Everything to know about the Toronto International Film Festival

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The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival gets underway this September in Canada’s largest city. Here’s what to know about TIFF, which runs from Sept. 5 to 15 this year.

What is TIFF?

Founded in 1976 as the Toronto Festival of Festivals, with a mandate to show the best of the other fests’ offerings, the first event ran for seven days in October of that year. It featured 127 films from 30 countries, watched by more than 35,000 people.

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In 1994 the Festival of Festivals officially became the Toronto International Film Festival. Over the years it has moved from being a second-run fest to a launch pad for world premieres and Oscar hopefuls.

Since 2008, for instance, every TIFF People’s Choice winner except one has gone on to be nominated for an Academy Award for best picture. Three of those – Slumdog Millionaire, Green Book and Nomadland – won the best picture prize.

How big a deal is TIFF?

Very. The 11-day festival now regularly features hundreds of films each year, but 2023 was hobbled by ongoing strikes by Hollywood actors and writers, which reduced the festival’s star power. Prior to that, 2020 was all but cancelled by COVID, with a 50-film lineup screening online. That number was doubled in 2021 but social distancing was still in effect. This means there has been only one “normal” year, 2022, in the last five.

This is also the first TIFF happening without long-time sponsor Bell Canada, whose name used to adorn the Lightbox. Rogers has since stepped up to become the presenting sponsor, but it hasn’t committed to more than one year.

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What’s playing this year?

Plenty. The festival kicks off with the gala screening and world premiere of Nutcrackers, directed by David Gordon Green and starring Ben Stiller. It’s screening at the Princess of Wales theatre at 6 p.m. Sept. 5, with another screening at Roy Thomson Hall at 8 p.m.

The biggest buzz can be heard around the galas, which feature red carpets and take place at the fanciest venues. This year’s galas include new films by Ron Howard (Eden), Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis), David Cronenberg (The Shrouds) and Julie Delpy (Meet the Barbarians), as well as the Elton John documentary Never Too Late, and No Dress Rehearsal, a documentary about The Tragically Hip directed by Mike Downie, brother of the late Gord Downie, the band’s frontman.

Other big names include directors Mike Leigh (Hard Truths), Pedro Almodovar (The Room Next Door), Jason Reitman (Saturday Night), Steven Soderbergh (Presence), Sook-Yin Lee (Paying for It) and Angelina Jolie (Without Blood). Star vehicles include Amy Adams in Nightbitch, Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in We Live in Time, Hugh Grant in Heretic, Nicole Kidman in Babygirl, and Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl.

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There are also screenings to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Whiplash, and the 30th of Double Happiness.

The festival ends with a gala screening and world premiere of The Deb, a musical comedy from Australia and the directing debut of Rebel Wilson. Like Nutcrackers, it too will screen at the Princess of Wales and Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 15. The festival wraps the following day with the announcement and repeat screening of the People’s Choice Award.

You can check out the full list of films online, as well as the complete schedule of what’s playing where and when.

How much are tickets?

Tickets went on sale to the general public on Monday and start at $28 for regular screenings at the Lightbox and ScotiaBank cinemas, and up to $95 for premium screenings such as galas at the Princess of Wales or Roy Thomson Hall. Rush tickets are $27 for regular screenings and $47 for premium events but you will have to line up early.

What’s the Lightbox?

Opened in 2010 at King and John Streets on land donated by Ivan Reitman (whose son Jason has a film at the festival this year), the Lightbox is TIFF’s year-round headquarters and the hub of the annual festival. Its seven screening spaces can seat from 50 to more than 500 people.

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How can I see celebrities?

TIFF has created dedicated fan zones on David Pecaut Square, including outside the Princess of Wales and Royal Alexandra theatres. In addition to the red carpets that will accompany each gala screening, you can also see the stars of the films during the introductions and Q&As at many of the screenings. You might even be seated near them in the auditorium; I once had the unnerving experience of sitting behind Ian McKellen while watching him in a movie. And then there are the various restaurants and bars near the festival epicentre – stars gotta eat too.

Some of the celebrities confirmed to be in attendance at the festival this year include Amy Adams (starring in Nightbitch), Will Ferrell (starring in Will & Harper), Bruce Springsteen (for the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band), Selena Gomez (starring in Emilia Perez), Alicia Vikander, Elton John, Pharrell Williams, Riz Ahmed, Andrea Bocelli and many others.

Is TIFF just movies?

Although films are the festival’s bread and butter, sandwiches need more filling. TIFF this year includes its second annual Black Excellence Brunch, celebrating Black leaders in the film industry.

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Also returning is the festival’s popular In Conversation With … series, ticketed events featuring moderated discussions with Cate Blanchett, Zoe Saldana, Steven Soderbergh, Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook.

Then there’s Festival Street, bane of commuters and favourite of festival-goers. During the first four days of TIFF, King Street will be closed between University Avenue and Peter Street and decked out with food trucks and free activities, including information on other festivals and arts organizations.

When does it all happen?

The 49th Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15 this year. Tickets and more information at tiff.net.

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