What’s Next for Toronto Film Fest at 50 Years?

by

As I delve deeper into the world of film festivals, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is at the forefront of embracing change and adapting to the evolving landscape of cinema. With its rich history spanning over half a century, TIFF has managed to strike a balance between Hollywood glamour and nurturing emerging talent from around the globe.

For its 2024 edition, the Toronto Film Festival regained its full vigor, recovering from the interruptions brought about by the pandemic and the 2023 Hollywood actor’s strike.

As TIFF’s landmark 50th anniversary nears in 2025, its organizers are eagerly preparing to blend technology and cinema more extensively. This is in anticipation of unveiling a dedicated media content market by 2026.

Cameron Bailey, the CEO of TIFF, seems unfazed by the criticism towards the 2024 edition, which suggests it has too few potential Oscar contenders in its opening weekend lineup. Notably, likely award season entrants such as “Emilia Pérez”, “Anora”, and “Conclave” were presented in Toronto but premiered instead at Cannes, Venice, or Telluride film festivals.

Every festival aspires to top billing, but we’ve discovered through experience that films debuting at these festivals alongside many well-known productions may not always hit theaters in the same year they were first shown. For instance, Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’ was released a year before it received its Oscar recognition.

Additionally, he mentions the unexpected winner of the top audience award at Toronto last September, Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck”, which was quickly acquired by Neon following the conclusion of TIFF, and will be released in summer 2025, long before its theatrical debut. Bailey emphasizes that they are focusing on the distant future.

Looking ahead to 2025, Toronto gears up for its 50th annual film festival, aiming to establish a strong presence in September. The city has faced numerous obstacles over the past few years due to unforeseen disruptions, but Bailey acknowledges the difficulties: “The cultural sector is going through a tough time. Many of our peers have faced significant challenges, and we’ve had our own struggles too, recovering from the pandemic and dealing with a strike last year.

In the coming years, Toronto aims to expand certain aspects of its identity, such as broadening its film festival schedule. This expansion will prioritize popular international films towards the latter stages of the 11-day event. This change is a step away from the contentious world premiere policy introduced in 2014, which sought to prevent distributors from premiering films in Telluride or Venice before showcasing them in Toronto.

The intended position was designed to safeguard TIFF’s reputation as the initial platform for award season, but it turned out that American distributors challenged Toronto’s claim by premiering films in Venice or Telluride beforehand and choosing later screenings at TIFF, or simply avoiding the Canadian festival altogether.

For the past five to ten years, our aim has been to ensure that the festival remains vibrant and engaging, featuring numerous fresh movies even during the second week. We’ve achieved some notable successes in this endeavor,” Bailey emphasizes.

Organizers of the TIFF festival also recognize the irony in more and more Oscar contenders being shown during the second week of the event, rather than at the initial weekend. This shift comes after earlier criticism from film buyers who felt that the festival was overly focused on its first four days, becoming too hectic, and potentially overlooking significant films shown later on.

However, as Venice and Telluride, with their more intimate settings and earlier start dates, seem to have an advantage over the more popular Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), TIFF is planning to stay competitive by undergoing a digital transformation in its approach to the road leading to the Oscars.

That includes reimagining Toronto through the lens of influencers quickly gaining attention on social media and other digital platforms, like Letterbox, who are playing an increasing role during awards season. “More and more, we’re starting to see what actually ladders up award season can really come through less traditional media avenues,” Anita Lee, chief programming officer at TIFF, tells THR.

The movie “Everything, Everywhere All at Once” by A24, which debuted at SXSW instead of Toronto, Telluride, or Venice, gained traction from a modern group of cinema influencers and buzz on social media. As Lee notes, this film rose through the ranks organically, spreading within communities and generating significant momentum beyond what we’d typically associate with an Oscar campaign.

TIFF organizers are considering ways to attract the upcoming generation of movie enthusiasts who primarily watch films on streaming platforms and other digital outlets. The decline in film sales during TIFF’s 2024 edition is partly attributed to changes in the independent creator economy, where deals take more time to finalize due to their increased complexity as the digital era progresses.

Bailey contends that nowadays, late-night bidding contests following a movie’s premiere are much less common, particularly during the opening weekend. This shift is attributed to the transformation in the nature of the entertainment industry as it expanded across various release platforms and adaptable distribution models.

As a gamer, I’ve got to say, the gaming world has really changed, with new characters popping up and playing in unexpected ways. Take for instance the Toronto premieres that took place recently – the opening night film for 2024, titled “Nutcrackers” starring Ben Stiller, the historical spy-thriller “Harbin” directed by Woo Min-ho featuring Hyun Bin, and Laura Piani’s “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life”. These exciting new characters all found their place in the game during TIFF’s September 5 to 15 run.

However, this left numerous Toronto-based titles remaining for sale once the festival concluded. So far, the 2024 edition has managed to sell 71 acquisition titles that were part of its official selection.

Although Toronto continues to rely on high-profile Hollywood films to adorn its red carpets and attract international press and sponsors, the festival is simultaneously focusing on a fresh generation of international filmmakers. This strategy aims to ensure that their films receive exposure amidst increasing competition from regional and worldwide streaming platforms.

This success of “Parasite” at the Oscars and other foreign-language movies competing for Best Picture allows TIFF to capitalize on Toronto’s diverse cultural groups to generate buzz about international films and artists.

Increasingly, there’s a growing curiosity among global partners and businesses regarding this avenue. Therefore, we are examining strategies to present these works to the appropriate viewers, key influencers, and decision-makers, specifically at TIFF, as suggested by Lee.

Toronto is deliberately positioning its inaugural official market in 2026 not only as a film market, but as a diverse content fair. As Lee clarifies, while film has always been the foundation of TIFF, television series will play a more significant role in the content market. Additionally, they are exploring extended reality (XR) and multi-platform content distribution.

For the very first time, Toronto’s content market will emphasize high-profile U.S. film bundles and a select few international movies in need of financing and distribution deals. This festival will operate a distinct division dedicated to managing the official content market. Leveraging its extensive industry connections and relationships, it aims to guarantee the market’s success.

Lee points out that Toronto isn’t starting fresh, considering it’s been hosting an informal film market annually in September for over fifty years. The upcoming official content market, as part of Toronto’s digital advancement, will incorporate advanced technology and various data sources.

According to Lee, those are the regions where we intend to focus our efforts extensively. Our goal is to create a dynamic market environment that caters to users throughout the entire year, enabling businesses to adapt easily as the industry evolves and allowing them to truly transform with the changing times.

Read More

2024-12-13 01:25