A starless red carpet? TIFF attendees say festival enthusiasm waning due to strikes

TORONTO – When the Toronto International Film Festivalrolls out the red carpet in September, it may not have the usual draw of movie A-listers.

The Hollywood actors’ strike could drastically change this year’s experience, say festival-goers and industry players now facing the prospect of a more subdued TIFF with far fewer stars in attendance.

Performers represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) walked off the job last Friday, joining the already-striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) and bringing most Hollywood productions to a halt.

SAG-AFTRA has made it clear that its members cannot do any promotions of their projects,including at film festivals, during the strike.

TIFF, scheduled to run from Sept. 7 to 17, has not outlined what it will do if the strike stretches into the festival period, but has said its impact “cannot be denied.”

Eric Tisch, programming manager at REEL Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to showing Canadian films in schools, says a starless festival cannot justify the high cost of admission.

Special ticket prices can go as high as $80 and in the event of certain sold-out premieres, resellers have attempted to list some TIFF ticketsat exorbitant prices.

“I plan to attend but I’m not going to be prioritizing movie premieres in the same way that I used to when they charge a premium for tickets with stars,” said the 28-year-old Tisch, who currently lives in Toronto and attends TIFF every year.

“The star-studded element is what always brought TIFF to the level that makes it as big as it is and it’s what differentiates it from other festivals — knowing that I’m not going to get writers, directors, actors…it’s going to feel like less than.”

Tisch credits TIFF and the film community for his interest in studying film at Queen’s University and finding work in proximity to the industry.

“It gave me this sense of other people being out there who care about film in the same way I do and if I went to study cinema, maybe I might meet more of these people,” said Tisch, who supports the strike.

Tisch said many fans who are priced out of the festival still hope to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebrities on the streets of Toronto, but that could all change this year.

Toronto-based film enthusiast Ben Whyte says he still plans to goto TIFF to support the arts even as he views his attendance as a “double-edged sword.”

“You want to go to support the films because there are a lot of people behind the scenes who work really hard to make it come to life,” said Whyte, 20, who also paid to attend TIFF events virtually during the pandemic restrictions.

“But you also want to support the actors too, so finding that balance is what it boils down to.”

After the cancellation of in-person events due to COVID-19 in 2020, TIFFwas subdued the following year. It was presented in a hybrid format, with both virtual and in-person events,and very few movie stars. In 2022 TIFF fully re-opened to the public, welcoming an uptick in attendance.

Martin Katz, a Canadian film producer who frequently collaborates with famed director David Cronenberg, said an “umbrella of different issues” will affect enthusiasm for TIFF this year if the strike continues into September.

“If a film manages to succeed in making it to a festival as big as TIFF and something like this happens and it has a dampening effect, that becomes a real emotional roller-coaster,” said Katz, who believes that TIFF will still attract film lovers even if its star power is dimmed.

“It’s an extremely unfortunate and even tragic turn of events because, on the independent film side, it’s about visibility while trying to find a distributor and audience, which is compromised by this labour relations issue.”

Both WGA and SAG-AFTRA are seeking improved benefits and compensation for members and protections from the use of artificial intelligence.

Katz, who is the founder and president of Toronto-based film and television production company Prospero Pictures, also wonders how this strike will affect TIFF’s promotional plans.

“The major networking parties during TIFF tend to be driven by the fact that talent will be attending and that only drives excitement and sponsors who underwrite the cost of these functions,” he added.

A version of TIFF with a significantly toned-down star presence may also affect Canadian talent, even if everything else moves on as normal, says Jordan Foster, a PhD candidate and sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto, whose research ventures into the intersection of culture, new media and inequality.

“Proximity to stars often helps boost the profile of Canadian filmmakers and artists who are hoping to benefit from the sort of halo effect of having the artists present at these large spaces,” said Foster.

“I don’t know how many Canadian filmmakers will be able to afford to abstain from a festival like this, and while some of them can fully participate, they are still going to face financial repercussions as a result of poor attendance, because the corresponding drawing power of a good amount of talent will be lost.”

In an email sent to TIFF members on July 14, the festival’s Vice President of Advancement Ana White said the event will move forward in the event of a strike.

“Please stay tuned for some exciting title announcements coming in the next few weeks,“ she said. ”We can’t wait for you to experience the incredible films from around the world that are coming to Toronto this fall.“

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2023.

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