The makers of the new Terminator movie and Toronto’s Nicholas Tabarrok are among ’10 Producers To Watch,’ according to Variety, which on Friday tipped its hat to filmmakers from both sides of the border for their ‘pluck, courage and ingenuity.’

The industry mag linked arms with CTV to laud the producers at the latter’s splashy festival party in downtown Toronto, naming Tabarrok, the list’s sole Canadian, among Young Turks such as Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, currently at work on Terminator: The Future Begins, and Tom McNulty, producer of the recent and Toronto-shot comedy The Rocker.

‘It was never easy to be a film producer, but today it clearly has never been more difficult,’ said Variety editor Steve Gaydos, in a statement. ‘The producers we are spotlighting…all demonstrate the pluck, courage and ingenuity essential to the crucial task of keeping the global film culture and business alive.’

Tabarrok, principal of Darius Films, which has offices in Toronto and L.A., got word he was on the short list in August. ‘I assumed at the time they looked at 100 people. I thought, that’s cool, but thought it wouldn’t go anywhere,’ he tells Playback Daily.

‘Hopefully, it comes with a better seat at Spago,’ he quipped, referring to the famed Hollywood eatery.

Tabarrok has two films at TIFF — Coopers’ Camera and Down in the Dirt — and a resume that is noticeably longer than those of many of his cohorts, comprising 26 producer credits stretching back to 1997. He has been at the festival five times before, with titles including Weirdsville and The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico.

Down in the Dirt sold quickly during the fest, passing its international rights to Porchlight Entertainment, though the U.S. remains open.

Also on the list are Keith Calder, Felipe Marino and Joe Neurauter, makers of the recent 1990s nostalgia piece The Wackness, who also drew some attention during the 2006 TIFF with their teen horror All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.

The 10 producers, actually 14 in all, are:

1. Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek (Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins)

2. Keith Calder, Felipe Marino and Joe Neurauter (The Wackness)

3. Eric Gitter (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

4. Kerry Kohansky Roberts (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist)

5. Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy (Lovely, Still; Treeless Mountain)

6. Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes)

7. Tom McNulty (The Rocker)

8. Marco Mehlitz (Surveillance)

9. Greg Shapiro (The Hurt Locker)

10. Nicholas Tabarrock (Coopers’ Camera, Down to the Dirt)

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Playback Daily’s coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival continues through this weekend with special editions on Saturday and Sunday.