Why I love TIFF

As a Toronto-based actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker, TIFF is always a whirlwind. This year was no different. Even now, I can’t believe that the festival has come, let alone gone! It has though.

Before saying my final “goodbye”, I want to spend a bit of time discussing what I love about TIFF. 

There’s so much to love about TIFF. Let’s start with the films themselves. Each year, incredible films from around the world are brought to my backyard. That is such a gift. While the number of films I see changes from year to year, depending on how busy I am, I always find at least one project that reminds me why I love acting, writing, and filmmaking.

I am similarly inspired by the panels put on by and throughout TIFF. The panels put on by TIFF are usually part of the Industry Conference, which runs parallel to the film screenings. Here, artists share their views on their films, filmmaking in general, the entertainment industry, and key socio-political issues. Didn’t make it out to TIFF? You can always catch the recordings of the panels here. I promise you’ll be glad you watched them!   

While I can’t cover everything I love about TIFF, there is one more aspect of the festival I want to talk about… the people.

One of my favourite things about TIFF is the way it brings together entertainment industry professionals, allowing them to share their love of film with one another and with audience members.

TIFF events and parties are the perfect time to catch up with old friends and colleagues, as well as to meet new ones. The entertainment industry and life in general are busy. It’s easy to lose track of people – even those you adore. Before long, a whole year has passed and you still haven’t even gotten together for coffee! When TIFF rolls around, though, it’s the perfect chance to catch up. I love having that time to hear all the exciting things happening in friends and colleagues careers and lives.

TIFF is also a great place to meet new people. The city is flooded with fascinating, passionate artists from around the world. Plus the festival creates such a jovial atmosphere that everyone gets chattier. Even though I’m a very shy person in everyday life, I find myself having deep, engaging conversations with everyone from the filmmaker standing ahead of me in a line to the barista at my local coffee hangout. Suddenly, Toronto doesn’t seem like a big city, but like the small towns I grew up around.

While TIFF can look glamorous from the outside, it’s the festival’s depth, films, panels, and – most of all – people that makes me love it.