Stars in cars?
TIFF unveils smaller, and much different event for 2020
TORONTO — The 45th Toronto International Film Festival will be a pared-down event, organizers have announced, with a shorter run and far fewer films in 2020 than in previous years. Drivein screenings, virtual red carpets and online industry events will be the order of the day as the world continues to grapple with COVID-19.
“The pandemic has hit TIFF hard, but we’ve responded by going back to our original inspiration, to bring the very best in film to the broadest possible audience,” said artistic director and festival cohead Cameron Bailey.
This year’s event will run from Sept. 10 through Sept. 19, just one day shorter than its usual 11 days.
However, there will be only 50 feature films in the lineup, along with five programs of shorts.
Last year, TIFF had 245 features. In 2016, prior to scaling back in the wake of industry concerns that the festival was getting too big, there were a record 296.
The new format will doubtless change the look and feel of one of the world’s most important festivals. Will masks replace sunglasses and baseball caps as stars’ way of avoiding recognition? Will fans tweet at their favourite celebrities rather than calling out from the sidelines of the red carpet? And is it possible that a drivein movie premiere might feature the likes of Vin Diesel or Jason Statham in the vehicular audience?
Bailey said the smaller lineup will still include a mix of star-driven movies, international fare, documentaries and Canadian films, as well as continuing the festival’s mandate of highlighting Black and Indigenous voices. “We’re excited to present thoughtful, high-impact programming this September that reflects our belief that there’s no stopping great storytelling.”
Several titles have already been announced. They include “Ammonite”, a period drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet; “”, starring Idris Elba; “Bruised”, starring and directed by Halle Berry; and “Fauna”, from Mexican-Canadian filmmaker Nicolás Pereda.
TIFF will premiere its lineup over the first five days of the festival as physical, socially distanced traditional screenings, as well as at driveins and other outdoor venues. It will also create a digital platform that will host online screenings, talks and other special events. Media and industry screenings, the festival lifeblood for critics, will also take place online.
Since the TIFF Bell Lightbox closed in March, the festival group has been hosting a series called “Stay-at-Home Cinema”, with online screenings and virtual Q&As with filmmakers. “We’re using those lessons to build a festival that will be a hybrid of inperson and online experiences both physical and digital,” said Bailey.
But the pandemic has been far from painless. Just this week the festival announced it was cutting 31 full-time positions, and said it expected a 50 per cent reduction in revenue this year over last. But as a fall festival, TIFF is at least better placed than some to weather the pandemic.
This year’s Cannes film festival, scheduled to begin May 12 in the south of France, was cancelled for the first time since 1939, when the outbreak of war scuttled its inaugural run.