media release
August 13, 2024
Going beyond the screen: TIFF's dynamic public and Industry events include conversations, panels, and collaborative experiences
Popular In Conversation With... series returns with Cate Blanchett, Zoe Saldaña, Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook, and Steven Soderbergh
On stage at TIFF Industry Conference: Visionaries Alfonso Cuarón, Pete Docter, Franklin Leonard, Steven Moffat, and Malala Yousafzai
Play the Part: Insights with Jia Zhang-ke and Rafael Manuel
TIFF's second annual Black Excellence Brunch
Festival Street sneak peek
Toronto — TIFF is pleased to present a snapshot of this year’s public and Industry programming that extends beyond the cinema screens, and reflects a wider view of the global entertainment industry’s impact. This includes elevated speaker engagements like the popular In Conversation With… series, TIFF Industry Conference panels, and events designed to inspire and spark future collaborations. The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will take place September 5–15, 2024.
TIFF’s In Conversation With… (ICW) series is pleased to welcome Cate Blanchett, Zoe Saldaña, Steven Soderbergh, and Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook, five original iconoclasts that will captivate audiences though intimate, moderated discussions about their work and creative processes.
“TIFF 2024’s stellar lineup of speakers for our iconic In Conversation With… series reflects our vision that film and creative culture have the power to open minds, spark new ideas, and impact the world around us,” said Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer. “We are thrilled to connect our public audiences with a dynamic roster of global trailblazers through these in-depth conversations.”
Visionaries, a favourite part of TIFF’s Industry Conference, features inspirational onstage conversations with individuals who are forging creative and business pathways in the industry. This year’s illustrious list of Visionaries are: Alfonso Cuarón, Pete Docter, Franklin Leonard, Steven Moffat, and Malala Yousafzai. The Media Partner for the programme is The Hollywood Reporter. The full Industry programming lineup will be announced later this week.
“TIFF is the world’s largest public film festival because we have cultivated audiences across all demos by ensuring a scope of programming that delivers a rich array of public and Industry initiatives,” continued Lee. “As we approach the 50th edition of the Festival next year and our very first official content market in 2026, we look forward to future collaborations with our Industry partners, creators, and visionaries, ensuring that TIFF continues to grow as a voice for new ideas, collaboration, and cultural exchange for all.”
New this year, TIFF and Rolex are pleased to present a new in-person event titled Play the Part, a spirited conversation with two participants of the Rolex mentoring programme, Mentor Jia Zhang-Ke (Caught by the Tides, A Touch of Sin, Still Life) and Protégé Rafael Manuel (Filipiñana, 102 Narra). Directors Jia and Manuel will provide insights into their approach to documenting social and political change in their respective countries, and the highly collaborative process of making films.
After a successful inaugural event that welcomed Spike Lee, Clement Virgo, Tonya Lee Williams, and other notable guests, TIFF’s second annual Black Excellence Brunch, presented by RBC and Brand USA, and hosted at Soluna, with media partner ESSENCE, returns this year to celebrate Black leaders of the Canadian and international film industries. This year’s theme, The Rise of the Multi-hyphenate, will explore the rise of actors becoming writer-director-producers to own the narratives being created and shared.
Festival Street is once again preparing to take over King Street West, between University Avenue and Peter Street, from September 5 to 8. There will be fun, free activities for all ages, including the TIFF Art Market in partnership with Toronto Film School, where Toronto’s local film festivals and arts organizations will have booths sharing art exhibits, programming information, and more. Also, new this year, TIFF has partnered with the Toronto Downtown West BIA for a fun Festival Scavenger Hunt with prizes to be won. The full list of Festival Street activities will be shared later this month.
About Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is one of the most revered actors of our time. With two Academy Awards and four BAFTAs to her name, her genre-spanning performances across theatre, independent cinema, and major blockbusters have enthralled audiences and cemented her place as an astonishing talent. Blanchett joins us to discuss her expansive and illustrious career, as well as her role in two projects in Official Selection at this year’s Festival: Alfonso Cuarón’s series Disclaimer and Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, and Guy Maddin’s latest feature Rumours.
About Zoe Saldaña
Zoe Saldaña brings a commanding presence to every role. She first appeared in Center Stage (2000) and as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Her role as Nyota Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) and its sequels elevated her career. Saldaña’s starring role as Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) solidified her status as a leading actress. Her portrayal of Gamora in Marvel’s Avengers universe further propelled her to superstardom. Recently, she led The Absence of Eden (2024) and currently stars in Lioness for Paramount+. At this year’s Festival, she will be attending the Canadian Premiere of Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, showcasing her remarkable range in an utterly gripping lead performance. In this intimate conversation, Saldaña reflects on her career journey and this exciting new role, for which she, along with her co-stars, received the Cannes Best Actress Award.
About Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh is a cinema polymath whose prolific career defies easy categorization, yet is unified by his passion for exploring bold storytelling and technical innovation. From the indie verité of sex, lies, and videotape (1989), which was awarded the Palme d’Or at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, and the slinky neo-noir aesthetic of Out of Sight (1998) to the blockbuster sheen of the Ocean’s trilogy (2001, 2004, 2007), Soderbergh’s filmography offers a kaleidoscope of styles and genres. His dual triumphs at the 2000 Academy Awards — a Best Director win for Traffic and nomination for Erin Brockovich — is testament to his gift for balancing critical acclaim with popular success, as evidenced further by Contagion (2011), Magic Mike (2012), and Behind the Candelabra (2013). Beyond the director’s chair, Soderbergh’s contributions as producer, editor, and cinematographer have solidified his status as a singular force in contemporary filmmaking. Join us as we explore the multi-faceted career of this visionary and discuss his most recent feature, TIFF Centrepiece selection Presence, starring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, which once again offers a unique point of view on the art of storytelling.
About Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook
Korean superstars Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook join us for a highly anticipated conversation about their respective careers in the Korean film and television industry and their espionage thriller Harbin, which will have its World Premiere at this year’s Festival as a Gala presentation. Hyun Bin is known for his remarkable onscreen presence in such award-winning drama series as My Lovely Sam Soon (2005), Secret Garden (2010), for which he won the Grand Award at the Baeksang Art Awards, and the megahit Crash Landing on You (2019–2020). He has also starred in numerous feature films, including the 2010 Festival Selection Late Autumn, and has become one of the most sought-after actors in Korea and beyond.
Following his debut in the popular series School (1999–2001), Lee Dong-wook became a household name for Korean and international audiences through his lead roles in such series as My Girl (2005–2006), Scent of a Woman (2011), and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017) that showcased his range and versatility as a dramatic and romantic lead. He won the Top Excellence Award in Acting at the SBS Drama Awards for his role in Scent of a Woman and most recently appeared in the smash hit A Shop for Killers (2024).
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican filmmaker. His accolades include four Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. Cuarón made his feature film debut with the romantic comedy Sólo con tu pareja (1991), and directed the film adaptations A Little Princess (1995) and Great Expectations (1998). His breakthrough came with the coming-of-age film Y tu mamá también (2001), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He gained greater prominence for directing the fantasy film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), the dystopian drama Children of Men (2006), the science fiction drama Gravity (2013), and the semi-autobiographical drama Roma (2018). The latter two won him Academy Awards for Best Director. He also won Best Film Editing for Gravity and Best Cinematography for Roma.
Pete Docter
Pete Docter’s interest in animation began at the age of eight when he created his first flipbook. He studied character animation at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, where he produced a variety of short films, one of which won a Student Academy Award. Those films have since been shown at animation festivals worldwide and are featured in the Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2. Upon joining Pixar, he animated and directed several commercials, and has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, including for the Best Animated Feature–winners Up, Inside Out, and Soul, and nominee Monsters, Inc., and Best Original Screenplay for Up, Inside Out, and WALL-E. In 2010, Up was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Franklin Leonard
Franklin Leonard is the founder and CEO of the Black List, the company that celebrates and supports great screenwriting and the writers who do it via film production, its annual survey of best unproduced screenplays, online marketplace, and screenwriter labs. More than 400 scripts from the annual Black List survey have been produced as feature films, earning 250 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins, including four Best Pictures (Spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, Argo) and nearly half of the last fifteen years’ screenwriting Oscars. Leonard has worked in feature film development at Universal Pictures and the production companies of Will Smith, Sydney Pollack, Anthony Minghella, and Leonardo DiCaprio. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, was an advisor for the 2022 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s exhibition “In America,” and is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat OBE is a Scottish television writer, television producer, and screenwriter best known for his work as the second showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series Doctor Who (2010–2017), and for co-creating and co-writing the BBC crime drama television series Sherlock (2010–2017). In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Moffat was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is an education activist and became the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. She is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, the second Pakistani, and the only Pashtun to receive a Nobel Prize. Yousafzai is a human rights advocate for the education of women and children in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school, and for the equal right to education for girls all over the world. Her advocacy has grown into an international movement, and according to former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she has become Pakistan’s “most prominent citizen.”
About Jia Zhang-Ke
Considered one of today’s most daring Chinese filmmakers, Jia Zhang-Ke is a leading figure in the post-1990 Sixth Generation of Chinese directors. A Rolex Testimonee, his early films, known as the Shanxi trilogy, captured moments of transition in Chinese society. Jia’s Still Life won the Golden Lion at the 2006 Venice Film Festival, and he was named Best Director at the 2007 Asian Film Awards. Among his award-winning films are A Touch of Sin (2013), Mountains May Depart (2015), and Ash is Purest White (2018). Caught by the Tides premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, Jia founded the Pingyao International Film Festival.
About Rafael Manuel
Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel, who is based in Amsterdam, London, and Manila, has grounded his creations in the study of philosophy. Manuel won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival for his short film Filipiñana (2020). He is an alumnus of La Cinef’s Résidence programme, Berlinale Talents, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, BFI Network, Oxbelly Lab, and Talents Tokyo. He is currently working on his first two feature films: Filipiñana (financed by Film4 in the United Kingdom) and Patrimonio (supported by the Hubert Bals Fund). Manuel is the co-founder of Idle Eye Productions.
TIFF’s In Conversation With… (ICW) series is pleased to welcome Cate Blanchett, Zoe Saldaña, Steven Soderbergh, and Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook, five original iconoclasts that will captivate audiences though intimate, moderated discussions about their work and creative processes.
“TIFF 2024’s stellar lineup of speakers for our iconic In Conversation With… series reflects our vision that film and creative culture have the power to open minds, spark new ideas, and impact the world around us,” said Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer. “We are thrilled to connect our public audiences with a dynamic roster of global trailblazers through these in-depth conversations.”
Visionaries, a favourite part of TIFF’s Industry Conference, features inspirational onstage conversations with individuals who are forging creative and business pathways in the industry. This year’s illustrious list of Visionaries are: Alfonso Cuarón, Pete Docter, Franklin Leonard, Steven Moffat, and Malala Yousafzai. The Media Partner for the programme is The Hollywood Reporter. The full Industry programming lineup will be announced later this week.
“TIFF is the world’s largest public film festival because we have cultivated audiences across all demos by ensuring a scope of programming that delivers a rich array of public and Industry initiatives,” continued Lee. “As we approach the 50th edition of the Festival next year and our very first official content market in 2026, we look forward to future collaborations with our Industry partners, creators, and visionaries, ensuring that TIFF continues to grow as a voice for new ideas, collaboration, and cultural exchange for all.”
New this year, TIFF and Rolex are pleased to present a new in-person event titled Play the Part, a spirited conversation with two participants of the Rolex mentoring programme, Mentor Jia Zhang-Ke (Caught by the Tides, A Touch of Sin, Still Life) and Protégé Rafael Manuel (Filipiñana, 102 Narra). Directors Jia and Manuel will provide insights into their approach to documenting social and political change in their respective countries, and the highly collaborative process of making films.
After a successful inaugural event that welcomed Spike Lee, Clement Virgo, Tonya Lee Williams, and other notable guests, TIFF’s second annual Black Excellence Brunch, presented by RBC and Brand USA, and hosted at Soluna, with media partner ESSENCE, returns this year to celebrate Black leaders of the Canadian and international film industries. This year’s theme, The Rise of the Multi-hyphenate, will explore the rise of actors becoming writer-director-producers to own the narratives being created and shared.
Festival Street is once again preparing to take over King Street West, between University Avenue and Peter Street, from September 5 to 8. There will be fun, free activities for all ages, including the TIFF Art Market in partnership with Toronto Film School, where Toronto’s local film festivals and arts organizations will have booths sharing art exhibits, programming information, and more. Also, new this year, TIFF has partnered with the Toronto Downtown West BIA for a fun Festival Scavenger Hunt with prizes to be won. The full list of Festival Street activities will be shared later this month.
ICW… Speaker Bios
About Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is one of the most revered actors of our time. With two Academy Awards and four BAFTAs to her name, her genre-spanning performances across theatre, independent cinema, and major blockbusters have enthralled audiences and cemented her place as an astonishing talent. Blanchett joins us to discuss her expansive and illustrious career, as well as her role in two projects in Official Selection at this year’s Festival: Alfonso Cuarón’s series Disclaimer and Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, and Guy Maddin’s latest feature Rumours.
About Zoe Saldaña
Zoe Saldaña brings a commanding presence to every role. She first appeared in Center Stage (2000) and as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Her role as Nyota Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) and its sequels elevated her career. Saldaña’s starring role as Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) solidified her status as a leading actress. Her portrayal of Gamora in Marvel’s Avengers universe further propelled her to superstardom. Recently, she led The Absence of Eden (2024) and currently stars in Lioness for Paramount+. At this year’s Festival, she will be attending the Canadian Premiere of Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, showcasing her remarkable range in an utterly gripping lead performance. In this intimate conversation, Saldaña reflects on her career journey and this exciting new role, for which she, along with her co-stars, received the Cannes Best Actress Award.
About Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh is a cinema polymath whose prolific career defies easy categorization, yet is unified by his passion for exploring bold storytelling and technical innovation. From the indie verité of sex, lies, and videotape (1989), which was awarded the Palme d’Or at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, and the slinky neo-noir aesthetic of Out of Sight (1998) to the blockbuster sheen of the Ocean’s trilogy (2001, 2004, 2007), Soderbergh’s filmography offers a kaleidoscope of styles and genres. His dual triumphs at the 2000 Academy Awards — a Best Director win for Traffic and nomination for Erin Brockovich — is testament to his gift for balancing critical acclaim with popular success, as evidenced further by Contagion (2011), Magic Mike (2012), and Behind the Candelabra (2013). Beyond the director’s chair, Soderbergh’s contributions as producer, editor, and cinematographer have solidified his status as a singular force in contemporary filmmaking. Join us as we explore the multi-faceted career of this visionary and discuss his most recent feature, TIFF Centrepiece selection Presence, starring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, which once again offers a unique point of view on the art of storytelling.
About Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook
Korean superstars Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook join us for a highly anticipated conversation about their respective careers in the Korean film and television industry and their espionage thriller Harbin, which will have its World Premiere at this year’s Festival as a Gala presentation. Hyun Bin is known for his remarkable onscreen presence in such award-winning drama series as My Lovely Sam Soon (2005), Secret Garden (2010), for which he won the Grand Award at the Baeksang Art Awards, and the megahit Crash Landing on You (2019–2020). He has also starred in numerous feature films, including the 2010 Festival Selection Late Autumn, and has become one of the most sought-after actors in Korea and beyond.
Following his debut in the popular series School (1999–2001), Lee Dong-wook became a household name for Korean and international audiences through his lead roles in such series as My Girl (2005–2006), Scent of a Woman (2011), and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017) that showcased his range and versatility as a dramatic and romantic lead. He won the Top Excellence Award in Acting at the SBS Drama Awards for his role in Scent of a Woman and most recently appeared in the smash hit A Shop for Killers (2024).
Visionaries: Speaker Bios
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican filmmaker. His accolades include four Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. Cuarón made his feature film debut with the romantic comedy Sólo con tu pareja (1991), and directed the film adaptations A Little Princess (1995) and Great Expectations (1998). His breakthrough came with the coming-of-age film Y tu mamá también (2001), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He gained greater prominence for directing the fantasy film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), the dystopian drama Children of Men (2006), the science fiction drama Gravity (2013), and the semi-autobiographical drama Roma (2018). The latter two won him Academy Awards for Best Director. He also won Best Film Editing for Gravity and Best Cinematography for Roma.
Pete Docter
Pete Docter’s interest in animation began at the age of eight when he created his first flipbook. He studied character animation at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, where he produced a variety of short films, one of which won a Student Academy Award. Those films have since been shown at animation festivals worldwide and are featured in the Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2. Upon joining Pixar, he animated and directed several commercials, and has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, including for the Best Animated Feature–winners Up, Inside Out, and Soul, and nominee Monsters, Inc., and Best Original Screenplay for Up, Inside Out, and WALL-E. In 2010, Up was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Franklin Leonard
Franklin Leonard is the founder and CEO of the Black List, the company that celebrates and supports great screenwriting and the writers who do it via film production, its annual survey of best unproduced screenplays, online marketplace, and screenwriter labs. More than 400 scripts from the annual Black List survey have been produced as feature films, earning 250 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins, including four Best Pictures (Spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, Argo) and nearly half of the last fifteen years’ screenwriting Oscars. Leonard has worked in feature film development at Universal Pictures and the production companies of Will Smith, Sydney Pollack, Anthony Minghella, and Leonardo DiCaprio. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, was an advisor for the 2022 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s exhibition “In America,” and is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat OBE is a Scottish television writer, television producer, and screenwriter best known for his work as the second showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series Doctor Who (2010–2017), and for co-creating and co-writing the BBC crime drama television series Sherlock (2010–2017). In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Moffat was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is an education activist and became the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. She is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, the second Pakistani, and the only Pashtun to receive a Nobel Prize. Yousafzai is a human rights advocate for the education of women and children in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school, and for the equal right to education for girls all over the world. Her advocacy has grown into an international movement, and according to former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she has become Pakistan’s “most prominent citizen.”
Play the Part: Speaker Bios
About Jia Zhang-Ke
Considered one of today’s most daring Chinese filmmakers, Jia Zhang-Ke is a leading figure in the post-1990 Sixth Generation of Chinese directors. A Rolex Testimonee, his early films, known as the Shanxi trilogy, captured moments of transition in Chinese society. Jia’s Still Life won the Golden Lion at the 2006 Venice Film Festival, and he was named Best Director at the 2007 Asian Film Awards. Among his award-winning films are A Touch of Sin (2013), Mountains May Depart (2015), and Ash is Purest White (2018). Caught by the Tides premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, Jia founded the Pingyao International Film Festival.
About Rafael Manuel
Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel, who is based in Amsterdam, London, and Manila, has grounded his creations in the study of philosophy. Manuel won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival for his short film Filipiñana (2020). He is an alumnus of La Cinef’s Résidence programme, Berlinale Talents, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, BFI Network, Oxbelly Lab, and Talents Tokyo. He is currently working on his first two feature films: Filipiñana (financed by Film4 in the United Kingdom) and Patrimonio (supported by the Hubert Bals Fund). Manuel is the co-founder of Idle Eye Productions.