New programmers join Toronto International Film Festival and TIFF Cinematheque

TORONTO — TIFF revealed today that five new film curators are joining its programming team. The new programmers are some of the most sought-after and vital voices in the industry, and women continue to comprise 50% of the programming team.TIFF also announced details of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, taking place September 8–18. TIFF’s 47th edition will feature 11 days of the best that the international film community has to offer, while spotlighting and championing the Canadian film industry and its filmmaking talent. Additionally, TIFF’s networking and celebratory events return, including the TIFF Opening Night Party, the Industry Conference, Filmmaker Dinners, Industry Networking Events, Press & Programmers Events, as well as the TIFF Tribute Awards Gala.

“We’re thrilled to share this news about TIFF 2022 and to introduce fresh voices to our programming team,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “Their expertise, passion, and perspectives will both deepen and broaden TIFF’s curation. As we prepare our selections both for TIFF Bell Lightbox year-round and for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, we can’t wait to see what our new programmers will add to the mix.

“Veteran TIFF programmer Jane Schoettle returns to lead programming of our Special Presentations section,” continued Bailey. “Jane has a long history of finding some of our Festival’s top audience favourites, and for spotting the hottest sales titles as well. Jason Ryle joins us in a new role, selecting Indigenous-made films from around the world, which will be programmed across existing Festival sections. Last year, Jason curated the Festival’s Celebrating Alanis Obomsawin spotlight, and was previously Executive Director of imagineNATIVE. Journalist Kelly Boutsalis joins TIFF as Associate Programmer for Canadian feature films, and Ravi Srinivasan rejoins TIFF in a full-time role as Senior Manager, TIFF Programming. He’ll contribute to the Festival’s programming of Canadian feature films and films from Southeast Asia.”

Leading our Festival programming team will be Robyn Citizen, who started at TIFF in 2018. She has been appointed TIFF’s Director of Festival Programming & Cinematheque. Stated Citizen: ”I am thrilled to be leading this team of innovative, film-loving professionals. The last two years set the stage for change, and TIFF has embraced it — we are refocused on brave, authentic curation, on engaging stories and bringing audiences together. And while James Quandt’s retirement left a large void to fill, it is very exciting to announce that longtime Festival programmer Andréa Picard has stepped into the full-time role of Senior Curator, TIFF & TIFF Cinematheque.”

“TIFF Cinematheque has played a considerable role in my life as a devoted cinephile, its exceptional and generous programming having set the bar for film curating around the world,” said Picard. “Cinematheque screenings continuously renew my passion for film, my admiration for filmmakers, and make me feel part of a larger community. I intend to honour this legacy, ensuring that TIFF audiences have access to programming that participates in an international dialogue, is vibrant, relevant, and is of the highest exhibition standards. It is an exciting moment for contemporary cinema, as well as film history with its canon cracked wide open.”


TIFF’s 2022 Programming Team

Kelly Boutsalis is a Mohawk journalist from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. Now living in Toronto, she devotes the bulk of her work to highlighting Indigenous stories. She has covered film and television in The New York Times, POV, Realscreen, Playback, NOW Magazine, and Fashion. Boutsalis joins TIFF as Associate International Programmer, Canadian Features.

Robyn Citizen, PhD, is the Director of Festival Programming & Cinematheque at TIFF, where she also programs US independent films. Before joining TIFF’s programming team in 2018, she was a film lecturer in the Departments of Asian Studies and Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia from 2012 to 2017, during which time she published critical analyses in edited volumes and film journals. Previously, Citizen served as Board Co-Chair for the local Breakthroughs Film Festival and programmed for the Human Rights Film Festival.

Andréa Picard is an internationally recognized writer and curator of film and art, bringing years of experience to her new role as Senior Curator, TIFF & TIFF Cinematheque. She has worked for TIFF since 1999 both as a member of the TIFF Cinematheque programming team and, since 2006, as curator of Wavelengths, TIFF’s critically acclaimed avant-garde and artist film programme since 2006. In 2019, she co-curated the Platform competition. Picard has programmed numerous retrospectives — Manoel de Oliveira, Andy Warhol, the Berlin School, Jafar Panahi, João Pedro Rodrigues, Kelly Reichardt, surrealist cinema, Edward Yang, Chantal Akerman, and Angela Schanelec to name but a few — and has been instrumental in bringing contemporary auteurist films to Toronto. She has curated abroad extensively, including at Le Centre Pompidou and Le Jeu de Paume in Paris, and her writing has been featured in Cinema Scope, Artforum, Sight & Sound, and numerous monographic works.

Jason Ryle is now in the role of International Programmer, Indigenous Cinema at TIFF. He is a producer, programmer, curator, story editor, and arts consultant based in Toronto. He is Anishinaabe from Lake St. Martin, Manitoba. Ryle was the Executive Director of imagineNATIVE from July 2010 to June 2020. In this capacity, he oversaw all operational and artistic activities of the annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, including the organization’s year-round initiatives, international partnerships, and special projects. He is currently working as an independent producer and freelancer.

Jane Schoettle has taken on the role of Senior International Programmer, Special Presentations at TIFF. She worked for several decades as an International Programmer for TIFF, responsible for programming films from Australia, New Zealand, and Israel as well as American independent cinema. She has also programmed extensively for festivals in Miami, Aspen, and Palm Springs. Additionally, Schoettle was the producer of the TIFF Talent Development programmes Filmmaker Lab and Writers’ Studio for several years. She has herself participated in numerous filmmaker labs as a mentor and speaker, and has spoken extensively internationally on the subject of “Festival Strategies for Independent Film.”

Ravi Srinivasan is a Toronto-based film programmer and independent curator. Since 2013, he has worked for TIFF as a seasonal programmer. He is now Senior Manager, TIFF Programming, programming Canadian and Southeast Asian feature films. Previously, he was an International Programmer at Hot Docs and the founder and Executive Director of the South Western International Film Festival. Srinivasan serves on the Board of Directors at the Regent Park Film Festival and the Future of Film Showcase.


Seasonal Programmers Returning for TIFF 2022
Jason Anderson – International Programmer, Short Cuts
Diana Cadavid – International Programmer
Giovanna Fulvi – Senior International Programmer
Nataleah Hunter-Young – International Programmer
Peter Kuplowsky – International Programmer, Midnight Madness
Dorota Lech – International Programmer
Thom Powers – Lead Programmer, TIFF Docs

Full-time TIFF staff members Steve Gravestock (Festival Programming) and Geoff Macnaughton (Lead Programmer, Primetime) round out this year’s exceptional team of TIFF programmers.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey will select the Festival’s Gala Presentations.

More details about TIFF 2022 to be rolled out in the coming months.