Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is widely considered to be one of the top film festivals in the world and is the premiere film festival in North America which the Oscars race begins from. By public attendance it is the world's largest film festival http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4228552.stm.

Related Topics:
Film festival - Oscar

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In 1998, Variety magazine acknowledged that "the Festival is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile pics, stars and market activity." Quoted by the National Post in 1999, Roger Ebert claimed "...although Cannes is still larger, Toronto is more useful and more important...."

Related Topics:
1998 - Variety - Cannes - National Post - 1999 - Roger Ebert

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It begins the Thursday night after Labour Day (first Monday in September in Canada) and lasts for ten days. Between 300-400 films are screened at approximately 23 screens in downtown Toronto venues. Though the Festival in recent years has given more attention to mainstream Hollywood films than in the past, the Festival still maintains its indie roots, featuring retrospectives of national cinemas and individual directors, as well as highlights of Canadian cinema, in addition to the plethora of African, South American and Asian films that regularly show at the festival.

Related Topics:
Labour Day - Canada - Toronto

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The festival is considered a launch pad for many studios to begin "Oscar-buzz" for their films; for example, Taylor Hackford's Ray premiered at the festival and garnered much attention for Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Ray Charles (for which he ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Actor).

Related Topics:
Oscar - Taylor Hackford - Ray - Jamie Foxx - Ray Charles

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