Hollywood North is the title of Peter O’Brian’s feature premiering at the 28th Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 4-13). It is also the nickname given T.O. as a popular location for Hollywood productions, which shoot here because they can get Hollywood-caliber results cheaper.

But this summer, Toronto may as well have been dubbed Hollywood Dearth – as in a dearth of feature film, MOW and TV series productions rolling into town with fistfuls of U.S. greenbacks. There will be no shortage of films in Toronto this month, however – not shooting on the city’s streets, but rather up on the big screen.

Hollywood North is one of 336 films from 55 countries set to unspool in various Toronto theatres at TIFF. A slew of Hollywood’s brightest stars has also signed on to smile for the cameras at the fest.

It is hoped that once these influential visitors see it’s business as usual in Toronto – only one SARS case currently reported – the productions will return. The worst is apparently behind, unless Nicole Kidman sashays down the red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall in a surgical mask.

‘I think in a year of SARS, the fact that we’ve managed to produce a festival full of wonderful foreign films, world premieres and a lot of major talent [is] a victory,’ says Piers Handling, TIFF president and executive director.

This summer’s box-office successes from Quebec – La Grande seduction, Les Invasions barbares and Mambo Italiano – will be on view at TIFF, as will several features from English-Canadian directors perched for a major breakthrough. These include Deepa Mehta’s The Republic of Love, Guy Maddin’s The Saddest Music in the World, Ron Mann’s Go Further, Gary Burns’ A Problem with Fear and Vincenzo Natali’s Nothing.

Now they are being served up to festival-goers and press in hopes of generating buzz and international sales. Ten days in Toronto will indicate which are the winners in Hollywood North’s favorite game.

For the full scoop on the festival, see our TIFF special report, Section T.

With files from Dustin Dinoff