Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival, originally titled "The Festival of Festivals", was founded by William Marshall, Henk van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl. Piers Handling has been the festival's director and executive director since 1994, while Noah Cowan became co-director in 2004. In late 2007, Cowan became art director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, while founder longtime showrunner Cameron Bailey is co-directing; As of 2013, Bailey also serves as an art director.

In 1998, Variety called TIFF "the second place after Cannes to have the best images, stars and promotions." In 2007, Time said that TIFF had "grown from the most influential fall film festival to the most prominent one." This success is largely due to TIFF's ability to "predict Oscar-winning movies".

TIFF used to be held in Yorkville, but it was only when the show took place in the Toronto Entertainment District that it resonated. TIFF sets up international media space near restaurants and photo shops and interviews with stars. In the fall of 2010, the show opened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, TIFF's annual venue in the Entertainment District.

As of 2013, TIFF is primarily focused on independent cinema and shows many of the country's most iconic films and individual directors, with a focus on Canadian and diverse cinema from other continents.

Source: wikipedia