Toronto Film Festival Unveils First-Ever Virtual Edition Amid Pandemic

The Toronto Film Festival on Friday opened registration and shared details for its first-ever virtual industry conference. TIFF's online plans include industry conference sessions, networking events and digital showcases of film titles by national cinema agencies.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterInside Out, Canada’s foremost LGBTQ film festival, has unveiled the 16 recipients for its RE:Focus ‘Emergency Relief Fund’, which was created in response to the pandemic and its impact on the industry.

[email protected] And even though there won’t be 6,500 fans screaming at the top of their lungs in Hall H, Comic-Con organizers are planning an event befitting its lofty stature that will take place two weeks from now, just when the in-person con would have been held.“Everybody is committed to trying to make something the fans can enjoy and can interact with and have that community feeling, even though it will be not in person,” Comic-Con International spokesperson David Glanzer told TheWrap.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterAmazon Prime Video is not just bringing a roster of horror, comedy and superheroes  to Comic-Con@Home, but they are also bringing the first-ever Amazon Virtual-Con which will include virtual experiences and activations that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home. Things are set to kick off on San Diego Comic Con’s official YouTube channel and on the Amazon Virtual-Con portal starting at 12 p.m.

The Toronto, New York, Telluride and Venice film festivals, knocked sideways in their planning by the coronavirus pandemic, have unveiled a joint statement that commits the long-time rivals to cooperate and not compete for film titles and awards-season bragging rights in the fall. "This year, we’ve moved away from competing with our colleagues at autumn festivals and commit instead to collaboration.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe upcoming Venice Film Festival’s reconfiguration due to coronavirus safety measures has been officially unveiled.Barring complications, Venice, which runs Sept.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorThe Venice Film Festival this morning said that the 77th edition will go ahead from September 2-12 with certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the COVID-19 crisis.

Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival unveiled its first six competition titles for its 68th edition, including movies from Naomi Kawase, François Ozon and Thomas Vinterberg. Most of the movies arefrom the Cannes Film Festival's "Cannes 2020" selection, which is made up of films that carry the Cannes brand to the screen at other events around the world.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterThe Cannes Marche du Film Online, which hosted its first ever digital edition last week, has revealed that it had 10,002 participants take part in its virtual marketplace.The largest delegation came from the U.S., which saw 1,500 participants log on, followed by France (1,400) and the UK (950). The majority of the overall pool were European (5,900).

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterWith its innovative approach of pre-recorded performances, virtual packages and presentations as well as on-point messaging to amplify the Black Lives Matter movement, the BET Awards delivered an impressive ceremony, drawing over 3.7 million total viewers with its simulcast on BET, BET Her and, for the first time ever CBS.Hosted by stand-up comedian and Insecure star Amanda Seales, the BET Awards celebrated Black culture with an all-star lineup of

Anthony D'Alessandro, Dominic Patten Sundance Festival Director Tabitha Jackson unveiled today in an open memo to the Sundance community what the 2021 Festival is bound to look like in the continuing COVID-19 environment.While recognizing that there’s still no vaccine, that many are unable to travel, yet socially distanced gatherings are permitted in Utah and other states, Jackson outlined what will be a current two-pronged approach in adapting the Robert Redford-founded event to the current

John Legend is going virtual!

Also Read: Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet Romantic Drama 'Ammonite' Acquired by NeonOver the first five days of the fest, TIFF’s full slate of films will premiere as physical, socially-distanced screenings, as well as drive-ins and outdoor experiences that can be safely managed.

health officials. But for now, TIFF is radically remaking itself.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaIt’s safe to say that the 2020 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival won’t be like any of the 44 ones that preceded it. We are living in the age of the coronavirus, after all.Because of this new pandemic reality, this year’s TIFF will be a hybrid of physical screenings and virtual events.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe Toronto Film Festival (September 10–19), North America’s largest festival, has unveiled its plan for this year’s edition.

The Toronto International Film Festival has laid off another 31 employees as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic cuts deeply into its operating revenues. "In response to the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on TIFF's regular operations, we announced today the difficult decision to reduce our full-time staff by 17 percent, which represents 31 valued employees," Toronto festival co-heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey said in a statement.