Interesting Facts About TIFF 2015
It’s that time of year again in Toronto. The glamour. The lights. The star studded red carpet events. TIFF has become recognized for introducing many Oscar nominated films. But have you ever wondered about some of the cool facts past and present about this world class event that draws thousands of attendees to its events and screenings?
As ComTix is a proud supplier of wristbands and printed tickets to TIFF, we’d like to share some cool facts you may not have heard about the festival.
- This September 2015, Demolition, a drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts marks the first time since 2010 a Canadian director, Jean-marc Vallée, will open the Toronto International Film Festival reports the National Post.
- Founded in 1976 by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl, TIFF was originally known as "The Festival of Festivals" and intended to showcase films featured in other film festivals around the world. However in 1995 the name was changed to the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Remember Ontario Place? The first film to ever play TIFF was screened at the Ontario Place Cinesphere.
- Unlike other festivals TIFF doesn’t have judges or major prizes. What makes TIFF special is that the movie goers vote on the films to award the People’s Choice Award.
- In 2013 the Toronto Star reported that TIFF’s economic impact on Toronto was $189 million dollars.
- Second only to the Cannes Film Festival as of 2013, TIFF draws a crowd of over 400,000 film lovers, of which 4000 them are industry professionals and some 1.5 million people participate in the TIFF events all over Toronto.
- The admission for a TIFF ticket in 1976 was only $2. Today purchasing tickets can cost around $1000 for some TIFF packages.
The Toronto International Film Festival is a vibrant event with famous stars and normal people rubbing shoulders. It’s a MUST for any movie lovers and art enthusiasts to attend. Its helped put Toronto on the map as a world class city. From us at ComTix, we can’t wait to see you there!