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Film Events in Toronto

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Toronto in Film: Toronto’s Film Festivals

July 20, 2022
Toronto film festival photo by Martin Lopez on Pexels.

The film industry is big in Toronto. Everything from major Hollywood movies to Emmy-winning TV series like Schitt’s Creek and Orphan Black have been shot here. We’ve hosted superhero battles, futuristic space cities, and an endless stream of prop New York taxicabs.

Toronto’s known for an expert local talent pool, great locations, and thriving studios like Pinewood and Revival. But it also has a sophisticated, international audience of local moviegoers to show your finished product.

Whether it’s audio, video, documentaries, or short films: here’s a tour of the Toronto film landscape for both film lovers and filmmakers.

Toronto International Film Festival

When it comes to Toronto film events, the granddaddy of them all is TIFF: an 11-day extravaganza of gala premieres, industry sessions, awards, and networking opportunities.

Founded in 1976, it’s one of the biggest public-accessible film festivals in the world. It’s big enough to have grown its own dedicated five-story film centre: home to a film reference library, learning studios, event spaces, galleries, and vibrant year-round international programming.

With dedicated tracks for national cinemas, pulp, and documentaries, TIFF has nurtured an incredible range of film cultures in Toronto and abroad.

The 2022 edition of TIFF runs from September 8-18.

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Festival

All things Indigenous media—and we mean all of them—make it to imagineNATIVE. The world’s largest Indigenous media and film festival, imagineNATIVE puts on a blizzard of screenings, concerts, industry events, and interactive showcases—all from the vibrant world of Indigenous arts.

Running as a festival since 2000, it’s made a significant mark: early winners of its Best Dramatic Feature award have included Taika Waititi and Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo. Films produced as part of its Embargo Collective commissions have screened at TIFF and Sundance.

Today, that initial concept has bloomed into partnerships with the Canadian National Film Board and the Berlinale, a film producer mini-lab, tours, and community screening series.

ImagineNATIVE 2022 takes place from October 18-30, both physically and virtually through their digital platform.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival

Can’t get enough horror, science fiction, or action movies? Toronto After Dark Film Festival is all about the pulp, the cult, and the straight-up fun.

With over 10,000 eager viewers each year, Toronto After Dark hits both the highbrow and low, with enough room for moody Scandinavian horror, Troma films, Hollywood hits, and homegrown creations. It boasts a thrillingly international lineup, having showcased films from Israel, Thailand, Mexico, Iran, and Korea.

Hosted at Toronto’s downtown Scotiabank Theatre, the 16th edition of Toronto After Dark takes place from October 19-23, 2022.

Inside Out Film and Video Festival

Canada’s largest and most prestigious LGBTQIA+ film festival had a grassroots beginning in 1991 at Toronto’s Euclid Theatre. Since then, Inside Out has grown into an entertainment juggernaut, with funding and training programs, a school distribution program for new artists, grants, scholarships, and funding forums.

Now hosted at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and co-screens selected films with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Netflix, and Crave. Its own permanent distribution platform operates year-round, and its awards have recognized films from Canada, China, Australia, Argentina, and everywhere between.

Inside Out’s next edition takes place in May 2023.

Hot Docs

Toronto’s all-documentary film festival, Hot Docs, screens over 200 films from around the world every year—and adds on professional development programs, a full industry conference, and a developed schools program.

An annual festival since 1993, Hot Docs expanded to its own dedicated theatre—the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, formerly the Bloor Cinema—in 2012. It also recently launched a podcast festival, complete with a dedicated creators’ and industry forum devoted to the art of audio drama.

Hot Docs is set for an April 2023 return, and the Hot Docs Podcast Festival goes live in January 2023.

A city for movie-lovers and movie-makers

Whether you’re enjoying hot new films, making them, writing about or selling them, DelSuites can be your home base during Toronto’s film festival season. Call us at 647-370-3504 or email info@delsuites.com to find out how we can offer you a comfortable, fully-featured furnished rental—and help you reach the stars.

Community Events, Downtown Toronto, Entertainment

Film Events in Toronto

March 31, 2015

Film Events in TorontoWith the advent of video streaming services like Netflix and now Shomi and Crave, you may think that the era of going out to see a movie is dying (we don’t blame you for wanting to stay in your furnished apartment after a long week). That said, Torontonians are fierce fans of movies and are keeping the film industry alive with these events, services and stores, year-round, long after TIFF is over. If you are in town for TIFF or related film events in Toronto or you are filming here with your production studio, DelSuites can assist you with your accommodation needs.

1. TIFF Bell LightBox
Now headquarters for all things for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Bell Lightbox is also home to daily screenings, film exhibitions, a gift shop, and two great restaurants, Luma and Canteen. It is a must-see on the Toronto tour, especially if you’re a fan of film. Luckily, it’s just around the corner from our suites at 300 Front, The Element, and The Icon. This year, Andy Warhol’s exhibition, Stars of the Silver Screen debuts on October 30, 2015. Save the date!Film Events in Toronto

2. Hot Docs
From April 23 to May 3, 2015 enjoy Toronto’s other film festival, this time of international documentaries, which you usually won’t see anywhere else, invoking in-depth conversation. Doc Soup is Hot Docs’ monthly screening series from October through April at the Bloor Cinema. Guest directors are available at selected screenings to introduce their work and answer questions from the audience. Early bird packages and passes are now available on sale online.

3. Repertory Cinemas.
Rep cinemas bring back the by-gone era of going out to the movie theatre. The difference at a rep cinema is that you can see older films, usually a one-off or as part of a theme. The Bloor Cinema is festival headquarters for Hot Docs but others we know and love are The Royal on College Street and The Fox in the Beaches (worth the trek to the end of the streetcar line on Queen Street East).

4. The National Film Board.
Located in the heart of downtown acroFilm Events in Torontoss from the Scotiabank movie theatre at Queen and John, is the National Film Board (affectionately known as the NFB). The NFB is Canada’s National film producer and distributor. This is your place to watch free films and documentaries, and animations, available in both English and French. Here’s a guide of films for your first visit.

5. Quirky Video Stores.
Yes, video stores still exist and some of them offer some unique services. We love the Film Buff for its selection of under-represented independent, foreign, documentary and classic films in addition to its tasty ice cream (Roncesvalles location only) and Queen Video for its art film selections. Super-8 Filmmaker John Porter continues to add to his useful creation of a handmade map and directory for visiting filmmakers and artists in the city, including those video stores. This is a great link for those wanting a more comprehensive directory for their film needs.

Do you know any hidden gems on where to see a movie or get your film fix in Toronto? What are your favourite movies?