The festival is headquartered at TIFF Bell Lightbox, which opened in 2010.
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Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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Founded | 1976 |
Number of films | fewest, 85 (1978); most, 460 (1984) |
Language | International |
Website | www |
Coordinates: 43°38′48″N 79°23′25″W / 43.64667°N 79.39028°W
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, stylized as tiff.; French: Festival international du film de Toronto) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Over the last 40 years, TIFF has grown to become a year-round destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, a dynamic centre for film culture that offers visitors a presentation that includes new releases, live film events and an interactive gallery.
Year-round, TIFF Bell Lightbox offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, industry support and the chance to meet filmmakers from Canada and around the world. TIFF Bell Lightbox is located on the north west corner of King Street and John Street in downtown Toronto.
In 2015, 397 films from 71 countries were screened at 28 screens in downtown Toronto venues, welcoming an estimated 480,000 attendees, over 5,000 of whom were industry professionals. TIFF starts the Thursday night after Labour Day (the first Monday in September in Canada) and lasts for eleven days.
Founded in 1976, TIFF is now one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the world. In 1998, Variety magazine acknowledged that TIFF "is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile pics, stars and market activity." In 2007, TIME noted that TIFF had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period." This is partially the result of TIFF's ability and reputation for generating "Oscar buzz".
The Toronto International Festival’s Grolsch People’s Choice Award — which is based on popular vote by Festival filmgoers — has emerged as a beacon of awards-season success. Past recipients of this audience accolade include Room, The Imitation Game, 12 Years a Slave, The King's Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, and Dallas Buyers Club.