News

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has named Canadian communications giant Rogers presenting sponsor after the arrangement with longtime lead sponsor Bell ended last year.

Rogers will also back TIFF’s People’s Choice Awards. Screen has confirmed the one-year deal only covers the festival and not TIFF’s year-round activities. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Wednesday’s announcement comes after TIFF and Rogers’ rival Canadian communications company Bell parted ways last year after 28 years. That deal brought TIFF around C$5m a year and the end of the partnership resulted in a hefty financial impact on the non-profit, which said...

British filmmaker Mike Leigh will be feted at this year’s Toronto Film Festival with the TIFF Ebert Director Award for career achievement. The announcement was made this morning by TIFF head Cameron Bailey.

Leigh returns to TIFF this year for the World Premiere of his 23rd film, Hard Truths, screening as part of the Special Presentations programme. He reunites with Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies) in the pic which is described as an “intimate study of modern family life.” Hard Truths will be distributed by Bleecker Street in the US and by Mongrel Media in Canada. Leigh has had eight films in Official Selection at the festival, including Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Mr. Turner.

Named after legendary film critic Roger Ebert, previous recipients of the award include Martin Scorsese, Claire Denis, Ava DuVernay, Wim Wenders, and the late Agnès Varda.

The Canadian festival further announced this...

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival continues to catch some major stars. Today, festival head Cameron Bailey has announced the addition of more more honorees who will be receiving a TIFF Tribute Award at this year’s festival. Those honorees include Academy Award–nominated and renowned British filmmaker Mike Leigh, who will be honored with the TIFF Ebert Director Award.

Leigh will premiere his twenty-third film “Hard Truths,” at the festival, which will screen as part of the Special Presentations program and reunites him with Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Secrets & Lies”). Named after legendary film critic Roger Ebert, the award has gone to celebrated visionaries such as Martin Scorsese, Claire Denis, Ava DuVernay, Wim Wenders, and the late Agnès Varda. Past recipients who received the TIFF Ebert Director Award since the TIFF Tribute Awards were introduced include Spike Lee in 2023; Sam Mendes in 2022; Denis Villeneuve in 2021; Chloé Zhao...

Cate Blanchett will be honored at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival with a Tribute Award, while also participating in an In Conversation With… event.

The Oscar winner will receive the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award in Toronto on Sept. 8. Blanchett most recently starred in Canadian director Guy Maddin’s Rumors, which bowed at the Cannes Film Festival and is expected to have a North American premiere at TIFF in September.

Proceeds from the Tribute Awards go towards the festival’s TIFF Every Story Fund, which encourages diversity, equity and inclusion in filmmaking. The gala dinner fundraiser for the fest’s philanthropic efforts is also an occasional harbinger of Oscar recognition and is held each year at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

“Cate Blanchett is a marvel. One of the finest actors in film history, she has consistently shown range, depth and audacity on screen. Offscreen, she has been a tireless champion...

Cate Blanchett will receive the Toronto International Film Festival Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award at the 49th edition of the festival in September.

Blanchett will participate in an ‘in conversation’ session at the festival, looking at her career which includes eight Oscar nominations and two wins, for best supporting actress for The Aviator and best actress for Blue Jasmine.

The Share Her Journey award was created in 2022 to “address gender parity in the film industry, to champion women at every stage of their creative journey, and to shine a spotlight on women creators making a significant difference in the industry”, according to the festival.

Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will be bestowed with the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. The actress and producer will also participate in an In Conversation With… event looking back on her career.

The TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award winner is given to a leading woman in the motion picture industry who has championed the careers of others and paved the way for the next generation.

Blanchett will receive the honor at TIFF Tribute Awards on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, with proceeds going towards TIFF’s Every Story Fund. The fund champions diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in film.

“Cate Blanchett is a marvel,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “One of the finest actors in film history, she has consistently shown range, depth and audacity on screen. Off screen, she has been a tireless champion of increased equity and justice in many sectors.

While the Toronto International Film Festival was making headlines this week for its most immediate plans, the event’s CEO Cameron Bailey was 7,000 miles away and looking a little bit further into the future.

This year’s TIFF has announced the first batch of highlights for its September 5-15 edition, including world premieres for the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late and the Amy Adams-led dark comedy Nightbitch, as well as honors for Canadian entertainment royalty in David Cronenberg (2024 Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award) and Sandra Oh (2024 TIFF Tribute Awards Honorary Chair). But what’s really raised eyebrows this year has been the word — first shared in May — that TIFF, starting in 2026, plans to launch its own market, with a $17 million injection from the Canadian government.

For his part, Bailey was on the road this past week, taking up an invitation from the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival to...

The Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday announced the first six titles set to make their world premieres at the 49th edition, in the Gala and Special Presentation program, also naming this year’s TIFF Tribute Award recipients.

Films selected thus far include R.J. Cutler and David Furnish’s Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late, Woo Min-ho’s Harbin, Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck, Marielle Heller’s Amy Adams-led dark comedy Nightbitch, Netflix’s Indigenous coming-of-age basketball film Rez Ball from Sydney Freeland, and DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot.

“We know the TIFF audience has been eagerly anticipating what films will be coming to Toronto this September, and today’s announcement is a snapshot of what’s to come this year: a wonderfully wide range of titles that span genres and generations, with discoveries for everyone,” said the festival’s Chief Programming Officer,...

Just as Toronto’s festival programmers are now teasing their first film picks, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey shares with Variety his thinking behind the – oft-rejected – move to give the event an organized market.

As a former artistic director at Toronto and now its CEO, how do you feel about cutting the number of films to be shown at the festival?

There was a time in the 2010s when our lineup got to be quite big. That was great for an audience festival, where we were giving people lots of choice. But we also want to make sure that every film we select is able to get its moment in the spotlight, to really stand out. So, from about 2017, we’ve trimmed a little bit. This year, we’re still in the 200-feature film range, plus of course the shorts and the TV series that we have. I would say it...

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has made its first 2024 line-up announcements, setting world premieres for six films including Marielle Heller’s dark comedy Nightbitch starring Amy Adams, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, and documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.

Also heading to the 49th edition of TIFF, which runs September 5-15, 2024, are Stephen King adaptation The Life Of Chuck starring Tom Hiddleston, South Korean spy thriller Harbin, and coming-of-age Indigenous basketball film Rez Ball produced by LeBron James.

R.J. Cutler and Elton John’s husband David Furnish co-direct Elton John: Never Too Late, which screens as a Gala presentation...

“Elton John: Never Too Late,” a feature documentary about pop legend Elton John, will have its world premiere as a gala screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. So too will “Nightbitch,” an Amy Adams-starring dark comedy about a stay-at-home mom whose life takes a surreal turn.

The pair are among the first six titles announced by the high-profile festival, as Toronto organizers pulled back the curtain on some of the prestige presentations and honorees planned for this year’s 49th edition, as well as preparations for Toronto’s 2026 launch of an organized film market.

Read Cameron Bailey’s full interview here.

In addition to the screening of “Nightbitch,” which Adams produced via her Bond Group Entertainment company, the six-time Oscar nominee will receive Toronto’s 2024 TIFF Tribute Performer Award.

Canadian director David Cronenberg will receive the 2024 Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award. Organizers described Cronenberg...

TIFF is almost underway!

The film festival has unveiled part of its film lineup along with the first honorees for the sixth annual Tribute Awards, taking place Sunday, September 8. Meanwhile, “Nightbitch” starring Amy Adams will have its world premiere at the festival, with Oscar-nominated actress Adams receiving the TIFF Tribute Performer Award. The festival will take place from September 5 through 15. Six titles from the gala and special presentation programs were also announced.

Elton John documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late” will debut, along with “Harbin” starring Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, Park Jeong-min, and Jeon Yeo-been. Marielle Heller’s aforementioned “Nightbitch” will be unveiled, as well as Stephen King’s “The Life of Chuck” starring Tom Hiddleston. LeBron James produces Indigenous basketball coming-of-age film “Rez Ball,” and animated film “The Wild Robot” will screen with Lupita Nyong’o voicing the titular android.

The 11-day celebration also hosts the annual Tribute Awards. This year,...

TIFF’s plans to launch an official content market in 2026 has got the Croisette buzzing and sparked mixed reactions, with some industry sources expressing enthusiasm while others have cautioned against a more cluttered calendar.

CEO Cameron Bailey and chief programming officer Anita Lee announced the initiative yesterday. Backed by a $16.9m (C$23m) investment by the Canadian federal government, it will expand on the existing unofficial marketplace and include film, series and Xr screenings, and tentpole packages.

The annual September event will run concurrently with the festival and operate out of dedicated venues in Toronto, with Canadian talent showcases and...

While the film industry mourned the loss of one of their favorite Cannes rituals, a beach party thrown every year by the Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey promised to throw a “refreshed” version next year. He dropped into Cannes to announce a landmark $23 million Cad investment supported by the Canadian federal government, for a new content initiative to begin in 2026 that will expand TIFF’s scope of offerings. This is the single largest government investment TIFF has received since the campaign to build TIFF Lightbox. The three-year investment will enable the organization to accelerate planning and development work that is currently underway.

TIFF is looking for good news, as the pandemic and the loss of festival sponsors including Bell — the theater complex used to be called Bell Lightbox — made a dent in the festival’s finances.

Envisioned as the North American hub for buying and selling screen-based projects,...

The Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) is getting a market.

TIFF on Thursday confirmed that it will add an official film market to run alongside its festival program, billing the venture as the “North American hub for buying and selling screen-based projects, intellectual property, and immersive and innovative content across all platforms” that aims to “elevate Canadian and international talent while driving global distribution and sales.”

Toronto has long been a spot where business gets done — major deals for the upcoming The Crow reboot and Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour were inked at or just before TIFF last year — but unlike Cannes or Berlin, the festival has never had an official bazaar where buyers and sellers can set up shop. Instead, U.S. and international film buyers and sellers networked and did business informally while circulating around the festival or in hotel rooms, rather than under one roof.

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will launch an official content market concurrent with the festival starting in 2026, in a significant addition to the calendar that could herald profound consequences for the AFM.

The initiative is supported by a three-year C$23m (Usd $16.9m) investment by the Canadian federal government and will encompass features, series and immersive and innovative projects. The market will be situated in dedicated spaces within the TIFF footprint in downtown Toronto.

TIFF brass told Screen they anticipate tentpole packages, more screenings, and a works in progress element. While the market will be global in nature, there will...

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will launch an official content market concurrent with the festival starting in 2026, in a significant addition to the calendar that could herald profound consequences for the AFM.

The initiative is supported by a three-year C$23m (Usd $16.9m) investment by the Canadian federal government and will encompass features, series and immersive and innovative projects. The market will be situated in dedicated spaces within the TIFF footprint in downtown Toronto.

TIFF brass told Screen they anticipate tentpole packages, more screenings, and a works in progress element. While the market will be global in nature, there will...

TIFF is expanding its industry influence with the launch of an official content market, designed as a central hub for buying and selling screen-based projects, intellectual property, and immersive and innovative content across all platforms.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and chief programming officer Anita Lee made the announcement on Thursday in Cannes, revealing that the market is in development thanks to a Cad $23 million investment from the Canadian federal government.

“What we’ve heard from the international industry at large is that TIFF is increasingly becoming a significant gateway to North America,” Lee told Variety, sitting down for an interview just a few hundred kilometers away from Cannes’ Marche du Film, which was an inspiration for TIFF’s version. “We have a fantastic culturally diverse, young, sophisticated audience. What the official market will allow us to do is create a hub and infrastructure for companies, producers, to come in from all around the world,...

In a sudden announcement, Sundance Institute said on Friday that CEO Joana Vicente is stepping down after two and a half years and Amanda Kelso is returning as acting CEO.

Kelso, who is a trustee of the Institute, previously served as acting CEO, co-chair of the technology committee, a member of the finance committee, and was actively involved in the digital festival task force.

She will transition into her role in April, and Vicente will continue to serve as an advisor to her and the board through June.

“After two and half inspiring years, I have made the decision to...

In a sudden announcement, Sundance Institute said on Friday that CEO Joana Vicente is stepping down after two and a half years and Amanda Kelso is returning as acting CEO.

Kelso, who is a trustee of the Institute, previously served as acting CEO, co-chair of the technology committee, a member of the finance committee, and was actively involved in the digital festival task force.

She will transition into her role in April, and Vicente will continue to serve as an advisor to her and the board through June.

“After two and half inspiring years, I have made the decision to...

Jennifer Frees has returned to the Toronto Film Festival to fill the new role of chief business and marketing officer, overseeing corporate partnerships among other duties.

Frees, who held executive roles like vp of partnerships and senior director of partnerships over a nine year period with TIFF to Sept. 2020, will also oversee brand and media development, loyalty and engagement at the festival. Her return comes as Toronto looks to plug a revenue hole left by Canadian phone giant Bell, lead sponsor of TIFF since 1995 and with its name on the event’s year-round home Bell Lightbox, ending a $5 million annual financial contribution at the end of 2023.

“Jenn has an impressive track record of driving growth and innovation as well as a commitment to developing purpose-focused partnerships that support our mission and enhanced audience experience,” Toronto Film Fest CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement on Thursday.

Among challenges faced by Toronto,...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

The very act of making a top ten list each year is an absurd yet worthwhile exercise, as frustrating as it is always valuable to reflect on the overall state of cinema in a given year, an art I’ve dedicated much of my adult life to. While I’m about to complain about the process I would be offended if my editors here at The Film Stage didn’t ask me to contribute. As always, thanks Jordan for keeping me around for another year!

For some, life is about the ones that got away––I feel this acutely as I almost passed on Claire Simon’s Our Body, a rewarding documentary with a final scene that nearly broke me emotionally––for the very reason that I...

Refresh for updates… The news that writer-director Jean-Marc Vallée died suddenly over the weekend at age 58 has spurred reactions from his homey country Canada to Hollywood and beyond.

The Montreal-born filmmaker behind Dallas Buyers Club, which won Oscars for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, and Wild, which scored nominations for Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, also scored Emmys and Emmy nominations for piloting the HBO limited series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, passed away in Quebec City at age 58.

Tributes last night and this morning came from those who worked with him including Witherspoon, who starred in Wild and Big Little Lies. The Canadian film community also has responded in shock; Vallée’s first big feature after starting out as a music video director was his semi-autobiographical C.R.A.Z.Y., which played the Toronto Film Festival.

TIFF was a favorite home to his films, as the fest...

Anyone who has visited Tel Aviv, Israel, knows when it’s time to head back to the States, it’s about a 3 hour wait in line at the airport due to security clearances.

Well, for those traveling to Canada for TIFF during the pandemic, brace yourself, because you’re going to wait just as long.

On Wednesday, flights coming into Toronto from both NYC and LA were delayed by four hours, creating suspense for anyone who had taken a Covid test before Labor Day that Canadian border patrol wouldn’t grant them entry because their PCRs were slightly older than 72 hours. The 9:30Am flight out of LA, which was pushed to 12 noon landed at 7:30Pm Toronto time, creating a 90 minute wait at customs; even actress-filmmaker Justine Bateman, who had Violet at TIFF, was weathering the long wait. Per Air Canada, those returning to the states need to get...

TIFF’s second year during the Covid-19 pandemic opened with a bigger slate (132 features compared to last year’s 60) and “Dear Evan Hansen,” an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit. Thematically, a film about a teenager grappling with loneliness and mental health problems makes perfect sense for the festival’s inaugural film. As artistic director Cameron Bailey noted during his introduction to the film, the coming-of-age musical touches on feelings many people have experienced during the pandemic.

The film should be a hit: It touches on timely subject matter, the songs are by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (who have won awards for songs in “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman”), and the stage musical won six Tony Awards. Unfortunately, , with a cascade of glaring distractions that continuously point out the artificiality of the genre.

Evan Hansen is a high school student with nary a real friend besides...

The Toronto International Film Festival marked a poignant in-person return on Thursday evening, with the opening night title “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Before a single frame of the cathartic tearjerker starring Ben Platt was screened, festival co-heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente primed the room at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. Normally packed to the gills in pre-covid times, the auditorium was a barely at 50% capacity thanks to social distancing measures in view of the ongoing pandemic.

Bailey and Vicente spoke of resilience and gratitude for the industry and public coming back together at TIFF. An officer of the Canadian film commission followed, underscoring that “Dear Evan Hansen” was the perfect film to welcome audiences back after an all-virtual edition in 2020 because of its simple message: “You are not alone.”

Mayor of Toronto John Tory then surprised the crowd with an off-the-cuff speech, at one point nearly overcome, saying “This is...

When Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley stepped down as co-chairmen of Searchlight Pictures in April, it was the end of one of the most enduring and successful double acts in independent film history. For more than two decades, the pair have shaped cinema history and set the gold standard for independent production, distribution, and awards campaigning.

“Just a few numbers for you: $5.3 billion in global box office, 43 Academy Awards, 47 BAFTAs…and four of the last eight best picture Oscars: 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, The Shape of Water, and Nomadland,” was how Cameron Bailey, artistic director and co-head of ...

There’s never been as much uncertainty around film festivals’ impact on the awards season.

With Toronto, Telluride, Ven­ice, New York and other key fests opening amid an overcrowded field of films postponed from 2020, the acclaim, buzz and dis­tinction festivals bestow on award contenders is more important than ever — especially for spec­tacles such as “Dune,” which lose some impact on the small screen in hybrid streaming/theatrical releases. Yet the surging Delta variant now threatens to derail premieres, star appearances, in-person screenings and the press, the public’s and Oscar vot­ers’ willingness to attend them.

On Aug. 27, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci­ences postponed all screenings and in-person events for 2021. And on Aug. 30, despite the U.S. having around 60 times as many Covid-19 cases as Canada and a much lower vaccination rate over the previous four weeks, per Johns Hopkins University data, the U.