Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has named Canadian communications giant Rogers presenting sponsor after the arrangement with longtime lead sponsor Bell ended last year.
Rogers will also back TIFF’s People’s Choice Awards. Screen has confirmed the one-year deal only covers the festival and not TIFF’s year-round activities. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Wednesday’s announcement comes after TIFF and Rogers’ rival Canadian communications company Bell parted ways last year after 28 years. That deal brought TIFF around C$5m a year and the end of the partnership resulted in a hefty financial impact on the non-profit, which said last December it was laying off 12 full-time staff, or around 7% of the workforce.
With five weeks to go before what is expected to be a return to form after pandemic years and a strike-impacted edition in 2023, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said the partners shared “a commitment to building a rich legacy in Canadian culture and entertainment” and the arrangement “amplifies our ability to celebrate a wider range of stories”.
Screen understands partnerships with Visa and RBC are ongoing. TIFF sources have been saying this year they are looking to work with other sponsors at different levels.
The Rogers sponsorship will start with a red carpet event on September 3 in Toronto’s Yorkville district where the festival use to take place before it moved to Downtown Toronto.
“TIFF is one of the best film festivals in the world and we’re proud to support it and connect more Canadians to the best content and best experiences,” said Terrie Tweddle, chief brand and communications officer, Rogers.
TIFF runs September 5–15. As previously announced, the festival will open with David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers. The festival has already announced a raft of programming and will make additional announcements next week.
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