Cameron Bailey says TIFF is 'back in a big way' after last year's challenges

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey poses for a photo on the red carpet during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey says the annual cinematic showcase is “back in a big way” after several setbacks cast a shadow over last year’s event.

The festival kicks off Thursday, bringing with it the star power lacking from last year’s edition due to Hollywood strikes.

Angelina Jolie, Pharrell Williams and Cate Blanchett are among the celebs expected to walk the red carpet, while some of the buzziest titles include Pamela Anderson’s comeback drama “The Last Showgirl,” Jason Reitman's "Saturday Night," and Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded passion project “Megalopolis.”

“The actors who were affected by the strikes are more eager than ever to be at an event like ours, to be in front of their audiences again, to reconnect with their public because that's a big part of what they love doing,” Bailey said in an interview while unveiling the Canadian lineup last month.

“The Toronto audience is unique among film festival audiences in its size, its knowledge, its enthusiasm for movies and its friendliness. So the stars can't wait to be a part of that again.”

Last year’s TIFF hit another snag when news emerged weeks before the festival that its lead sponsor Bell would end a nearly three-decade partnership at the end of 2023.

TIFF announced earlier this summer that it had tapped Rogers as its new “presenting sponsor,” but only for a single year and only for the festival itself, not its year-round activities.

Bailey said the festival is not alone in its sponsorship struggles, noting a more challenging landscape "for everyone in the arts."

"We've certainly got enough (money) to do what we need to do, but we are of course looking for more support all the time because we cannot just rest," he said.

"We're trying to always 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 the attention of the world to Canada and that that's valuable."

Still, Bailey says the organization has a strong year-round audience and is about to launch one of its “best and biggest events in years.”

He points to the high-profile stars coming to Toronto and the calibre of films with world premieres, including Mike Leigh’s family drama “Hard Truths” and Marielle Heller’s horror-comedy “Nightbitch,” starring Amy Adams.

“If you look at the range of films we have from 73 different countries, if you look at the fact that last year we had over 600,000 people attending the festival (and) we expect the same number or more this year, I think our reputation is strong,” said Bailey.

"BlackBerry" director Matt Johnson says no matter what gripes observers may have with TIFF, it's an "invaluable" resource for emerging Toronto filmmakers.

"It doesn't matter what we Canadians think. We can be like, 'Oh, TIFF sucks, the movies suck, we lost all of our premieres or the Hollywood movies we get are so garbage.' There are thousands of criticisms you could make intelligently," says the Toronto filmmaker, who stars in Kazik Radwanski's "Matt & Mara," which makes its North American debut at the fest.

"But as training ground or a place where young filmmakers can go, 'Oh, maybe we could do this, too, because we're seeing all these filmmakers from around the world premiere their stuff here,' I think you can't put a price on it."

Bailey said there are 144 sales titles at this year's festival and he expects the number to "scale way up" when the organization launches its official content market in 2026. Anchored by a $23 million investment from the federal government, the market will act as a hub for the buying and selling of screen-based projects, intellectual property and innovative content across various platforms.

He says the market will support Canadian creators by bringing "the world of screen-based content to the country's doorstep."

Toronto director R.T. Thorne says it's interesting to see TIFF broaden its focus with the market but is curious how much it will help local creators.

"In this country, it's difficult to be an independent filmmaker. We don't have the box-office support that some other countries do," says Thorne, whose post-apocalyptic thriller "40 Acres" makes its global bow at the fest.

"A lot of directors and storytellers here have to find another way to pay the bills, whether that's through television or the commercial world. So I think it's good that TIFF is doing it, but let's see what the execution is going to be and how much they actually really support creatives here."

Other Canadian films at the movie marathon include the North American premieres of Cronenberg’s metaphysical horror “The Shrouds” and Guy Maddin’s dark political comedy “Rumours,” as well as the global debuts of Durga Chew-Bose’s “Bonjour Tristesse" and Sook-Yin Lee’s “Paying For It."

“Nutcrackers,” David Gordon Green’s new dramedy starring Ben Stiller, will open the festival, while Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut “The Deb” will close it.

TIFF runs from Sept. 5 to 15.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2024.