TIFF's at a turning point — but how will the film festival's new focus on dealmaking affect fans?

Eli Glasner · CBC News

· Posted: Sep 10, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

For years, the Toronto International Festival has prided itself as a tastemaker. Toronto was the place movie stars flocked to for the unofficial start of their Oscar campaigns.

But as major films and A-list stars increasingly look to other festivals as launchpads, TIFF is reinventing itself with a new focus on the business of buying and packaging movies. 

In a tumultuous time for the industry, this transformation could help keep TIFF in the conversation, but as ticket prices rise, what does it all mean for the heart of this festival: the filmgoing public?

Here's a look at TIFF's very own movie makeover moment — plus a few choice films you may want to catch yourself.

Shifting the spotlight to dealmaking 

Continuing a post-pandemic trend, many of the season's buzziest titles, including Primetime starring Robert Pattinson and You Can See Everything from Canada's own Nathan Fielder, chose Venice or Telluride over TIFF for their world premieres.

So, like the nerdy girl in a rom-com who takes off her glasses, TIFF is trying to transform itself, pivoting to embrace the dealmaking and caffeine-fuelled strategy sessions that populate many major festivals.

Launching with a $23 million boost from Ottawa, TIFF: The Market features 70 sessions and events exploring film, television and interactive content.

A sci-fi film with Russell Crowe and Priyanka Chopra, a rom-com featuring Colin Firth and Halle Berry and a new instalment of the Air Bud franchise are just a few of the projects being shopped around town. 

But just like the cutthroat competition for red carpet premieres, TIFF will be facing competition from other industry players. 

Diego Calva, left, and director Jordan Firstman pose at the photo call for Firstman's film Club Kid during the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May. (John Locher/The Associated Press)

First, there's the Cannes marketplace, the biggest and best known showcase that sets the tempo for the year.

Case in point, it was on La Croisette, the famous boulevard at the centre of Cannes, where the buzz began for Jordan Firstman's Club Kid, resulting in a frenzied bidding war. That film's Canadian premiere takes place at TIFF Sunday.

The Trump factor

While TIFF is trying to position itself as a fall alternative to spring's Cannes, it's also competing with the American Film Market (AFM), which takes place in November in Los Angeles.

While AFM generally caters to more mainstream films, TIFF, which has always touted international cinema, will be highlighting emerging markets in Africa and Asia as part of The Market programming.

And as U.S. President Donald Trump talks up new national incentives to reshore American film production, international buyers wary of engaging with Hollywood or even looking to avoid hassles at the border, may see TIFF as an attractive alternative. 

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey speaks at a media event for the film festival last month. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press)

Tickets and tastemakers 

As TIFF's star wattage continues to diminish and the festival evolves to become more business-facing, questions remain about what that means for the heart of the TIFF experience: the film fans. The ones who camp out in long lines, wait for hours to watch stars walk red carpets and scream like pirates at midnight screenings. 

Director Guillermo del Toro greets fans at the premiere of his film Frankenstein at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. (Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press)

Every year TIFF rightly boasts about its track record of predicting best picture winners, touting the People's Choice Award as a barometer of Oscar worthiness.

But as ticket prices climb higher (regular screenings now begin at $30 and up), fewer members of the public who make the festival one big, beautiful focus group end up populating those screenings.

Speaking to the Toronto Star recently, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey acknowledged that glitzy premieres with stars and filmmakers in attendance command higher ticket prices, but he also argued that they still cost less than a ticket to pro sports games in the city.

At a time when Canadians want to support the home team, that means some film fans could find themselves priced out of a seat.

Must-see movies

While the number of A-listers coming to TIFF may be shrinking, there's still a number of the upcoming fall season's most buzzworthy films making the rounds in Toronto.

WATCH | Trailer for director Danny Boyle's Ink:

Ink finds Trainspotting director Danny Boyle returning to Britain to explore the rise of The Sun tabloid newspaper, with rumoured James Bond contender Jack O'Connell as a rapacious editor in chief. 

WATCH | Trailer for The Debut starring Julianne Moore:

Then there's The Debut, a love letter to community theatre written and directed by actor Jesse Eisenberg. In 2025 Eisenberg's A Real Pain helped Kieran Culkin bring home Oscar gold. Already, some are seeing a golden hue in Julianne Moore's performance as a harried housewife who abandons herself in a role. 

Primetime programming

Increasingly, TIFF has embraced both the small and big screen in its programming and this year a number of TV series are showcased in the Primetime program. That includes Apple TV's Slow Horses, which is bringing its sixth season premiere to Toronto with star Gary Oldman, who will also be interviewed on stage.

WATCH | Teaser trailer for Yaga:

With shooting already underway for the second season of Heated Rivalry, another hot title is the upcoming Crave series Yaga, starring Hudson Williams as an heir to a powerful fishery and The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss as a university professor. Riffing on the fearsome fairy tale character Baba Yaga, the show promises a steamy mix of mischief and malevolence. 

Oh Canada 

It's worth remembering that, before the trade war escalated, the Canadian film industry was riding high, based on the success of films like Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, Mile End Kicks, undertone and more.

To capitalize on the moment, there's a broad swath of Canadian titles at TIFF this year. Can't get enough of Jay Baruchel and love Canadian hosers who perform incredible feats? From FUBAR director Michael Dowse comes The Stunt Driver, which explores the true story of Canadian stuntman Ken Carter. 

WATCH | Trailer for The Stunt Driver:

Music fans can check out Neil Peart: No One's Disciple, a 106 minute documentary exploring the life of the late Rush drummer with the help of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Stewart Copeland of The Police.  

If you'd like a less conventional film, Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney promises an unhinged look at the former prime minister. Director Matthew Rankin, who also helmed Universal Language, has conjured what TIFF describes as a "retro-pop fever dream," which will be premiering in the always raucous Midnight Madness category.  

In Smudge the Blades, director and writer Cody Lightning, centre, also plays the coach of the Treaty 6 Blades in a movie the tells the story of an Indigenous hockey team fighting for a place in Alberta's northern league. (Liam Mitchell)

Not content to let Heated Rivalry steal all the hockey shenanigans, Smudge the Blades is a scrappy sports story about an Indigenous hockey team based in Northern Alberta. 

Triple threat Cree director/writer/star Cody Lightning plays the team's beleaguered coach alongside an all-star team of Indigenous talent including Jana Schmieding and Paulina Alexis.