One month after the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and Asian Film Summit, we interviewed Director of TIFF Industry Office, Justin Cutler. Despite the long distance away from China, Asian Film Summit has managed to invite industry leaders like Bill Kong, Jackie Chan, Peter Loehr, Michael Werner and Abe Kwong to talk at the TIFF-funded one day event in the past few years. It has already become an important bridge between film industries on both sides of the Pacific.
The Chinese Film Market: How do you define “tiff industry”?
Justin Cutler: TIFF’s Industry Office is a year-round department at TIFF that is dedicated to bringing the global film industry together for inspiring professional development opportunities, world-class film sales support, and fluid access to TIFF’s screenings and conferences. The TIFF Industry Office attracts over 350 conference speakers and 5,400 industry professionals to Toronto every year for its three major Festivals, including, the Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF Kids, and Canada’s Top Ten.
CFM: It seems many deals are made in Toronto, but why there is no official market?
JC: We have made a conscious decision not to host a traditional brick-and-mortar marketplace, which we feel helps retain attention on our 300+ Festival titles. We create a unique setting that offers the same business tools that most major marketplaces offer, such as our Press & Industry Screenings, Private screenings and our International Pavilion, which hosts over 20 national film agencies and a major Industry Conference that brings together over 10,000 attendees for professional development and networking opportunities. Our goal is to offer fluid access to screenings for buyers and other registered professionals to ensure they have the maximum number of opportunities to see films.
CFM: What is the growth rate of the industry professionals’ attendance from 2011 to 2014? How many were at TIFF this year? And how many deals were closed during the festival?
JC: We’ve experienced significant growth since 2010, increasing our industry registration by 51%, growing from 3,357 delegates to 5,088, with major expansion from all territories, particularly a strong growth in attendance from Asia. Our number of Chinese delegates has grown by over 800% since 2011. Many film sales occur at the Festival each year to both domestic and foreign distribution companies, but very few are announced in the trade publications. Wagering a guess on the total number of film sales is difficult and inaccurate, so we prefer to report on the number of film sales officially announced in the trade publications. Thus far, we’ve tracked 63 film sales of Festival titles, including Ning Hao’s Breakup Buddies, the highest number to date. Many of these titles have sold to multiple territories.
CFM: What distinguishes the “tiff industry” events?
JC: TIFF Industry strives to provide accessible, globally oriented, events. We see the Toronto International film Festival as a conduit that connects the North American industry with the rest of the world and we like to retain a global focus for all of our programmes. Our primary focus is making the trip to Toronto effective and seamless for both domestic and international guests.
CFM: Do you think websites like Festival Scope and Cinando post threats to offline/real markets -the way Amazon to bookstores?
JC: I believe that B2B platforms, and increasingly B2C platforms, are a natural and useful extension of film festivals and markets. These platforms offer industry professionals an opportunity to catch up on screenings they may have missed, or that have gathered acclaim following the festival.
The communal experience of watching theatrical content at public and industry screenings is incredibly informative for buyers and not one that will be soon be replaced by digital platforms. Also, in an increasingly digital landscape the value of connecting with colleagues in-person is incredibly valuable for building the trust and relationships required for stable business partnerships.
CFM: How do you envision the possibility of Canadian-Chinese co-production films?
JC: There are many positive factors at play for the growth of Canadian-Chinese co-productions. Canada and China have an established co-production treaty, which enables Chinese producers to take advantage of Canada’s excellent public funding offerings and tax credits. Also, Canada’s diverse multicultural make-up is enriched by the 7th highest population of Chinese citizens outside of China, which offers a built-in audience within Canada.
CFM: What will “tiff industry” be in five years?
JC: The content creation industry is evolving daily and our goal is to remain nimble and flexible enough to meet its needs. TIFF Industry will continue to build strong global partnerships that will help us stay abreast of these changes to enable industry professionals with the services they need to do their business efficiently.