The Toronto International Film Festival Announces First Look at 2018 TIFF Industry Conference

The Toronto International Film Festival® announced today a first look at the 2018 TIFF Industry Conference. The six-day event, taking place September 7-12 during the Festival, will inspire and incite discussions for creative and business entrepreneurship, while examining the role independent filmmakers play within an evolving and challenging media landscape.

"This is a pivotal moment in recognizing the UNSUNG heroes in the industry," said Kathleen Drumm, TIFF Industry Director. "Our conference programming will provide tools to address the imbalance of power, look to new trends, champion diversity, and identify how independent voices can be empowered and chart a sustainable career."

More than 150 speakers will take the stage of the Glenn Gould Studio including Ivy Agregan, Tre'vell Anderson, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Chris Aronson, Paul Austerberry, Jennifer Baichwal, Andrew Barnes, Jeremy Blacklow, Justin Broadbent, Tantoo Cardinal, BARRY Cole, Jacqueline Coley, Valerie Complex, Christian de Castro Oliveira, Nicholas de Pencier, Amy Emmerich, Helen Estabrook, Ana Leti?cia Fialho, Shawn Finnie, John Fithian, Patricia Gomes, Kate Hagen, Werner Herzog, Kevin Iwashina, Ellis Jacob, Jiang Wen, Mark Kueper, Amanda Lebow, Franklin Leonard, Sergei Loznitsa, Maxim Pozdorovkin, April Reign, Gil Robertson, A.V. Rockwell, Rena Ronson, Nermeen Shaikh, Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Tema Staig, Taika Waititi, and Nina Yang Bongiovi.

Companies represented onstage include 20th Century Fox, AAFCA, AMPAS, ANCINE, BRON Studios, CAA, Cineplex, Cinema do Brasil, ENDEAVOUR Content, HanWay Films, ICM, Instagram, LA Skins Fest, National Association of Theatre Owners, Olsberg•SPI, Refinery29, See Saw Films, Significant Productions, Rotten Tomatoes, Technicolor, UTA, Women In Media, and XYZ Films.

TIFF Moguls

Industry leaders and innovators are front and centre in TIFF Moguls. The series begins with a groundbreaking keynote on inclusion and diversity from Dr. Stacy L. Smith, author of the inclusion rider template and the Founder & Director of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a leading global think tank on diversity, gender, and inclusion. Dr. Smith will unveil the second phase of her research on equity in film criticism in a compelling address, after which she will be joined by Rotten Tomatoes editor Jacqueline Coley, freelance writer Valerie Complex, and Gil Robertson of the AAFCA. The panel will be moderated by Franklin Leonard, Founder & CEO of The Black List. This event heralds the new Betty-Ann Heggie Speaker Series, a Share Her Journey initiative dedicated to bringing to light the challenges women face in the screen industry.

TIFF also welcomes award-winning producer Nina Yang Bongiovi, an influential force in the industry with a discerning eye for groundbreaking stories and thrilling new directors. She spent the early part of her career co-producing and connecting the US and Chinese film industries, and in 2009 she co-founded Significant Productions with Forest Whitaker, a company that has championed Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station and Dope, Roxanne Roxanne, and Boots Riley's breakout hit Sorry to Bother You. Join us as Yang Bongiovi discusses her career, what she looks for when scouting talent, and her ambitions for a more globally inclusive film industry.

TIFF Master Classes

Authenticity, satire, and stories from the front line are at the forefront of this year's Master Classes, conversations featuring some of the industry's most distinguished luminaries.

The Conference will open with a candid interview with Canadian screen icon Tantoo Cardinal, whose seminal portraits of Indigenous characters have ignited the screen in more than 120 films and television programs, including Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall, Westworld, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Moccasin Flats. An eminent activist and artist with an indomitable presence on- and off-screen, she joins Festival programmer Danis Goulet to discuss her four-decade career, the qualities she looks for in great directors, and her most recent performances in three of the films at this year's Festival, including the lead role in Falls Around Her.

In his first visit to TIFF, New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian Taika Waititi joins TIFF's Artistic Director Cameron Bailey for a conversation about cinematic inspiration, vampires, superheroes, and his sympathetic approach to marginalised characters in his films, which include Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok, and his upcoming film Jojo Rabbit.

One of China's most prolific and accomplished superstars, actor-director Jiang Wen brings his latest action-epic, Hidden Man, to TIFF '18. Fresh from his role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jiang takes the stage to share insights into his creative process and his love of cinema and to discuss his trajectory from acting in art-house classics to directing blockbusters that are tailor-made for the largest film audience in the world.

Topics, Conversations, Current Events
The Festival's Industry Conference focuses on excellence in storytelling, cultivating artistic entrepreneurs,

driving provocative and candid conversations, and pursuing equality and innovation with curatorial rigour. Our Dialogues programme, supported by the OMDC, presents an array of topical programming that includes exhibitors, filmmakers, and industry executives.

? John Fithian, President & CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, will moderate a discussion examining the impact of theatrical exhibition on today's culture and the ways in which exhibition drives revenue for the industry at large.

? Following up on a successful collaboration on A Fantastic Woman, go behind the scenes with GLAAD, which, along with film executives and creators, explores how the organization uses onscreen representation to change hearts and minds around the world.

? The 3 for 30 screenwriters session returns with three writer-director film teams exposing the hardest scene to write. Hosted by Franklin Leonard and Kate Hagen of The Black List.

? Renowned music supervisors, including BARRY Cole (The Chi), explain how to create the perfect soundtrack.

? Working in short films, music videos, and commercials, a vanguard of multi-disciplinary directors and artists discuss how they are breaking open the world of short-form content and going viral with their innovative and bold voices.

Foundations is a practical stream designed for up-and-comers that explores all aspects of the business, from craft to distribution, and provides tangible tools for creative practitioners.

? Dynamic sessions highlight excellence in below-the-line roles, including a panel on how to build a diverse crew featuring April Reign (#OscarsSoWhite), Shawn Finnie (AMPAS), Tema Staig (Women In Media), and Patricia Gomes (LA Skins Fest).

? An inspiring conversation with a panel of brilliant designers, including Academy Award-winning production designer Paul Austerberry (The Shape of Water) and visual effects producer and director Ivy Agregan (The Revenant).

? A panel on post-production with the award-winning co-directing team of Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier (Anthropocene) and their longtime collaborator Mark Kueper, Senior Colourist at Technicolor, in which they discuss how they establish the visual language for their films.

The Guardian TIFF Talks is a series of onstage conversations between high-profile creative talent and The Guardian's journalists. Landscapes is a new stream featuring four intimate fireside chats presenting a global snapshot of current trends in storytelling from specific countries and markets. Connections will offer networking roundtables in the areas of co-production, documentary, shorts, tech, and primetime television, on a first-come, first-served basis. Telefilm Canada presents this year's industry programming under its banner RDV Canada Panel Series. Delegates can look forward to Microsessions sponsored by leading companies that showcase their newest media tools, products, and programmes.

Launching this year, TIFF Tech is a new stream presenting innovations in computer technology and the convergence of the tech and media industries. Our mission is to cultivate creative entrepreneurs. Sessions will empower filmmakers with insights and connect today's tech innovators with tomorrow's storytellers.

TIFF Doc Conference

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Doc Conference will deliver an array of high profile guests in its news-making talk and craft sessions. Highlights include an opening conversation with director Werner Herzog on the making of this new film Meeting Gorbachev; producer of DEMOCRACY NOW! Nermeen Shaikh revealing what makes a great documentary; CEO of The Festival Agency Leslie Vuchot providing the hits and misses of self-distribution and marketing; representatives from CAA, Endeavor Content, ICM, and UTA revealing what sales agents want; award-winning Inuk filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril providing a critical insight into how to tell stories with humility while looking to the future of indigenous storytelling; director and producer Maxim Pozdorovkin on his latest film The Truth About Killer Robots and the effects of robotic technology on the creative arts; co-directors Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble on logistical and philosophical challenges of making their latest film, The Elephant Queen; and renowned filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa joins Tanya Cooper from Human Rights Watch and Polina Kovaleva from the PEN American Center to discuss actions to free Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker who was detained in Crimea and sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison on charges of terrorism. Doc Conference is curated by the TIFF Docs Programming team, Thom Powers and Dorota Lech.

Industry Registration

Online industry registration for the Toronto International Film Festival is now open. There are six pass types, offering varying levels of access to the Industry Conference and Doc Conference. Online registration closes August 24. To purchase passes and learn more, visit https://www.tiff.net/industry-accreditation/.

About TIFF

TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation, and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

The Toronto International Film Festival is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC, L'Ore?al Paris and Visa, and Major Supporters the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada, and the City of Toronto.

The Toronto International Film Festival Industry Programming is generously supported by Telefilm Canada and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

The Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Betty-Ann Heggie Speaker Series, Pinewood, the National Association of Theatre Owners, and the US Consulate are each co-presenters or supporters of various Conference events.

TIFF Doc Conference is presented by SHOWTIME® DOCUMENTARY FILMS.

Evening Conference Happy Hours in the lobby of the Glenn Gould Studio and Conference Centre are generously hosted by presenting partners Rotten Tomatoes, SPINVFX, Telefilm Canada, Prime Video Direct, SHOWTIME® DOCUMENTARY FILMS, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

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