Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will return in person this fall, welcoming local and international guests from Sept. 8 to 18.
Also returning in person are TIFF’s networking and celebratory events, including the opening night party, industry conference, filmmaker dinners, industry networking events, press and programmers events and tribute awards gala. The move follows two straight years of hybrid or largely digital festivals, a concession that TIFF, like many other film gatherings, made for public health reasons as COVID raged. In 2021, TIFF did host live screenings, but at reduced capacity, and the festival had far fewer international attendees. Clearly, this edition will look much more like pre-pandemic versions of TIFF unless variants spoil those plans.
The festival also announced the addition of five new film curators to its programming team. Leading the team is Robyn Citizen, who has been appointed TIFF’s director of festival programming and Cinematheque. Andréa Picard has become senior curator of TIFF and Cinematheque. Also serving on the programming team are Kelly Boutsalis, associate international programmer, Canadian features; Jason Ryle, international programmer, Indigenous cinema; Jane Schoettle, senior international programmer, special presentations; and Ravi Srinivasan, senior manager, TIFF programming.
Seasonal programmers returning for TIFF 2022 include Jason Anderson, Diana Cadavid, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, Peter Kuplowsky, Dorota Lech and Thom Powers. Rounding out the team of TIFF programmers are full-time staff members Steve Gravestock (festival prorgamming) and Geoff Macnaughton (lead programmer, primetime).
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey will select the festival’s gala presentations.
“We’re thrilled to share this news about TIFF 2022 and to introduce fresh voices to our programming team,” Bailey said in a statement. “Their expertise, passion, and perspectives will both deepen and broaden TIFF’s curation. As we prepare our selections both for TIFF Bell Lightbox year-round and for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, we can’t wait to see what our new programmers will add to the mix.”
Picard added, “TIFF Cinematheque has played a considerable role in my life as a devoted cinephile, its exceptional and generous programming having set the bar for film curating around the world. Cinematheque screenings continuously renew my passion for film, my admiration for filmmakers, and make me feel part of a larger community. I intend to honor this legacy, ensuring that TIFF audiences have access to programming that participates in an international dialogue, is vibrant, relevant, and is of the highest exhibition standards. It is an exciting moment for contemporary cinema, as well as film history with its canon cracked wide open.”