TIFF 2016: No Festival Pressers for Canadian Films

Conspicuously absent from the list of official press conferences at the Toronto International Film Festival this year are homegrown Canadian films.

“We want to celebrate the Canadians side-by-side with the Americans,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. This year’s Canadian lineup at TIFF includes three homegrown movies that bowed in Cannes: Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World, starring Marion Cotillard; the Bill Paxton and Colm Feore-starring teen thriller Mean Dreams from director Nathan Morlando; and War Witch director Kim Nguyen’s Two Lovers and a Bear, which stars Tatiana Maslany and Dane DeHaan.

Toronto fest organizers had no comment when asked about Canadian filmmakers bypassing Bell Lightbox pressers, as did ACTRA, the country’s actors union, which has long called for a homegrown star system to help deal with the Hollywood movie machine at the Toronto fest.

But Sholeh Fabbri, executive producer of ET Canada, welcomed the stream of Canadian directors and cast coming through their lounge at the Intercontinental. “Our show was built on showcasing great Canadian talent, and I think it’s important to celebrate their achievements,” Fabbri told THR.

The Toronto International Film Festival continues through Sept. 18.