Toronto film fest cutting number of showcased films by 20%, nixing two programs

The Toronto International Film Festival is reducing the overall number of films it will screen for this year’s edition by 20 per cent and getting rid of two programs. (Photo: TIFF/Facebook)

TORONTO—The Toronto International Film Festival is reducing the overall number of films it will screen for this year’s edition by 20 per cent and getting rid of two programs.

Organizers say the fest is scrapping the Vanguard and City to City sections.

That leaves 14 programs for the 2017 edition, which will run Sept. 7 to 17.

TIFF says it has “a renewed commitment to bold, discerning curation.”

And it promises “a more tightly curated” festival this year.

Last year’s festival had nearly 400 films from 83 countries.

The Vanguard program featured “dark and edgy films that twist genre and art house conventions together in a new way.”

City to City showcased filmmakers living and working in a selected city, regardless of where their films are set.

Earlier this month, TIFF announced veteran Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes was leaving to pursue new opportunities. He’ll be replaced by Peter Kuplowsky.

“As we look forward to this year’s festival, we’re finding new ways to select the best of the year for our audiences and enhance the experience for our industry and media delegates,” Piers Handling, director and CEO of TIFF, said in a statement.

“As we build on the success of the festival’s past four decades, we’re challenged to balance providing a generous choice of movies for over 400,000 festival-goers with maintaining strong curatorial focus,” added Cameron Bailey, artistic director of TIFF.