Glitz, glam and geopolitical anxiety as TIFF gets underway

The global film industry converges on Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), a time of glitz, glamour, and geopolitical anxiety. Over 200 feature-length and short films from countries spanning six continents take the stage, from Iran to Ireland and Rwanda to Romania, alongside the United States. The opening night attraction is "Being Heumann," a biopic about disability rights activist Judy Heumann, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sian Heder.

"Fjord," this year's Palme d'Or winner, delves into religious tolerance in secular Norway and stars Sebastian Stan. Other notable attendees include Jodie Comer and Naomi Watts.

TIFF introduces a new market where industry players can buy and sell projects at various stages of development. This market coincides with a trade dispute between Canada and the United States, with American negotiators objecting to Canadian rules requiring U.S. streaming companies to fund Canadian content. However, the Canadian government has since reversed this stance, provoking discontent among the Canadian industry.

Despite these tensions, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey emphasizes the benefits of Canadian contributions to Hollywood, citing examples like James Cameron and Denis Villeneuve. He argues that Hollywood thrives when working with talent from around the globe. Meanwhile, Canada seeks partnerships with "middle powers," with Telefilm Canada's executive director Julie Roy recently attending the Lumiere Summit in France and South Korea.

Roy sees international cooperation as essential in the current context and highlights Canada's leading role with co-production treaties in 57 countries. As the largest pavilion at TIFF: The Market, Telefilm facilitates connections between Canadian creators and international financiers, akin to Team Canada at the Olympic Village but in the audiovisual sector.