#Toronto Film Festival
TIFF 2022 Preview: Indigenous Icons, Women Warriors, Heroic Sisters, and More
Summer is winding down just as chatter about awards contenders is starting to heat up. The 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is nearly upon us, and the fest’s...
Mary Harron’s “Dalíland” Set as TIFF 2022’s Closing Night Gala Film
The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival will be bookended by films directed by women. A couple weeks after the fest unveiled Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” as its Opening Night Gala, it...
Heretic Acquires World Sales Rights to Marian Mathias’ “Runner” Ahead of Toronto Premiere
Marian Mathias is set to have a busy fall, with her feature debut “Runner” soon to enjoy its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival in September, and its European premiere...
TIFF: Women & Non-Binary Folks Directed Majority of Discovery, Midnight Madness, & Wavelength Titles
TIFF announcements continue to flood in, and the filmmaker gender stats are getting better and better. The festival has confirmed the 2022 slates for its Discovery, Midnight Madness, and Wavelengths...
Frances O’Connor’s “Emily” to Open TIFF’s Platform Section, Women Directed Half of Overall Lineup
Now this is more like it. Nearly a week after unveiling its Gala and Special Presentation slates — which fell well short of director gender parity — the 2022 Toronto International Film...
TIFF Announces Gala and Special Presentation Films, 30 Percent Are Directed by Women
New films from Sarah Polley, Catherine Hardwicke, and Alice Winocour will join Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers,” Lena Dunham’s “Catherine Called Birdy,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s...
Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” Will Be TIFF 2022’s Opening Night Gala Presentation
This year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will kick off with Sally El Hosaini’s depiction of Olympian Yusra Mardini and her sister Sara’s heroic swim from...
Lena Dunham’s “Catherine Called Birdy” Will Make World Premiere at TIFF
Lena Dunham kicked off her year by premiering her latest directorial effort, “Sharp Stick,” at Sundance. Now there’s word she’ll be starting her autumn by screening yet...
TIFF 2021 Preview: Canada’s Colonialist Legacy, the Return of Jane Campion, and More
The 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is nearly upon us. Set to take place September 9-18 and include a mix of in-person and digital events, the fest’s program this...
“Zola” Cinematographer Ari Wegner to Be Honored with TIFF Variety Artisan Award
The 20201 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced another TIFF Tribute Award honoree. Ari Wegner, the cinematographer of “Zola” and TIFF 2021 title “The Power of...
Dionne Warwick and Danis Goulet Named TIFF Tribute Award Recipients
Dionne Warwick and Danis Goulet will join Jessica Chastain and Alanis Obomsawin at the 2021 TIFF Tribute Awards. The former two are the latest to be named as honorees by Toronto International Film...
TIFF 2021 Adds Julie Cohen & Betsy West’s Julia Child Doc, Ava DuVernay’s Colin Kaepernick Series
Ava DuVernay, Julie Cohen, and Betsy West are the latest filmmakers to have projects added to the Toronto International Film Festival’s 2021 edition. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cohen...
TIFF 2020 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Abbott – “The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel”
Jennifer Abbott is a Sundance and Genie award-winning filmmaker who has been making films about social, political, and environmental issues for 25 years. She is best known as one of the directors and...
TIFF 2020 Preview: Frances McDormand Hits the Road, Female DJs Get Their Due, & More
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) hasn’t gone entirely digital this year, but the fest has adapted to life in a COVID-19 world. Set to take place September 10-19, the 45th edition...
Exclusive Featurette: Nicole Riegel on “Holler,” Her TIFF Pic About a Woman Struggling to Pay for College
“When I was a high school senior, I had a meeting with my guidance counselor. She told me that I would probably never go to college, and it was one of the most discouraging things that I think...
TIFF: Tracey Deer to Receive Emerging Talent Award, Talks Lined Up with Halle Berry, Ava DuVernay, & More
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will present yet another award to a female filmmaker at its 2020 edition. Screen Daily has confirmed Tracey Deer, whose coming-of-age pic...
TIFF 2019 Preview: Feminist Anthems, Tales of Teen Girlhood, Harriet Tubman, & More
The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival kicks off Thursday and the fest’s schedule is packed with women-centric and women-made projects we can’t wait to catch. As usual, Women and...
Venice, TIFF, and San Sebastian Offering Childcare and Family-Friendly Services
Ahead of its 2019 edition, Cannes introduced “Le Ballon Rouge,” an initiative offering special services for industry attendees with babies or small children. The group Parenting at Film Festivals...
“Blow the Man Down” Acquired by Amazon Studios Ahead of TIFF Premiere
The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival is still a few weeks away, but one of its titles has already found a home. According to a press release, Amazon Studios has snagged the worldwide rights...
TIFF 2019 Adds More Galas and Special Presentations, Reveals World Cinema Lineup
The Toronto Film Fest has announced the lineups for more programs — including Contemporary World Cinema, Masters, and Wavelengths — and added additional titles to its Gala Presentations...
TIFF 2019 Announces Discovery Titles and Docs, Ellen Page and Barbara Kopple Among Directors
Ellen Page, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Barbara Kopple are just a few of the directors who will be screening films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF 2019 has unveiled the...
Sarah Gavron’s Latest to Open TIFF’s Platform Program, Lineup Is 40% Women-Directed
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its Platform section, a juried program spotlighting trailblazing directors from around the world. “Rocks,” from...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Amma Asante — “Where Hands Touch”
Amma Asante made her feature debut with 2004’s “A Way of Life.” The film earned her the Most Promising Newcomer prize at the 2005 BAFTA Awards. She was also honored with the BFI London Film...
TIFF Becomes Latest Fest to Sign the Gender Parity Pledge
Women and Hollywood — alongside 5050×2020, Le Deuxieme Regard, and TIME’S UP — is excited to report that the Toronto International Film Festival has signed the Gender Parity Pledge....
Awards Roundup: TIFF to Honor Claire Denis, BAFTA Cate Blanchett
Claire Denis’ and Cate Blanchett’s awards shelves are about to become a bit more crowded. Cannes prize-winning director Denis will be presented with the fifth annual Roger Ebert Golden...
Trailer Watch: Harassment Makes a Woman’s New Job a Nightmare in TIFF Film “Working Woman”
“The administrative manager is my right hand,” Orna’s (Liron Ben-Shlush) new boss tells her in the trailer for Israeli drama “Working Woman.” She assists him at his...
TIFF News: Gemma Arterton to Topline Phyllis Nagy’s Dusty Springfield Biopic
Gemma Arterton is going to the Toronto International Film Festival with one film and leaving with another. The Hollywood Reporter confirms the “Vita and Virginia” actress will portray...
TIFF: Cinedigm Acquires Kelly Reichardt’s Night Moves
Out of Toronto, Cinedigm has acquired the rights to Kelly Reichardt’s Night Moves starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard. This is the third women directed film to...
Tribeca Film Acquired Marion Vernoux’s Bright Days Ahead
Tribeca Film has acquired the rights for Marion Vernoux’s Bright Days Ahead which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last week. As far as we can tell, this is the first female...
Women Win Top Doc Awards at TIFF
Women directors took home the top audience awards in the documentary area at TIFF this year. Jehane Noujaim’s The Square took home the top audience prize. The film looks at the Egyptian...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Vivian Qu
Vivian Qu was born in China. She has produced the features Night Train (07), Knitting (08), which screened at the Festival, and Longing for the Rain (13). Trap Street (13) is her directorial...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Alanis Obomsawin
Alanis Obomsawin was born in New Hampshire and was raised near the Odanak Reserve at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. She has produced over thirty documentaries on Aboriginal rights issues for the...
TIFF 13 Departure Thoughts
As I get ready to make my departure from Toronto after a whirlwind week there are a couple of things to mention as the festival winds down. First, even though there were a great many women directed...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Iram Haq
Iram Haq studied art direction at Westerdals School of Communication in Oslo. She has acted in the features Import-Export (05), Fallen Angels (08), and Tomme tonner (10). She wrote and directed...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Dana Rotberg
Dana Rotberg was born in Mexico City and graduated from Mexico’s Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica. She has won numerous awards for her films, including Best Documentary from the...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Lara Zizic
Lara Zizic received her master’s degree in filmmaking at Columbia University. She directed the short film The Isabel Fish (06) and co-directed the feature Mission Congo (13). ...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Allison Berg
Allison Berg was born in New York City. She received the Special Jury Award at SXSW for her debut feature documentary Witches in Exile (04). The Dog (13) is her latest film. The Dog is playing...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Dyana Gaye
Dyana Gaye is a Franco-Senegalese filmmaker who graduated with a master’s degree in film studies from the University of Paris 8. She directed the short films Une femme pour Souleymane...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Claire Blanchet
Claire Blanchet studied animation at Concordia University. She has co-directed Trash and No Star! (08) and The Wobble Incident (09). The End of Pinky (13) is her latest short film. The End...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Marion Vernoux
Marion Vernoux was born in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France. She wrote the screenplay for Bernard Schmitt’s Pacific Palisades (90). Her directorial credits include Personne ne m’aime...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Gita Pullapilly
Gita Pullapilly was born in South Bend, Indiana. She studied finance at University of Notre Dame and journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School. She produced all of Aron...
TIFF Trailer Watch: Under the Skin – Starring Scarlett Johansson
Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson, premiered last night at TIFF. The film follows an alien seductress who preys on men while drifting around Scotland. A24 acquired the U.S. rights to...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Sarah Spillane
Sarah Spillane has been writing and directing film and television for the past decade. Among her work is the documentary short The Apology (08) and the fiction short This Life (09). Around...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Anne Weil
Anne Weil has worked as an editor on such films as Seaside (02), Toi et moi (06), Actrices (07), and A Castle in Italy (12). She has directed the short film Une cuilleree pour papa (92) and...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Megan Griffiths
Megan Griffiths was born in Athens, Ohio and received her MFA in film from Ohio University. She has written and directed the short films Moving (08), and Eros (09), and the features First...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Pirjo Honkasalo
Pirjo Honkasalo was born in Helsinki, Finland. She co-directed several features with Pekka Lehto, including Flame Top (80). Her documentary directorial credits include Mysterion (91),...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Beeban Kidron
Beeban Kidron was born in London. She studied at the National Film and Television School and co-founded the educational charity FILMCLUB. Her directing credits include the fiction features Used...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Judy Kibinge
Judy Kibinge was born in Nairobi and studied at Manchester Polytechnic. She is the founder of DOCUBOX, a documentary film fund for East Africa. She has directed the features Dangerous...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Liza Johnson
Liza Johnson holds a Masters in visual art from the University of California, San Diego and has had her artwork exhibited in such galleries as MoMA and the National Gallery of Art. Her...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Caroline Link
Caroline Link was born in Bad Nauheim, Germany. She studied at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). Her films include Beyond Silence (96), Punktchen und Anton (99), Nowhere in...
TIFF Women Directors: Meet Leanne Pooley
Leanne Pooley was born and raised in Canada, and now lives in New Zealand. She has directed over twenty features, including the documentaries Haunting Douglas (03), The Promise (05), Try...