The Toronto International Film Festival is typically one of the year’s biggest movie events, featuring the North American premieres of future Oscar contenders, overseas awards winners, and plenty of red carpet glamour.
Organizers have announced that this year’s event will be a bit different, featuring a smaller slate of films with more ways to watch.
The festival features the directorial debuts of actors Regina King, Halle Berry and Viggo Mortensen, a filmed version of David Byrne’s American Utopia concert shot by Spike Lee, and a new documentary by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer entitled ‘Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds’.
The festival will also put an emphasis on Canadian films from directors like Michelle Latimer, Tracy Deer and Jennifer Abbott. This focus on stories from close to home could draw in visitors from surrounding areas like Vaughan and Hamilton.
The 2020 version of TIFF will feature some traditional film screenings but also new formats like outdoor and drive-in movies. For the first time, the festival will stream films on a secure digital platform, allowing at-home viewership. Film festivals like this have had to add tools like streaming and digital outreach to time-tested approaches like poster printing and red-carpet galas.
The Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 10-19. Physical screening locations include the TIFF Lightbox, Isabel Bader Theatre, Skyline Drive-In at CityView, and Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place.
