Film Circuit Newsletter Winter 2018 In this issue Letters CEO, TIFF Each year I look forward to the Toronto Inter- Letters 2 national Film Festival because, in addition to celebrating great works of cinema, it provides me with the opportunity to meet with many of you at Film Circuit at a glance 4 the annual Film Circuit Summit. This past Sep- tember, as in previous years, I was struck by your passion for film and dedication to serving your By the numbers 5 communities by bringing the best of Canadian and international film back to your local audiences. We at TIFF are so grateful for the grassroots work you Film Circuit spotlight 6 do, and for your efforts to support the Canadian film industry. On the road with Maudie: See you at the movies, An interview with Mary Young Leckie 8 Piers Handling Director & CEO 2017 guest calendar 10 TIFF Share Her Journey 12 Senior Manager, Theatrical Focus on Festivals 13 Programming Winter is at our doorstep, and cinema — the number-one escape — is here to gather us. Film Circuit Achievement Awards 16 This is a huge season for some of the best art- house and specialty films being released, and many Film Circuit Summit 2017 17 of you are also entering your most successful and engaging screening period. It is undoubtedly a strong year for film, and the variety to choose from Canadian Film at TIFF’17 18 for your audiences is exciting. In Meditation Park and The Leisure Seeker (both of which screened at Upcoming Festivals 19 this year’s Film Circuit Summit; for more informa- tion, see our recap on page 14), we found engaging crowd-pleasers that elicited meaningful conversa- How to start a Fim Circuit location 20 tions among viewers. Call Me By Your Name is an absolute art-star of a film that is bound to receive award nominations and become one of the key Managing your series 22 films of the season. Extraordinary master auteurs who are an integral part of their national cine- mas have created some of the best work of their Film Circuit staff 24 careers: Aki Kaurismaki’s The Other Side of Hope (also at the Film Circuit Summit) and Agnès Varda and JR’s Faces Places are two of the most affecting and beautiful films we have seen this year. We can’t wait for you to share such high-quality films with your audiences throughout the winter season. Thank you for your incredible work in making cine- ma-going a vibrant experience. Like us on Facebook! Magali Simard facebook.com/FilmCircuitTIFF Follow us on Twitter! @FilmCircuitTIFF ®/™Toronto International Film Festival Inc. Film Circuit Newsletter Manager, Film Circuit Manager, Film & Digital Print Services It’s always wonderful to be able to reconnect with Hello, and welcome to Film Circuit’s winter season! a number of you at our TIFF Film Circuit Sum- mit, and at other Canadian film festivals across The Film & Digital Print Services department is the country during this busy fall season. It’s the looking forward to a completely storm-free winter! perfect time for our team to take the temperature of Film Circuit and see what successes and chal- Just kidding. Storms are inevitable, and so we lenges were top of mind over the past year. must be prepared and make room for their disruption of our transfers between venues. Your With work for 2018 underway, we are taking a programming team aims to keep a buffer between closer look at the suggestions and feedback we’ve bookings, but we need you to ensure you’re received so far, with the aim of prioritizing items following shipping instructions closely to maintain that are beneficial to you running your series. these timelines. Please take the time to notify us of We start that process with our improved release any potential delays due to local weather. We can schedules, which you have by now received. You’ll usually come up with alternative solutions if we notice that we have made it more user-friendly by are aware of the full scope of the situation. adding Canadian- and francophone-content icons and tagging films with key words that can help And, please don’t hesitate to copy any of us at shape your programming. We have also increased FDPS in the event of an issue. We will always en- both the quality and quantity of films, while bal- sure the right people are informed ASAP. However, ancing depth with some lighter-fare films. one way to head off many potential problems is to ensure you have one print traffic address on file Personally, I am extremely excited about Mina with Film Circuit where shipments can be received Shum’s new film Meditation Park. As a second- during regular business hours. This is also a good generation Chinese Canadian who grew up in Van- time to remind you that in the event of an emer- couver, I found that the film really resonated with gency, you can use any of our mobile numbers to me and reflected some of the strong, independent reach someone on the team. Should one of us be women that I grew up with. Please help us share unavailable, other team members can assist. this crowd-pleasing story with your audiences. Jen MacFarlane Ming-Jenn Lim Film and Digital Print Services Senior Manager, Marketing & Strategy Staffing Changes ’Tis the season to love film! After four years of service, Logan MacDonald moved on from TIFF last August to share his Winter is coming, bringing with it both the Holi- great artistic talent with students in his native days and the cold weather, so now is the time to Newfoundland. Many of you would have had the position your Film Circuit location as one of the opportunity to meet Logan in person at our annual best things to do this season. Newspapers, blogs, Film Circuit Summits, or over email as he oversaw and community web pages are a great resource the shipment of thousands of films for Film Circuit — with holiday roundups, event listings, end-of- screenings. While we’ll miss Logan deeply, we wish year top 10 lists, and more entertainment- and him nothing but the best in his new job. lifestyle- focused content. When pitching these outlets, consider a movie’s theme and who may Hitting the ground running at the busiest time of be interested: are there local community groups, the year, Adam Singer took over the Coordinator, businesses, and blogs that you can connect with? Film and Digital Print Services position just prior With a great selection of family-friendly films, to the start of the 2017 Toronto International Film thought-provoking documentaries, and intense Festival. He will be overseeing shipments for a dramas, there is a range of themes you can tap number of distributors and this list can be found into. Both media and audiences love a unique on our website, along with Adam’s contact infor- selling point. Share some stories behind the mak- mation. Joining us after working with Cineplex, ing of our upcoming films that can help you pitch Adam has a keen understanding of Canadian ge- these as must-see events — for example, Loving ography and FDPS protocols, making him a great Vincent, the world’s first fully oil-painted feature addition to our team. Welcome, Adam! film;Faces Places, a beautiful collaborative film from 89-year-old feminist filmmaker Agnes Varda and French street-artist JR; and The Breadwinner, a touching story that is exec-produced by UNHCR goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie. Michelle Lemmon Winter 2018 3 Film Circuit at a glance Welcome, new groups! Welcome back! Apsley, Ontario (August 2017) Castlegar, BC (September 2017) Haida Gwaii, BC (September 2017) British Columbia Quesnel Red Deer Brockville Ottawa New Brunswick Bella Coola Revelstoke Rocky Mountain Cambridge Owen Sound Fredericton Campbell River Salmon Arm House Campbellford Palmerston Saint John Chilliwack Saturna Island Spruce Grove Chatham Parry Sound Woodstock Courtenay Smithers Stettler Cobourg Pembroke Cranbrook Surrey Sylvan Lake Collingwood Perth Nova Scotia Duncan Trail Cornwall Peterborough Annapolis Royal Fernie Vancouver Saskatchewan Fenelon Falls Picton Bridgewater Fort St. John Vanderhoof Estevan Forest Port Hope Liverpool Gibsons Vernon Kindersley Goderich Renfrew New Glasgow Golden West Vancouver Moose Jaw Gravenhurst Richmond Hill Shelburne Grand Forks Prince Albert Haliburton Sarnia Wolfville Invermere Alberta Halton Hills Sault Ste. Marie Kamloops Banff Manitoba Hamilton Simcoe Prince Edward Kelowna Blairmore Boissevain Hanover Smiths Falls Island Langley Calgary Brandon Huntsville St.Catharines Charlottetown Maple Ridge Cochrane Flin Flon Kincardine Stittsville Summerside Merritt Drumheller Gimli Kingston Stouffville Mission Edmonton Portage La Prairie Lindsay Stratford Nanaimo Fort McMurray Madoc Thunder Bay New Westminster Grande Prairie Ontario Markham Timmins Midland Uxbridge North Vancouver High River Ajax Milton Welland Penticton Jasper Alliston New Liskeard Windsor Port Alberni Lacombe Ancaster Newmarket Woodstock Port Moody Legal Aurora Niagara-on-the-Lake Quebec Powell River Lethbridge Bancroft North Bay Hudson Prince George Medicine Hat Barrie Oakville Potton Prince Rupert Nordegg Belleville Orangeville Newfoundland Quadra Island Olds Bracebridge Orillia Corner Brook Qualicum Beach Pincher Creek Brantford Oshawa RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World A Man Called Ove Their Finest 4 Film Circuit Newsletter By the numbers We’re very pleased to announce that Maudie is now the highest-grossing Film Circuit title of all time! Thank you so much to all the Film Circuit organizers who joined us in celebrating this Canadian title and bringing it to your local communities, and a big thank you to producer Mary Young Leckie, executive producer Heather Haldane, and actor Zachary Bennet, who played Maud’s brother Charles, for joining us on the road to share their incredible stories with our Film Circuit audiences.