TIFFG Year Round

The Toronto International Film Festival is widely recognized as one of the leading cultural events in the world and the most successful public film festival in the world.

The famously discriminating and sophisticated Toronto filmgoers make the Toronto International Film Festival a must-attend event for public, industry, and press. Over the last thirty-one years, the movie-going public has demonstrated incredible support for the event and shaped it into the largest public film festival in the world.  Every September, the city experiences the best cinema the world has to offer, with over 300,000 public and industry admissions.

Cinematheque Ontario is a year-round screening programme dedicated to presenting the history of world cinema through thoughtfully curated retrospectives, filmmaker monographs, and international programme lectures. Cinematheque Ontario presents an ambitious selection of over 500 films annually including acclaimed director retrospectives, national and regional cinema spotlights, thematic programmes and exclusive limited runs. Each year, nearly 50,000 tickets are sold for a diverse showcase of classic and contemporary Canadian and international cinema, including many new and rare archival prints.

Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children offers children and youth the opportunity to learn about film and cultural perspectives from around the world through the power of the moving image.

The festival originally launched in 1998 with an attendance of 2,300, and has grown at a phenomenal pace, increasing its audience to over 24,000 people in 2006. The tremendous success of this event led to the creation of Sprockets Globetrotter Series and year-round outreach programming, including Pocket Fund and Special Delivery, which reached approximately 3,000 youth in 2006.

Film Circuit provides under-served communities with access to Canadian and international films. Working in 175 Canadian communities and 35 countries, Film Circuit is responding to an increasing demand for cultural programming and is directly developing an audience for Canadian film.

The Film Reference Library is an invaluable resource devoted to the study of film as art and industry and to the preservation of Canadian cinematic history.

With more than 18,000 book titles and 60,000 film production files, the Library holds the world's most extensive English-language collection of Canadian film-related material, including unique holdings of Canada’s most esteemed filmmakers.

The Film Reference Library video screening collection includes numerous and rare Canadian shorts and features, classic Hollywood, contemporary, seminal non-English language films and the Government of Ontario holdings.

Reel Talk is an immensely popular subscription series that features monthly sneak-preview screenings of the best in Canadian and international cinema, followed by interactive, candid discussions with film critics and professionals. Reel Talk titles are not announced until right before the screening, increasing audience anticipation and excitement. The initiative’s provocative screenings are paired with speakers selected for their specific insight on the film’s creation or subject matter. Now in its eighth season, audiences over the years have enjoyed a wide array of screenings including Oscar^®-calibre films, edgy documentaries, and films not otherwise available to the public.

Canada’s Top Ten was created in 2001 to recognize and honour excellence in Canadian cinema.  Each year, an independent 10-member national panel of filmmakers, programmers, journalists and industry professionals vote on the best Canadian films of the year, which can include features, shorts, documentaries, animation, and experimental films. Each film selected as part of Canada’s Top Ten must have either premiered at a Canadian film festival or had a commercial theatrical release in Canada during the year. The films and the members of the panel are revealed at a Canada’s Top Ten industry event in December, with screenings and panel discussions at Cinematheque Ontario in January.

Offers specialized programming for Canadian filmmakers. These year-round programmes focus on creative growth, international networking and marketing assistance and serves as a nexus for the Canadian and international film industries. Industry Initiatives programmes and services are designed to address issues that are critical to the film industry, while providing an open and accessible forum for industry professionals.  Through its programmes, participants are also granted exceptional access to key figures in the filmmaking industry.

The Toronto International Film Festival Group is committed to supporting community film and arts organizations - not only in the greater Toronto area, but across Canada and around the world. Some of the many ways TIFFG contributes to the community:

• The Group provides consultation advice to other film festivals and arts organizations;
• Senior staff participate on Boards of Directors for several other humanitarian, arts and cultural organizations;
• Film Circuit partners with many film festivals in Canada and around the world in various capacities, including programming and publicity;
• The Group’s Volunteer department works with other film festivals and arts organizations through consultation and providing support on volunteer issues and resources;
• The Group donates tickets and festival merchandise to a number of organizations and charitable causes to expand its reach and assist other charities with their missions.