The festival
Founded in 1976 as the Festival of Festivals, TIFF is held each September in downtown Toronto and is among the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. It is widely regarded as a key stop on the fall awards-season circuit.
Worth knowing
TIFF presents a NETPAC Prize for the best Asian film making its world premiere at the festival, reflecting a longstanding commitment to Asian cinema within its international programming. A well-received TIFF premiere can significantly raise a film's profile heading into the awards season.
How to attend
TIFF is strongly public-facing, selling individual tickets and passes through its website for screenings across downtown Toronto venues.
Awards & submissions
TIFF does not hand out a traditional top jury prize; its best-known honor is the audience-voted People’s Choice Award, open to all feature films in the Official Selection and often an early awards-season bellwether, with voting weighted to guard against ballot-stuffing. The juried Platform Prize — named after Jia Zhang-ke’s film — spotlights directorial vision with a cash award, and TIFF also presents a NETPAC Prize for the best Asian film making its world premiere at the festival. Held each September across downtown Toronto, it is among the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world and a key fall-circuit stop. Films are first submitted to TIFF for consideration, including through FilmFreeway, with the lineup chosen by the festival’s programmers; the public buys tickets and passes through the tiff.net website.
Official site →Dates and programs change year to year — check the official site for the current edition.