TIFF 2024: A TFS Alumnus’ Journey

TIFF 2024: Film Production alumnus Darcy Love recounts his adventures at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival

by Darcy Love

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This is the 49th year of the Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF), and I was one of the lucky few sent to the festival on an industry pass, thanks to Toronto Film School. For those of you who don’t know, TIFF is the largest film festival in North America and one of the “Big Five” festivals (Venice, Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, and TIFF). The festival has premiere screenings, Q&As with creators, industry conferences with panels of professionals, lectures by some of the world’s best artists, and of course, every kind of networking event you could dream of.

I experienced everything TIFF 2024 had to offer, and in this blog I want to share my experiences and insights with you.

TIFF 2024: The Films

It’s the reason the festival even exists. TIFF always has an extraordinary lineup of movies ranging from documentaries and foreign language films, to animation and big studio movies. This year’s festival was no exception. With a lineup of 278 films over 10 days, there was something for everyone. Here are my mini-reviews on some of the movies I previewed:

The Penguin Lessons

A gentle, true-to-life tale about mutual human-animal healing set against the backdrop of Argentina’s 1976 military coup. Directed by Peter Cattaneo, and starring Steve Coogan, this heart-warming story was my biggest surprise of the festival. Going in with no expectations (and honestly just trying to kill two hours between events), I was rewarded with a story reminiscent of last year’s The Holdovers, and Dead Poet’s Society. I laughed, I cried, and I was thoroughly entertained.

The Life of Chuck

A Stephen King novella adapted to the screen by the legendary Mike Flanagan. Are you intrigued yet? What if I told you it starred Mark Hamill, Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillian, Mathew Lillard and the voice of Nick Offerman? If the star power behind this film isn’t enough, then you should know this is no ordinary Stephen King adaptation. It is a look at what makes each of us so unique and explores the multitudes we have within us (you’ll understand what that means when you see the movie). The Life of Chuck, while plenty philosophical, still walks the line of a thrilling sci-fi that ends in a warm embrace. I left the theatre after watching this movie and have not been able to stop thinking about it since.

Wild Robot

This new animated feature from Dreamworks immediately cements itself as a front-runner for the Oscars. Director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods) stated that he set out to make a Monet painting set in a Miyazaki forest, and he was successful in this endeavour. Wild Robot, adapted from the novel of the same name, effortlessly explores the themes of love, family, persistence, and sacrifice in a tight 101 minutes – all while being one of the most visually stunning animations I’ve had the pleasure of watching this year.

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TIFF 2024: The Conference

Part of my experience attending TIFF 2024 on behalf of Toronto Film School was my access to the industry conference. This is an event that runs for the first half of the festival and includes panel discussions, podcast recordings, visionary speakers, and of course – networking events.

The Panels

This year at TIFF there were a number of phenomenal panels under a series called “Meet The…” where the audience had a chance to hear from, then meet, The Financiers, The Streamers, and The Broadcasters. There were also panels for the awards shows, the future of AI, and how to pitch your project. Each of these panels was a deep dive into not only the future of the industry at large but also what filmmakers should be doing on a personal level to further their success in the industry.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I kept hearing was to know your audience. We would all love to release a movie and have the entire world fall in love with it, but the reality is that not every film is for everyone. So, you have to know who
your target market is. Once you do, you have a better chance of selling your film because by then you will know which studios cater to which demographics.

The Lectures

TIFF 2024 had two series of lectures, one titled “In Conversation” and the other, “Visionaries”. Between these two series, I was able to hear from filmmaking legends such as Alfonso Cuaron (ROMA, Gravity), Pete Docter (PIXAR), Steve Moffat (Sherlock, Doctor Who), Cate Blanchet (Tar, Lord of the Rings), Steven Soderberg (Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven), and even humanitarian activist Malala Yousafzai.

These talks were not only incredibly inspirational, but they were also highly educational, giving attendees an insight into each of their creative processes and their best advice. We learned from:

– Malala Yousafzai that storytelling IS activism.
– Alfonso Cuaron, through his friendship with Guillermo Del Toro and
Alejandro Iñárritu, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right
people.

– Pete Docter on the importance of the rewrite, and that it can take up to 5
years to create one Pixar film.

Docter also talked about the importance of character specificity and how they brought that into their latest project Inside Out 2 (which is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time).

Most importantly, what each of these incredible artists taught us was to trust your instincts. While there is a temptation to know all the answers, if you have a talented cast and crew around you then you don’t need to know everything, you just need to trust.

Industry Networking Made Easy

And finally, what festival experience would be complete without the networking events? TIFF 2024 was home to almost every networking event you can imagine, from breakfasts hosted by the film boards of countries from around the world to small
receptions at the end of each conference day, and even massive industry parties like the one hosted by the City of Toronto (also sponsored by our very own Toronto Film School). Each of these events were a wonderful way to see old friends, meet like-minded people, and even find future collaborators. I believe these networking events are indicative of what makes Toronto such a special city, and what makes TIFF such a wonderful festival. It’s the connections you make.

Whether you are standing in line for a film, or standing in the corner of a networking event, everyone is excited to be there and are willing to talk and connect. I usually find networking quite difficult, and the thought of striking up a conversation with a stranger is almost paralyzing. But at TIFF it was easy, from film students who were yet to take their first step onto campus through to the creators of my favourite films and TV series, everyone wanted to talk (yes even legendary creator Steven Moffat was in the reception chatting with me!). The TIFF conference is a place that levels the playing field and makes everyone equal, so if you’re attending the event next year don’t be afraid to just dive in, someone will be there to catch you.

TIFF 2024: Final Thoughts

I will finish by simply saying thank you to Toronto Film School for giving me this opportunity to experience TIFF in a way I had never been able to before. I leave this festival feeling inspired, tired, and ready for whatever comes next.

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About the Writer

Darcy was born in London, Ontario and was whisked away to Australia at the tender age of seven years old. Making a triumphant return to Canada, Darcy decided to pursue filmmaking through Toronto Film School. Since then, he has become a successful writer/director, winning several awards on the festival circuit. When he is not filmmaking, Darcy spends his days reading, playing music, or simply daydreaming about his next project.