Jerome Paillard, industry consultant and former Cannes Marché head, Noah Segal, co-founder and co-president of Elevation Pictures, and Kerry Swanson, CEO of Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office, are among the first members of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)’s 2026 content market advisory committee, it was announced today (February 14) during the Berlinale.
Further members are: producer Niv Fichman of Rhombus Media; Monique Simard, former president, of Quebec’s SODEC (Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles); CAA Media Finance co-head, international film group Roeg Sutherland; and Goodfellas CEO Vincent Maraval.
Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer, said additional members would be added in the coming weeks.
Screen understands the TIFF leadership is continuing to look for a central hub – or hubs – for the event in downtown Toronto where the festival takes place.
It is also understood deliberations are ongoing about the timing of the 2026 festival and market, which will operate side by side. Buyers and sellers have expressed a desire for TIFF to move back by a week or so in September, which would grant more time to package projects after the summer.
Were this to happen, TIFF would pull away from its rival awards season launchpads Telluride and Venice and move closer to the San Sebastian International Film Festival. This would create a more manageable transportation schedule in terms of talent travelling to attend Venice, Telluride and TIFF.
The Canadian federal government has allocated CAD $23m (approximately USD $16m) over three years starting in 2026. The market would focus on screen-based projects, intellectual property, and immersive and innovative content across all platforms, as well as promoting Canadian and international talent.
“As TIFF marks its 50th edition this year, we are looking ahead to the next 50 years with a bold vision for expanding our commitment to the global screen industry,” said Lee. “The TIFF Content Market is the natural evolution of an organisation that has played an integral role in bringing visibility to some of the best Canadian and international films and series over the past five decades.”
This year’s TIFF will take place from September 4-14.
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