The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has appointed Jason Anderson (pictured) as the lead programmer for Canadian features.

Anderson will work with fellow Canadian programmer Kelly Boutsalis in the new role. He will continue his work as international programmer for Nordic and Benelux features and serve as an advisor for the Short Cuts programming team through the transition, Anderson told Playback Daily.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday (Feb. 5) by Anita Lee, chief programming officer, at TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten opening ceremony.

Anderson joined TIFF’s programming team in 2015 as the lead programmer for Short Cuts. In 2023, Anderson assumed the role of international programmer for the Nordic and Benelux regions. Since 2008, he has been the programming director for the Kingston Canadian Film Festival.

He has also served as the programming director for Colorado’s Apsen Shortfest since 2019.

Anderson, who regularly contributes to publications such as the Toronto Star and Cinema Scope, also teaches courses on film criticism and column writing at the University of Toronto.

Photo by George Pimentel