TIFF Events for Filmmakers

Photo: "What is everyone looking at?" by Smaku, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Contrary to popular belief, the Toronto International Film Festival is not all about stars, blockbusters, red carpet galas, and glitzy parties.

Well, some of it is. But not all of it.

On top of all of that, the Toronto International Film Festival Group does a great job of creating education and networking events for the many local filmmakers that are looking to get their big break in the industry.

If you're a filmmaker in Toronto and still haven't tapped into all the expertise and talent that will be congregating in our city in September, here are a few industry events that might be of value.

The Meet With... programme gets experienced filmmakers from around the world to be guest speakers, speaking on topics such as theatrical and alternative distribution channels in Canada. Confirmed speakers include John Bain from Maple Pictures and John Galway from Astral Media.

The Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! competition lets local filmmakers pitch their feature-film ideas to an audience of over 250 industry professionals. Winning pitches receive $10,000 for their project. The pitch finalists for this year have been decided, but it's definitely worth checking out the competition if you're ever trying to refine your film pitch skills, or if you plan on entering the competition in the future.

Along with the events above and other industry networking events, TIFF is hosting the Match Club at the Elementt restaurant that will act as the hub for all sales & industry delegates, and will offer meeting spaces and a lounge to relax, network, and schedule appointments.

There are a whole slew of other industry events that are open to industry delegates and registered filmmakers.

If you make, distribute, buy, or promote films in Toronto, I'd highly recommend registering for industry access so you can take advantage of some of the great things that are going during the festival this September.