Brent Lang Executive Editor Producers, studio executives and agents are hoping that when they touch down in Canada this week for the Toronto International Film Festival, things will look a lot like they did in 2019.
That was the last time that the annual celebration of all things movies was at full capacity, with star-studded red carpets, packed premieres and the kind of late-night parties and boozy dinners that help grease the wheels for dealmaking.
COVID changed all of that, leading to a nearly three-year hiatus for one of the major hubs of film sales and awards season launches.
Last year, TIFF returned in-person, but at limited capacity, and most Hollywood players skipped it. But this time, the film industry is returning in force, hoping to sell movies, spot talent and make sense of a landscape that’s been altered by the global pandemic. “People are a little more risk-averse,” says Mimi Steinbauer, president and CEO of Radiant Films Intl. “COVID accelerated a shift that was beginning to take place before the pandemic.
Read more on variety.com