I really don’t keep up on this stuff, but apparently the tiff (and, yes that’s how they refer to it) is now possibly even more popular than Cannes?
When did this happen? I’m amused and perplexed.
About 25 years ago. The last decade or so it has been seen as one of the top 5 movie festivals in the world.
If you take a look on the Wikipedia page for any current movie-type person, chances are the picture of them was taken at TIFF.
Yes, it’s been huge for decades. I used to live in Toronto and you simply couldn’t not be aware of it when it was happening. Advertising was ubiquitous, all the downtown theatres were hosting festival screenings, and there were big red carpet events with big-name movie stars. I’m sure the hype wasn’t confined to the city itself; there has always been coverage in national and international media. Maybe not quite the level of Cannes, but in roughly the same league.
A difference I perceive is that Cannes remains an old style Hollywood Glitz & Glamour! + International Films festival. Often the films that come out of Cannes with awards don’t really make an impact.
Whereas TIFF is a wee bit less interested in the glitz, and has a reputation for introducing and highlighting future Oscar contenders.
But that’s just my perception.
I agree with this. I’ve known about TIFF for decades. It is one of the largest film festivals.
It’s true, or seems to me to be true that many (not all of course) films that play and win at Cannes are never heard from again, unless you’re a cineaste who keeps very close track, especially of foreign-language films.
Sundance, Toronto, and increasingly Venice Film Festivals are usually packed with films that get decent releases and will be players during awards season. Telluride is pretty big on important titles too.
As an aside, this year expect Roma, First Man, The Favorite and A Star is Is Born to be among the main names you’ll be hearing over and over and over again in the coming months. They’ve come out of the festivals they played with rapturous reviews.
In the last few years they have started closing down part of King Street and renaming it Festival Street.
Reported.