introduced Platform a juried programme that champions director s cinema from around the world one film from the stream is selected as the winner of the Platform Prize For all of the juried awards honorable mentions may also be given although the juries are expected to select one overall winner For 2019 TIFF announced two new awards the TIFF Impact Award to honour production companies for work that has had an impact on the film industry and the Mary Pickford Award to honour an emerging female filmmaker 47 In the same year the festival introduced the TIFF Tribute Awards a gala ceremony at which distinguished actors and filmmakers are honoured for their lifetime career achievements unlike most award categories the Tribute Award honorees are named in advance of the festival 48 Sections EditThe hundreds of films screened at the annual festival are divided into sections referred to by TIFF as Programmes based on genre e g documentary children s films format e g short films television episodes the status of filmmaker e g masters first time directors and so forth Up until the early 2010s there were sections reserved for Canadian films but beginning in 2015 all Canadian films are integrated in sections with films from outside Canada Currently the festival s 14 sections are as follows 26 Contemporary World Cinema narrative feature films by established directors Discovery films that are typically the director s first or second feature film Gala Presentations high profile feature films often featuring international movie stars presented with a red carpet In Conversation With interviews of a director or other figure from the film industry generally accompanied by brief excerpts from films up until the 2014 festival this section was called Mavericks Masters feature films by the world s most influential art house filmmakers Midnight Madness genre films traditionally at TIFF each film in this section has one screening scheduled for 11 59pm and another the following afternoon the section was launched at TIFF in 1988 and was programmed by Colin Geddes from 1998 to 2016 49 now programmed by Peter Kuplowsky Platform a competitive section launched in 2015 named for Jia Zhangke s film Platform of films from around the world that do not have distribution in North America 50 51 Every year the Platform section has a high profile international jury which confers the C 25 000 Platform Prize both documentaries and narrative films are eligible for inclusion in the section Primetime television episodes making either their world premiere or North American premiere projected cinematically this section was launched in 2015 Short Cuts a section of short films usually six to ten short films included at each screening both Canadian and international up until the 2013 festival only Canadian short films were screened and the section was called Short Cuts Canada in 2014 a new section called Short Cuts International was added and then in 2015 they were merged into a section called Short Cuts Special Presentations high profile feature films usually Canadian premieres if not world premieres TIFF Cinematheque unlike the other sections which present new films the TIFF Cinematheque section has films from all eras of cinema often classic films that have been newly restored TIFF Docs formerly called Reel to Reel documentary films TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave formerly called Sprockets films for children and teenagers however this is not a dedicated program in its own right but a designation added to youth suitable films that are already in one of the other programs Wavelengths experimental films and art films both feature length and shorts this section was named for Michael Snow s film Wavelength In previous years sections at TIFF have included Perspectives Canada Canada First City to City 2009 to 2016 Future Projections Vanguard up to 2016 and Visions up to 2011 Media coverage EditIn 2016 TIFF hosted 1 800 members of the press and print media outlets such as the Toronto Star The Globe and Mail The New York Times The Times of India Los Angeles Times The Philadelphia Inquirer Miami Herald and the Toronto Sun have published a significant amount of festival coverage 52 53 Also the major industry trade magazines Variety The Hollywood Reporter and Screen International all produce daily editions during TIFF TIFF reports also appear in weekly news magazines American Canadian and international entertainment shows news services and a wide range of film and celebrity blogs 54 References Edit 35th Anniversary Fact Sheet TIFF Facts and Figures Press release Toronto International Film Festival September 27 2010 Archived from the original on July 6 2011 Retrieved September 21 2010 About TIFF TIFF Archived from the original on October 21 2019 Retrieved July 30 2019 2016 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FACT SHEET PDF Archived PDF from the original on October 24 2016 Toronto 2013 Why the festival matters BBC News September 4 2013 Archived from the original on September 5 2013 Retrieved September 5 2013 Keegan Rebecca Winters August 2007 Big Screen Romance Time Archived from the original on October 9 2010 Retrieved May 28 2010 Toronto Film Festival Oscar Buzz Begins CBS News September 19 2009 Archived from the original on November 4 2012 Retrieved August 25 2011 Cameron Bailey appointed CEO of Toronto International Film Festival Toronto Star November 30 2021 The Swimmers chosen as Toronto International Film Festival opening night gala film The Globe and Mail July 27 2022 Goffin Peter January 1 2017 TIFF co founder Bill Marshall 77 remembered as pioneer of Canadian film Toronto Star Archived from the original on January 2 2017 Retrieved January 3 2017 Cameron Bailey named artistic director of Toronto International Film Festival Archived January 21 2015 at archive today National Post March 14 2012 Mudhar Raju August 25 2010 From mega clubs to mega culture in Entertainment District Toronto Star Archived from the original on August 31 2010 Retrieved September 7 2010 Allen Kate August 24 2011 TIFF s great migration Toronto Star Archived from the original on March 23 2012 Retrieved August 25 2011 Stavrou Philip September 2005 Film Festival events return to their roots CTVglobemedia Archived from the original on February 10 2008 Retrieved September 19 2014 35th Anniversary Fact Sheet TIFF Facts and Figures Press release Toronto International Film Festival September 27 2010 Archived from the original on August 4 2010 Retrieved September 21 2010 Sterritt David April 2010 Film Festivals Then and Now FIPRESCI Archived from the original on September 6 2013 Retrieved June 8 2010 Toronto Re Names Relocates Its Festival Wayne Clark In Variety April 12 1978 p 48 TIFF History Toronto International Film Festival Archived from the original on August 25 2010 Retrieved September 21 2010 McGuinty government helps promote Toronto International Film Festival Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport Press release September 7 2007 Archived from the original on January 17 2013 Retrieved September 10 2012 Festival Announces Boundary Pushing Visions Titles Press release Toronto International Film Festival August 16 2011 Archived from the original on September 12 2011 Retrieved August 25 2011 The Globe and Mail 2008 2011 Director apologises for Rose McGowan s IRA comments Belfast Telegraph Phillip Crawley Publisher Israel set to launch in GTA Canadian Jewish News August 21 2009 Posner Michael February 11 2010 TIFF focus on Tel Aviv draws protests The Globe and Mail Toronto Archived from the original on January 4 2010 Retrieved August 17 2012 Klein Naomi October 31 2009 We don t feel like celebrating with Israel this year The Globe and Mail Toronto Archived from the original on May 1 2011 Retrieved August 17 2012 Canadian director protests TIFF Tel Aviv spotlight Canadian Broadcasting Corporation August 29 2009 Archived from the original on September 1 2009 Retrieved September 16 2012 A conversation with organizers of the Toronto film festival protest World Socialist Web Site International Committee of the Fourth International Archived from the original on March 13 2013 Retrieved April 16 2013 a b TIFF Unveils 2017 Programmes amp Programmers PDF Press release Toronto International Film Festival February 23 2017 Archived PDF from the original on February 24 2017 Victoria Ahearn February 23 2017 TIFF downscales for 2017 Toronto Star The Canadian Press Archived from the original on February 24 2017 Retrieved February 23 2017 Lindahl Chris September 7 2019 TIFF Confirms Cineplex Policy Banning Netflix and Amazon From Primary Screening Venue IndieWire Retrieved September 10 2019 Etan Vlessing September 8 2020 As Toronto Film Fest Screenings Go Mask Optional Attendees Fear Event Will Be a Coronavirus Superspreader The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 9 2020 Etan Vlessing September 9 2020 Toronto Film Fest Reverses Controversial Face Mask Policy The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 9 2020 New documentary Once Were Brothers Robbie Robertson and The Band to open TIFF 2019 CBC News July 19 2019 Retrieved August 7 2019 Ebert Roger September 2008 Starting off the season Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on June 22 2012 Retrieved June 8 2010 TIFF unspools with celebrities eager to connect with fans The Canadian Press CTV September 2009 Retrieved June 8 2010 Rich Joshua January 2005 Fest intentions Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on June 6 2011 Retrieved June 8 2010 Dixon Guy September 9 2010 Lightbox aims to draw filmmakers to its facilities The Globe and Mail The Globe and Mail Toronto permanent dead link Norman Wilner September 9 16 2010 Let there be lightbox NOW Archived from the original on January 17 2013 Retrieved August 17 2012 Germain David September 9 2010 No place like home Toronto film fest opens new HQ U T San Diego News The San Diego Union Tribune LLC Archived from the original on January 17 2013 Retrieved September 16 2012 A look at the Stanley Kubrick Exhibition TIFF 2014 The Vancouver Sun Canoe Sun Media November 27 2014 Retrieved August 3 2015 TIFF gains cach of 1 400 film prints Archived November 17 2016 at the Wayback Machine Toronto Star November 16 2016 Page E2 a b TIFF reveals Canada s Top Ten Film Festival line up Archived December 22 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Globe and Mail December 8 2015 TIFF scraps popular Canada s Top Ten Film Festival Now November 7 2018 Walmsley Katie September 2009 Oprah flick Precious wins top award at Toronto CNN Archived from the original on May 26 2012 Retrieved June 8 2010 You Pick the Winner How to Vote for the Grolsch People s Choice Award TIFF 2016 Archived from the original on August 25 2017 Retrieved August 25 2017 Chris Knight September 18 2011 Lebanese film wins TIFF People s Choice Award National Post The Imitation Game wins top prize at TIFF Archived November 17 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Globe and Mail September 14 2014 Knegt Peter September 2009 Precious tops Toronto winners IndieWire Archived from the original on August 29 2010 Retrieved June 8 2010 Toronto Film Festival Expands Tribute Gala With New Awards Variety June 27 2019 Michael Rosser Anthony Hopkins Chloe Zhao Mira Nair to receive TIFF Tribute awards Screen Daily August 12 2020 Graham Winfrey February 7 2017 TIFF Programmer Colin Geddes Departing After 20 Years IndieWire Archived from the original on February 25 2017 Anne Thompson July 15 2015 Why the Toronto Film Festival is Adding Platform Competition Sidebar IndieWire Archived from the original on February 24 2017 Etan Vlessing August 11 2016 Toronto Natalie Portman s Jackie Biopic Moonlight From Brad Pitt s Plan B Join Lineup The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on August 11 2016 Dargis Manohla September 18 2015 Toronto Film Festival Separating Contenders From Pretenders The New York Times Archived from the original on December 13 2017 Retrieved May 15 2017 Kirkland Bruce September 18 2015 TIFF 2015 The most fascinating films that closed the festival Toronto Sun Retrieved May 15 2017 Cinema Scope TIFF Reviews Index Archived from the original on October 25 2017 Retrieved December 13 2017 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Toronto International Film Festival Official website Toronto International Film Festival at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Toronto International Film Festival amp oldid 1124255896, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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