Canadian films will have a strong and elevated presence at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), according to chief programming officer Anita Lee (pictured).

Speaking with Playback Daily, Lee says Canada has a strong showing in TIFF’s Special Presentations programme in 2024, highlighting Sophie Deraspe’s Canada/France copro Shepherds, R.T. Thorne’s debut feature 40 Acres, Jason Buxton’s Sharp Corner and José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço’s Young Werther.

Canada also has a notable presence in the Discovery section, encompassing five of the 24 titles. The Canadian selection includes opening title Bonjour Tristesse from Durga Chew-Bose, who will be feted at TIFF’s annual Tribute Awards with the Emerging Talent Award, and films such as Arianna Martinez’s Do I Know You From Somewhere? and Kaniehtiio Horn’s Seeds.

Supporting the Canadian film sector is one of the priorities for TIFF’s anticipated content sales market, set to launch in 2026.

The Festival has already set the groundwork for its rollout, highlighting many of the sales titles as part of its ongoing programming announcements. So far the Gala, Special Presentations, Discovery, Platform and Midnight Madness programmes have been unveiled, with the Centrepiece, Docs, Wavelengths and Short Cuts selections out next week.

TIFF is also building back its homegrown partner roster, with Rogers coming in as TIFF’s presenting sponsor following the end of Bell’s 28-year sponsorship run.

“What we’re doing is making the message clear … our goal is not only to have TIFF serve as a fantastic launch for finished and distributed films – and I think that TIFF’s record has shown what we can do in that space – but making it a robust destination for buying and selling films as well,” says Lee.

The Festival saw an increase in sales titles programmed in last year’s Festival, which Lee says was due to the dual Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes. The labour stoppage also hampered the event’s ability to attract A-list talent to the red carpet.

While the strikes are now in the rearview and TIFF is on track to bring back Hollywood stars this year, Lee says they have had an after-effect in the Festival’s programming, with a lot more high-profile documentaries present in the lineup.

TIFF will be holding key industry and stakeholder conversations this year in the lead-up to the 2026 content market launch, according to Lee. “We want to make sure that we are responding to both the Canadian industry and the international industry in terms of how best the market can actually support and boost the industry overall,” she says.

Part of those conversations are with Canadian stakeholders and cultural organizers to explore how they can have a presence in the market, and create specific programming to support Canadian film. Lee says that could include works in progress salons, a project market or other talent initiatives.

“We will be creating new opportunities for Canadian content to really shine and have a spotlight,” she says.

There are some growing pains, however. TIFF confirmed it has paused its talent initiatives Rising Stars and Filmmakers Lab this year to relaunch them with more of a business focus in the content market in the near future.

However, other more recent initiatives, such as the CJ & TIFF K-Story Fund, the No Drama Initiative with NBCUniversal and Monkey Paw, and the Sloan Science and Technology Pitch, are moving into their second years.

TIFF is also bringing back its Industry Selects programme for sales titles outside of the Festival’s official lineup, with 10 curated films to be announced at a later date.

“It’s really a great time for the Canadian industry to attend the festival, attend the industry activities being planned this year, and to keep their ears open for new announcements and new opportunities to come,” says Lee.

TIFF runs from Sept. 5 to 15.

Photo by Norman Wong