With the ongoing Hollywood actors' and writers' strikes, and the recent announcement that TIFF and lead sponsor Bell will be parting ways, this year's festival is expected to look quite different.
A person walks past the Toronto International Film Festival Bell Lightbox in the entertainment district of Toronto.Set to begin Thursday, TIFF is typically a star-studded affair full of Hollywood A-listers. The festival brings more than 700,000 visitors to Toronto and accounts for more than $114 million in economic activity in the region,
However, directors and producers are unaffected by the strike — and some are allowed to walk red carpets. This year, several actor-turned-directors have films at TIFF, including Viggo Mortensen, Michael Keaton, Chris Pine and Anna Kendrick. "With the actors' strike in particular, Toronto's going to see a dip in revenue because there's all kinds of infrastructure and support services from hairdressers and limo drivers to restaurants," said Johnson, who wrote the bookBusinesses in the city are already feeling that dip.
"[It's] hundreds of thousands of dollars potentially to be lost. It's definitely a big deal for us," he said. "Canadian films and filmmakers always have a prominent place at our festival. But I think this year, they'll be even more prominent," he said during an interview with CBC News last month. Bell echoed the same sentiments when reached for comment, saying it opted not to renew its sponsorship with TIFF in order to invest in other opportunities. "We're grateful to have been a part of it," the company said in a statement emailed to CBC News.
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