Toronto Film Festival to Launch Official Market in 2026
As the Cannes Film Festival is underway and the French fest’s market is buzzing with buyers and sellers, another esteemed festival is officially ready to wade into the market waters: TIFF. The Toronto International Film Festival announced on Thursday it will be launching an official content market at the 2026 TIFF.
Envisioned as the North American hub for buying and selling screen-based projects, intellectual property, and immersive and innovative content across all platforms, the market aims to elevate Canadian and international talent while driving global distribution and sales.
“Whether you’re buying, selling, pitching, or connecting, Toronto has long been a great place for the film industry to do business,” said Cameron Bailey, Chief Executive Officer, TIFF. “As screen storytelling and how it reaches audiences evolve, we plan to grow the platform and the services we offer to professionals telling stories on every possible screen. We’ll bridge Canada’s advantages as a globally connected, North American nation with the exciting talent, ideas, and resources cropping up all around the world.”
The news comes at a crucial time for the festival, which lost its 28-year sponsor Bell at the end of 2023. It’s also a rough time for film festivals in general as Sundance is looking to potentially move out of Park City and a number of established fests are facing money woes.
Recently, the Canadian federal government announced an investment of $23 million CAD in TIFF’s new initiative. This is the single largest government investment that TIFF has received since the campaign to build TIFF Lightbox. The festival said the three-year investment will enable the organization to accelerate planning and development work that is currently underway.
‘’TIFF’s new content market is a cornerstone for innovation and collaboration in the screen sector,” said the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage. “This significant investment by our government not only underscores our commitment to the arts and culture industry but also to fostering an environment where Canadian and international talent can thrive. By supporting this initiative, we are ensuring that Canada continues to be a leader in the global entertainment landscape, promoting diverse and dynamic storytelling that connects with audiences around the world.’’
The 2024 edition of TIFF runs from September 5-15.
“We are grateful to Minister St-Onge and the Canadian federal government for their confidence in our vision, their commitment to the Canadian screen sector, and this significant investment in TIFF’s next chapter. This market will be a game-changing catalyst for the international industry overall and will further drive the importance and economic value of not only TIFF’s work, but also of the entire cultural sector, within Canada and globally,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “This is the right time for TIFF to build and launch a new market initiative, and it will enable us to champion Canadian content within the larger industry in an even more meaningful way.”
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