The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has brought on five new programmers in preparation for its 47th edition, slated for September 8 to 18.

Organizers say the 11-day fest will see the return of in-person events, barring any pandemic-related issues. International delegates can look forward to the return of the TIFF opening night party, its Industry Conference, filmmaker dinners, myriad industry networking events, press and programmers events, and the TIFF Tribute Awards Gala.

The festival team saw three significant departures in 2021, including Joana Vicente, the organization’s former co-head and executive director, who left last September to take over as CEO of the Sundance Institute; James Quandt, the longtime senior programmer of the Cinematheque, who retired in July 2021; and Diana Sanchez, who resigned as TIFF’s senior director of film earlier this year. At the time of Sanchez’s departure, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said he would be “working with the programmers to build the team and maintain the curatorial excellence that Diana helped cultivate.”

The five new appointments include programmers who have worked with the fest in various capacities, with Robyn Citizen (pictured above right), who has been with TIFF since 2018, set to lead the programming team as TIFF’s director of festival programming and Cinematheque. Prior to TIFF, she was a film lecturer in the Departments of Asian Studies and Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia from 2012 to 2017, and also served as board co-chair for Toronto’s Breakthroughs Film Festival and programmed for the Human Rights Film Festival.

Toronto-based film programmer and independent curator Ravi Srinivasan (pictured left), who has worked with the fest since 2013 as a seasonal programmer, takes the role of senior manager, TIFF Programming, programming Canadian and Southeast Asian feature films.

Another TIFF veteran, Andréa Picard, is moving into a new role with the programming team. Picard has worked with the fest in myriad programming roles since 1999, including curating its avant-garde program, Wavelengths, since 2006 and has been appointed as senior curator, TIFF & TIFF Cinematheque.

Jason Ryle, executive director of the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival from 2010 to 2020, has been named international programmer of Indigenous cinema. He is Anishinaabe from Lake St. Martin, northwest of Winnipeg, and over the course of his career has served as a producer, programmer, curator, story editor, and arts consultant.

Jane Schoettle, another longtime member of the TIFF family, takes the title of senior international programmer, special presentations. Having served as an international programmer for several decades with the Toronto fest, she has also programmed festivals in Miami, Aspen, and Palm Springs, and was the producer of the TIFF Talent Development programmes Filmmaker Lab and Writers’ Studio for several years.

Kelly Boutsalis, a former member of the Realscreen editorial team and a Mohawk journalist from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve whose work has appeared in The New York Times, POV, Playback, Vice. The Narwhal, NOW Magazine, and Fashion, is joining TIFF as associate international programmer, Canadian features.

Returning seasonal members of the programming team include senior international programmer, Giovanna Fulvi; international programmers Jason Anderson (Short Cuts), Diana Cadavid, Nataleah Hunter-Young and Dorota Lech; international programmer for the Midnight Madness program, Peter Kuplowsky; and Thom Powers, lead programmer for TIFF Docs. Full-time TIFF staffers Steve Gravestock (festival programming) and Geoff Macnaughton (lead programmer, Primetime) round out the programming team for the 2022 edition.

“We’re thrilled to share this news about TIFF 2022 and to introduce fresh voices to our programming team,” said Bailey 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.”

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Images courtesy of TIFF, photo of Srinivasan by George Pimentel