The Ontario government is to pour another $9 million over three years into the Canadian Film Centre to back its expanding talent training programs.

The announcement was made Sunday afternoon at the CFC barbecue, an annual TIFF ritual for a local industry looking to network, and fill their stomachs on real food, besides finger food, on the festival’s opening weekend.

“The Canadian Film Centre has been instrumental in promoting Ontario’s entertainment industry to the world,” Michael Chan, minister of tourism and culture, said.

“Our government is proud to support its growth and the key role it plays in developing our cultural industry, which creates thousands of jobs for the province,” he added.

Looking on with smiles were veteran Canadian actors that included Deborah Kara Unger, Gordon Pinsent and Tara Spencer-Nairn.

The latest provincial support follows a $10 million investment in the CFC in 2005, and follows a party Saturday night at the Spoke Club on King Street to celebrate the school’s actors conservatory.

Also flying the flag for the CFC at TIFF this week is Hans Olson’s short Champagne, and the Nadia Litz short How To Rid Your Lover Of A Negative Emotion Caused By You! Both films are unspooling in the Short Cuts Canada sidebar.

More importantly, around 50 former CFC graduates had a direct hand in movies unspooling in Toronto during its 35th edition.