(Toronto) Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) President and CEO Cameron Bailey says the annual film event is “back with a vengeance” after last year’s many challenges.
The festival kicks off on Thursday, and many stars will be there, unlike last year, when strikes continued in Hollywood.
Angelina Jolie, Pharrell Williams and Cate Blanchett are among the celebrities expected to grace the red carpet. Among the hottest headlines is a drama starring Pamela Anderson The Last Showgirl, Saturday Night by Jason Reitman and Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed project Megalopolis.
“Actors affected by the strikes are more eager than ever to participate in an event like ours, to be in front of their audience, to reconnect with their audience, because that’s a big part of what they love to do,” Cameron Bailey said in an interview when the Canadian lineup was unveiled last month.
Toronto’s audience is unique among film festival audiences in its size, knowledge, enthusiasm for films and friendliness, and the stars are eager to be part of it again.
Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF
Last year, TIFF faced another test when, just weeks before the festival, Bell announced that it would no longer be the major sponsor after nearly three decades.
PHOTO PAIGE TAYLOR WHITE, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF
TIFF announced earlier this summer that it had chosen Rogers as its new “presenting sponsor,” but for one year only and only for the festival itself, not its year-round activities.
Bailey said the festival was not alone in struggling with sponsors, noting a more difficult landscape “for everyone in the arts.”
We certainly have enough money to do what we need to do, but we are always looking for more support because we cannot rest on our laurels.
Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF
“We always try to make the case that we are one of the great events in this city, one of the great events in this country, a cultural event that brings Canada to the world’s attention and that is valuable.”
A “solid” reputation
Still, Bailey says the organization has a strong following year-round and is poised to launch one of its “best and biggest events in years.”
He highlighted the arrival of renowned stars in Toronto and the calibre of the films being presented in world premieres, notably the family drama Hard Truths by Mike Leigh and the horror comedy Nightbitch by Marielle Heller, with Amy Adams.
“If you look at the range of films that we have from 73 different countries, if you consider the fact that last year we had over 600,000 people at the festival [et] “If we expect the same number or more this year, I think our reputation is solid,” he said.
PHOTO CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
The director of BlackBerryMatt Johnson, says that no matter what criticisms observers may have of TIFF, it is an “invaluable” resource for emerging Toronto filmmakers.
“We can say, ‘Oh, TIFF sucks, the movies suck, we lost all our premieres, or the Hollywood movies we get suck so much.'”
“But as a place of training or a place where young filmmakers can go […]I think you can’t put a price on that.”
Support for Canadian creators
Bailey says there are 144 titles on sale at this year’s festival and he expects that number to “increase significantly” when the organization launches its official content marketplace in 2026. Anchored by a $23 million investment from the federal government, the marketplace will serve as a hub for buying and selling screen projects, intellectual property and innovative content across various platforms.
He says the market will support Canadian creators by bringing “the world of screen content to the country’s doorstep.”
Toronto director RT Thorne says it’s exciting to see TIFF expanding its reach with this market, but he’s curious to see how much it will help local creators.
“It’s hard to be an independent filmmaker in this country. We don’t have the box office support that some other countries have,” said Thorne, whose post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres makes its world debut at the festival.
TIFF PHOTO, PROVIDED BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
Danielle Deadwyler is seen in a still from the film 40 Acres by RT Thorne.
“A lot of filmmakers and storytellers here have to find another way to pay their bills, whether it’s through television or through the commercial world. So I think it’s a good thing that TIFF is doing it, but we’ll see how things play out and how much they actually support creators here.”
Other Canadian films that will be present at the festival include the metaphysical horror film The Shrouds David Cronenberg and the dark political comedy Rumors by Guy Maddin. Also note the world premieres of Hello Sadness of Durga Chew-Bose and Paying For It by Sook-Yin Lee.
PHOTO GAYLE YE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Emily Le, left, and Dan Beirne, star in Paying For Itdirected by Sook-Yin Lee.
NutcrackersDavid Gordon Green’s new comedy-drama starring Ben Stiller, will open the festival, while The DebRebel Wilson’s first film, will close it.
TIFF will take place from September 5 to 15.