Widely considered the leading public film festival in the world, Toronto is where film art meets its audience. As a Torontonian and a passionate student of the movies, I am proud to be taking up the position of Co-Director.
I've been a programmer for TIFF for more than 12 years and I've seen the festival evolve from a "Festival of Festivals" to a major launching pad for the international awards season.
Since 1990, I've been involved with the Toronto International Film Festival Group in several capacities. I've hosted TIFFG's year-round subscription series, Reel Talk, curated films for Cinematheque Ontario, and was responsible for the annual selection of films from Africa, South Asia and the Philippines for TIFF. I also founded Planet Africa, and headed up our Canadian film selection for a few years. Now, I'm excited to join TIFFG's CEO Piers Handling at the helm of the festival.
We're committed to discovering new voices in international and Canadian cinema, in addition to hosting the world's most celebrated filmmakers and talent. Drawing inspiration from the rich diversity of the city of Toronto, our programmers search the world for the highest achievements in film art, for new ideas in cinema and for movies that will surprise, delight and enlighten our audiences.
To get to know our programmers better look for our "Meet the Programmers" pages in this year's programme book.
The support of our public partners, donors, sponsors and affiliated hotel, restaurant and retail partners, is vital to the success of TIFF, and we also extend our gratitude toward the filmmakers, distributors, studios and sales agencies for making this event possible.
It's been an exhilarating ride and a privilege to work with such a great team of dedicated staff and volunteers. We hope you enjoy this year's selection. See you in September.