Following its 50th-anniversary edition, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, 10-20 September) is ready to enter a new phase, marked by the launch of its own market (see the news) and a clear drive to sharpen the identity of its individual sections. Cineuropa spoke to TIFF chief programming officer Anita Lee about the festival’s European selection, the influence of audience data and her ambition to bring more visibility to the programme, beyond the red carpets.

Cineuropa: When you began shaping this year’s programme, what did you want this 51st edition to say about where TIFF is heading artistically?
Anita Lee: Last year’s 50th anniversary felt like a marker. TIFF has this great history, but the 51st edition is also an opportunity to enter a new stage or phase. We are building on the festival’s strong tradition while looking at how our programming vision can grow. We want to streamline our sections, so that each becomes clearer in its approach and programming.

How is Europe being covered, within TIFF’s programming structure?
We have section heads for Gala, Special Presentations, Discovery and Midnight Madness, amongst others, but much of the work is done by regional programmers. Three or four programmers watch films from different parts of Europe and programme them across all of our sections. The section heads then have final responsibility for deciding what makes sense in each one. We work as a team, with everyone watching films and making recommendations. For example, Nanni Moretti’s It Will Happen Tonight sits in Special Presentations [see the news], which I oversee, whereas Paolo Strippoli’s The Spiral was selected for Midnight Madness [see the news] – which is a good illustration of how regional programmers and section heads collaborate.

How would you assess this year’s crop of European films?
We always have a strong UK presence, but this year, it feels even stronger. We have as many as six UK titles in the Gala selection [see the news], which is a very high number, and another UK film, Stuffed, will open Discovery [see the news], a section made up entirely of world premieres. Spain will also have a strong presence, with films including The Beloved, La bola negra, Bunker and Bitter Christmas. French cinema is always well represented here, too, and this year, Isabelle Huppert, starring in the Gala title All About Corinne, will also receive a Tribute Award.

When a European film has already circulated on the festival circuit, what does it have to offer to also get a selection at Toronto?
We are very aware that we are, first and foremost, a film festival catering to the public. Bringing the latest works by significant directorial voices is one of our priorities, but we also ponder how each title will be received by the Toronto audiences. This is a very culturally diverse city, and many audience members have second or third cultures to which they also feel connected. They are globally savvy and interested in cinema from across the world. Sometimes, we select a major European film from Cannes because we know it will connect here; at other times, we see a film such as Primavera [which was programmed last year] and know there will be a wonderful audience for it at TIFF.

European films increasingly involve numerous co-production partners. Does this make it harder to identify distinct voices?
From an industry perspective, co-production practices in Europe allow many films from different regions to be made which might otherwise struggle to exist, so they support global cinema as a whole. At the same time, they raise a valid question about what happens to the notion of “national cinema”. This being said, when I look at the five European titles selected for Platform, our only competitive section, I still see what I would call strong signatures: original approaches reflecting the societies in which their filmmakers live. Co-production does not necessarily erase specificity.

Platform has expanded from ten to 12 films and from a three- to a five-person jury. Has the fact that the section is a new route towards International Feature Film Oscar consideration affected your programming?
We wanted to give Platform greater importance within the festival. If a non-English language film wins, the fact that it is now eligible for International Feature Film consideration can be a fantastic spotlight for the section. Countries may have different reasons for choosing this or that candidate – perhaps it was made by the most significant national director or perhaps it is the film with the highest budget – while Platform titles are only selected for their high quality and might otherwise not have been chosen by their respective countries. Simply becoming part of the conversation can support the filmmakers’ careers and draw attention to their work.

What does your audience data reveal, and how does it affect programming?
Attendance has grown every year since COVID-19, and last year, it exceeded the 2019 level. Our audience is also growing younger, and we are seeing increased interest in international arthouse cinema and animation. We have tracked younger audiences’ interest in animation for several years, and its presence at the festival has grown accordingly. Gen Z is our fastest-growing audience segment, both during the festival and all year round at TIFF Lightbox. Alongside the Letterboxd boom, we are seeing a new wave of interest in international arthouse cinema.

Are certain traditions or styles still particularly difficult to bring to North American audiences?
For years, dramatic realism was strong in Asian filmmaking, but films featuring non-recognisable national talent did not always travel well. However, as filmmakers have incorporated more genre elements in these works, sometimes subversively, younger audiences have been more engaged. They are seeking new approaches and are excited by experimentation as well as greater risk-taking. We have even programmed three- or four-hour-long films, wondering if people would attend, only to see them sell out.

How do you nurture your audience year-round?
TIFF Lightbox gives us the advantage of having year-round public screenings and Cinematheque programming. We introduced an Under-25 Free Pass, bringing a new generation of viewers to the international arthouse cinema shown there. We programme the canon not only by screening classics, but also by positioning different kinds of cinema in new ways. It creates a pathway into the festival.

What are your longer-term ambitions as chief programming officer?
Hollywood world premieres and red carpets are important to TIFF and to the ecosystem, but they represent perhaps 20% of what we do. Those titles naturally attract much of the press coverage, from reviews to talent-driven stories, but it can mean that some outstanding films from other sections receive less attention than they deserve. Across our various sections, from Platform to Wavelengths, we show very different stuff. I therefore want to clarify the vision behind each section and promote them in such a way that while we remain a large festival where audiences are a major focus, these sections get greater attention. I have already initiated that process, and it will remain a continuing goal.