The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced its 2018 lineup of programs and programmers. The programming team, comprised of 22 of the industry’s most seasoned and talented film experts and curators, consists of nine men and 13 women.
“In 2017, the TIFF programming team worked tirelessly to curate a Festival experience that resulted in the release of some of year’s most critically acclaimed films, including Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri (Winner, TIFF 2017 Grolsch People’s Choice Award), The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, I, Tonya, Faces Places and A Fantastic Woman, among many others,” said Cameron Bailey, artistic director of TIFF. “As the 2018 Festival lineup comes together, the programming team is working to curate the most memorable experience possible for our audiences, through a diverse selection of the highest-quality films from around the globe.”
TIFF’s representation of women amongst its programmers is reflective of the organization’s continuing commitment to normalizing gender parity and equality for future generations. With a clear understanding that there is still much more work to be done, TIFF intends to continue its strong representation of women in the Festival programming team.
“Being a woman in a leadership position at TIFF allows me to be the change I want to see by supporting, inspiring and empowering the women around me,” comments Kerri Craddock, director of programming for the Festival. “With TIFF’s mission being to transform the way people see the world through film, we need to create an environment where people have what they need to be their best. Diversity across all levels of our Festival programming team is key to achieving that goal.”
This year, TIFF announced that Danis Goulet will be programming Canadian Features alongside Steve Gravestock. Goulet programmed Short Cuts, the Festival’s annual showcase of the best in Canadian and international short film, between 2015 and 2017, previously worked as Short Cuts programming associate, and has had her own short films presented at TIFF.
Lisa Haller, Festival programming’s manager and shorts programmer, will be filling Goulet’s shoes as co-programmer for Short Cuts. Haller has worked for TIFF since 2010. In addition to her work as the programming associate for Short Cuts for the last three years, she has also managed the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival, including programming the student shorts selection for the past three years, and began programming short films for TIFF Kids International Film Festival in 2018.
Jennifer Barkin, sr. manager of Festival programming, will be making her debut as the TIFF Kids programmer for the Festival after managing and programming for the TIFF Kids International Film Festival for the last eight years. Barkin will also continue in her role as the programmer for Festival Street, TIFF’s annual closure of King and John Streets near TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features stage performances, nightly film screenings, and other fun activities during the first four days of the Festival. The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 6-16.
The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Programs are:
Contemporary World Cinema
Compelling stories, global perspectives.
Discovery
Directors to watch. The future of world cinema.
Gala Presentations
Movie stars. Red-carpet premieres. Major audience interest.
In Conversation With…
Engaging onstage conversations with leaders in the film industry and beyond.
Masters
The latest from the world’s most influential art-house filmmakers.
Midnight Madness
The wild side: midnight screenings of the best in action, horror, shock and fantasy cinema.
Platform
Directors’ cinema now. Launched in 2015, this juried programme shines a light on up to 12 selections that demonstrate directorial vision from international filmmakers.
Primetime
Serial storytelling: television in its artistic renaissance.
Short Cuts
The world. In short form.
Special Presentations
High-profile premieres and the world’s leading filmmakers.
TIFF Cinematheque
Curated gems from the history of Canadian and international cinema.
TIFF Docs
Candid and unscripted: the best non-fiction cinema from around the world.
Wavelengths
Daring, visionary and autonomous voices. Works that expand our notions of the moving image.
The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Sub-Programs are:
TIFF Kids
Entertaining and illuminating family-friendly films from around the world.
TIFF Next Wave
Perspectives for the next generation of film lovers.
TIFF Speaker Series
Watch, experience, and participate in post-screening discussions with film directors and subject experts.
The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Programmers are:
Piers Handling
Western Europe, Italy, Poland; Gala Presentations, Platform
Cameron Bailey
South Asia; Gala Presentations, Special Presentations
Michèle Maheux
Ireland, the Netherlands; Gala Presentations
Kerri Craddock
Western Europe, USA, Turkey; Gala Presentations, Special Presentations
Jennifer Barkin
TIFF Kids & Festival Street
Brad Deane
TIFF Cinematheque
Dimitri Eipides
Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia
Giovanna Fulvi
East and Southeast Asia
Steve Gravestock
Canada, the Philippines, Nordic Region
Danis Goulet
Canada
Peter Kuplowsky
Midnight Madness
Michael Lerman
Primetime
Andrea Picard
Wavelengths
Thom Powers
TIFF Docs
Kiva Reardon
Africa and the Middle East
Diana Sanchez
Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Caribbean
Theresa Scandiffio
In Conversation With…
Jane Schoettle
Australia, New Zealand, Israel, USA
Producer, TIFF Talent
Jason Anderson
Short Cuts
Lisa Haller
Short Cuts
Karina Rotenstein
Industry programming
Natalie Semotiuk
Producer, Rising Stars
