Always a big date in the film industry diary, the 36th Toronto International Film Festival is fast approaching. This year, the week-and-a-bit of September 8th to 18th sees over 250,000 people flock to see over 300 films from a wealth of independent directors and Hollywood studios. It also often lays the foundations of the preceding Oscar race. In recent years, we have seen movies such as ‘Ray‘, ‘Slumdog Millionaire‘, and ‘Precious‘ hold early screenings at the festival and go on to win Academy Awards the following spring. Since it’s inception in 1976, the festival has become on of the most anticipated and influential events of the movie-world, with many arguing that it may have even surpassed Cannes.

Known as ‘the festival of festivals’ for the way it has always tried to bring in the best cinema from around the world, TIFF is non-competitive – there are no Best Picture of Best Actor awards to be lobbied for, and no jury to stir up a fuss. Instead, the main prize is a People’s Choice Award, which is given to the feature-length film with the highest ratings from the festival audience. 2010 saw a standing ovation and first accolade of many for Colin Firth and ‘The King’s Speech‘.

2011 kicks off with a Davis Guggenheim documentary on the iconic rock band U2 entitled, ‘From The Sky Down‘. This will also mark the first ever opening with a documentary. In the official Press Release, Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIff, says, “Davis Guggenheim’s fascinating account of this world-renowned band is the perfect film to kick off our 11-day celebration of artists, stories and voices from around the world”. More films will be announced throughout August.

Attended by a wide range of film industry professionals, with all kinds of itineraries and budgets, the festival has several ticket options, allowing you to pick and choose individual films, or opt for one of many package deals. Check out all the options here.


by Lee Jarvis

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The Chicago Underground Film Festival is an annual event showcasing independent, experimental and documentary films from around the world. Building on last year‘s success, CUFF once again provides a place for cutting-edge filmmakers and film fans to delve into the lesser known (or, lesser-screened) independent film scene. Established in 1993, the festival has become the largest underground film fest in the country, and has also grown into an important date in Chicago’s cultural scene.

“What you get for your money is not just admission to the films but admission to a subculture”

– Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

When Jay Bliznick and Bryan Wendorf began CUFF, they wanted to create a festival for the kind of films they wanted to see, which were, in their words, “primarily films that the established film festival circuit – increasingly dominated by distributor product – refused to show.” Unlike many other independent film events, they aimed not to imitate old guard, market-driven events such as Sundance, but instead chose to focus on the artistic, aesthetic and fun side of independent film-making. CUFF promotes works that dissent radically in form, content and technique from both the tired conventions of Hollywood and the increasingly stagnant IndieWood mainstream.

This year’s festival is held once again at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and will offer a mix of independent features, shorts, documentaries, experimental films, fine art films, avant-garde videos, as well as nightly parties and concerts, drawing on the cross-over blend of artistic creative talent that is thriving in Chicago.

The event runs from Thursday June 2nd until Thursday June 9th, and the schedule can be found here.

by Lee Jarvis

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The Chicago Underground Film Festival exists to showcase the defiantly independent filmmaker. They aim to “promote films and videos that dissent radically in form, technique, or content from the ‘indie’ mainstream and to present adventurous works that challenge and transcend commercial and audience expectations”.

Held this year from June 24th until July 1 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, CUFF has a reputation of highlighting the quirky, abstract, even oblique and tangent works that other film festivals often overlook. This year’s move to summer dates means it will also avoid calendar clashes with other events, and their presence as the world’s longest running underground film fest means that this could be worth adding to your calendar.

If you think that your film fits the above description, then the final deadline is March 15 and any last minute entries cost $40. Check out the full guide and download an entry form from http://cuff.org/2010/guide.html

Although not a competitive festival, CUFF does present awards, in categories including Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Experimental, Animation and Music Video. There are also ‘Made in Chicago’ and ‘Audience Choice’ awards.

Keep up to date on the festival via Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.

Lee Jarvis.

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