A difficult few years. An upcoming milestone. And a really big bet. Why Cameron Bailey is ‘insanely optimistic’ about the future of TIFF

Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, is wary of superlatives, even when he has something to brag about.
He’s excited to announce the fest hit the 700,000 attendance mark for the first time with the recent 49th edition of its September cinema celebration. It’s a huge win for TIFF, which has struggled to return to form after years of pandemic restrictions, Hollywood labour strikes and the departure of longtime lead sponsor Bell (along with its $5 million annual contribution).
Yet the ever-smooth Bailey, speaking to the Star in a year-end interview about the festival’s past, present and future, is cautious about appearing cocky. He gently pushes back when I suggest the 2024 fest, in terms of the quality of films as well as attendance figures, was the best since 2019, the year before the pandemic began.
“‘Best’ is a hard word for me to use because we’re looking at all of the details of every single (festival),” Bailey says. 
“But I will say that it felt like it was the biggest one since 2019. And the films were really well received. The filmmakers and the talent that were in town were super happy with things. The audience was big. So if you look at all of those markers, then, yeah, it was great.”
Bailey, born in London, England, celebrated a life milestone this year — he turned 60 — and 2025 will mark a career milestone, making it 35 years since he first began working at TIFF, first as a programmer for Perspectives Canada and later as the originator of Planet Africa, two programs long since absorbed into the fest’s main offerings.
He has held many titles at TIFF over the years — among them programmer, artistic director, co-head and now CEO — and has worked as a film critic for print (NOW magazine), TV (Showcase) and radio (CBC).
Next year also marks the 50th edition of the fest, and TIFF and Bailey want to make sure everybody knows about it, not just in September.
“What we want to do,” he says, “is infuse that spirit of celebration in absolutely everything we do.”
And there’s more to come: 2026 will see the launch of a new TIFF content market (film plus TV), kick-started with $23 million from the federal government. The market will make TIFF a unique North American hybrid film festival/sales centre, similar to the Cannes and Berlin fests, and will help promote Canadian cultural offerings to the world.
We spoke over coffee in the recently renovated Varda Café-Bar in TIFF Lightbox, the festival’s headquarters on King Street West.
Congratulations on hitting the 700,00 attendance mark. What do you attribute this to?
We worked our butts off! We had a lineup that was strong and that people really responded to, and we worked hard to make sure that people knew we were bringing this great festival edition to them. I would say also it’s partly that we weren’t sure coming out of the pandemic what the audience behaviour was going to look like in terms of people getting used to watching things at home or waiting to see films. But what we learned is that people actually do want that experience of being there the first time it’s screened, with the director there, all those kinds of things. 
In addition to all the movie people, we had Elton John and Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Williams and Tegan and Sara and all these great music stars. And the Tragically Hip in that big event on the street (the Choir! Choir! Choir! singalong). So there was that kind of crossover in fan bases.
Was there ever a moment during the pandemic and then the Hollywood strikes where you just thought, “Why am I doing this?”
Thankfully, if there are those voices, they’re not very loud in my head! It’s still an unbeatable job, so there’s nothing to complain about. It’s hard sometimes; there’s absolutely no doubt about that. And there are days or sometimes weeks when you’re doing mostly hard stuff. And in addition to just putting the festival together, building the (film) lineup, making sure all the right people are in town across many different groups, we also have to make sure the institution is strong.
Staying strong is challenging, especially financially. What is TIFF’s money situation, following the departure last year of Bell as lead sponsor?
Festivals generally, and cultural organizations generally, are struggling. They’re facing a whole lot of headwinds, and we are, too. We’ve worked hard to make sure we are stable and we had a much better year than we did last year. We’ve got lots of different sources of revenue. Rogers coming on board this year as a presenting sponsor of the festival was was great for us and I think for them. We had really good attendance and ticket sales. Memberships are up. And we had, of course, the government investment in the market, which is coming soon in 2026. So all of those things really helped. We are still recovering, but we did everything we could to make this a better year than last.
How is the planning going for your 50th edition in 2025?
Looking back on our history, I’ve been going through every program book from 1976 onward. I think I’m in the late ’90s now, looking at details in terms of what we showed, identifying the films that really helped make the organization and how we helped boost the most significant ones. We’re going to find ways of celebrating that.
Also, as I go through the program book, I’m looking at the staff page — which is the most fascinating — to see who was working with us, what the programming team was, what the other senior staff looked like, who went on to different things around the world or the country, what the different changes were. Even if you look at the ads from the ’80s versus the early 2000s, it’s just a totally different landscape. Like the ads for Bistro 990 or Bemelmans. That brings it all back.
From your deep dive into the program books, what has struck you most about how TIFF has changed over its five decades?
What I see (is) the history of the festival, is, in a way, the city of Toronto maturing, coming into its own. In the early years, if you look at some of the press coverage — George Anthony (Toronto Sun) and Sid Adilman (Toronto Star) and all those other guys — what you see is people trying to assert that, yes, Toronto could be important, and we want Hollywood to come here. It was a struggle, because we were little old, sleepy Toronto in some ways still.
But TIFF coincided with all these other big changes in the city with different kinds of political leadership, different kinds of cultural infusion. Things changed and we were part of that. And then you begin to see the city standing in its own power in a way. Of course we’re a big global city. Of course we’re a cosmopolitan city. Of course we’re plugged into the whole world. Of course Hollywood comes to Toronto. Why wouldn’t it? But that took decades. I think we’re there now.
People walk around this area in September and you can bounce into, oh, J. Lo’s over there and, oh, Angelina Jolie’s coming out of this place. That’s more normal now, and that’s the kind of event we’ve been able to build over the years, to say nothing about this place that we’re in right now (Lightbox), to actually to have a home for film that’s like this.
There’s been some chatter in the industry that TIFF might introduce a new venue for 2025 or 2026. Possible?
That’s interesting news to me! We’re looking at — partly for ’25, but especially for 2026, when the market starts — what kind of footprint we want and what we need. So those are ongoing discussions. There are no plans for new venues right now, but we want to make sure that we’re the right size and in the right places. We also have to make sure we’re using our existing venues, including the Lightbox, as best we can.
We started using the Royal Alex about three years ago and that’s worked out really well. We have to find the right places. And it’s not just about what works for us and what’s good technically. The industry has a lot of opinions about venues. They want the film experience for the audience to be really exciting and positive.
We know that there’s a certain kind of historic, warm Toronto venue that people really love. So when we’re looking for presentation venues for films, that’s a big factor. The big companies that are bringing in movies and the directors — they have strong opinions. Jason Reitman (“Saturday Night”) loved the Ryerson Theatre above all else, but it’s not called Ryerson anymore and we don’t use that venue anymore. And Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”) loves the Princess of Wales. He’s had great experiences there. People begin to have a kind of superstition about certain places. So we’re really careful when we bring new venues on stream.
The Ontario Place Cinesphere was the home of the first TIFF gala screening in 1976, and in recent years it was revived as a festival venue. Is it still an option, given the spa renovations currently underway there?
I love the Cinesphere. I came here as a little immigrant kid when I was seven years old (in 1971) and my mom took my sister and I to see “North of Superior” at the Cinesphere. It is one of those memories that is imprinted in my brain forever. It was spectacular. I want that place to always exist and be a place where people can discover that awe of watching a movie in IMAX. So if there is a way for TIFF to be a part of that, I think we could add real value. It’s closed for a while, so we’ll see what the next steps are. But my main concern is just that it’s always around.
Let’s talk about the TIFF content market planned for 2026. What is it going to mean to regular moviegoers as well as industry buyers and sellers?
Festivals that have markets alongside them are a great way to sell to distributors and to get investors, because you already have the attention of the screen industries from all over the world. In some cases, you have the actors and directors and buyers and sellers already in town. You have the opportunity to sell new projects as well as existing films that are seeking distribution.
Europe has two great events like that: the European Film Market alongside the Berlin Festival and the Cannes Marché alongside the Cannes Film Festival. In North America, there is no market alongside a major festival yet. No one’s getting that kind of double advantage they have in Cannes and Berlin. So that’s our plan. We think the industry that’s already coming will be joined by a lot more people. We’re looking to more than double the number of industry delegates — currently 5,000 — that we’re giving industry badges to.
Around $70 million in sales typically is done at our festival. We’re hoping to get that upwards of $400 million-plus. The other advantage for us is that we will be bringing all of those new opportunities to Canada’s doorstep. The global film industry, the distributors in Japan and European, the Middle East, Latin America, et cetera, they’re going to come here.
So if that happens here, and if it’s not just big Hollywood star-driven films that are for sale, but Canadian projects as well, and all the talent development that we’re doing to present Canadian screenwriters and producers and directors to the global industry — if that’s happening in a much bigger way every year, then our industry is going to grow.
The festival will always be strong. The market will be an additional pillar of strength.
With the rise of streaming services in recent years, there’s been talk that the age of travelling to see films at festivals like TIFF may be coming to a close. Are you optimistic about the future of film festivals?
I am insanely optimistic! Because I’m in those theatres with audiences. I see the excitement in the theatres and on the streets, not just at the festival, but year-round as well. So I know that there’s still a passion for cinema and I know that people who might watch a ton of stuff on their laptop sitting on their bed, when they come here and watch (a movie) with hundreds of other people, everything’s amplified. It’s a bigger experience, bigger emotion. So I have no reason not to be optimistic.
How about your experience as a moviegoer? What’s the best film you’ve seen this year so far?
Oh, man, do not ask me that question! I will give you three that really hit me.
“Nightbitch” (directed by Marielle Heller) because of what that movie says out loud that maybe many women have been thinking for years.
“Hard Truths” (directed by Mike Leigh), because I thought Marianne Jean-Baptiste was so good. She reminded me of the David Thewlis character in “Naked.” She’s so extreme, and you can’t believe this person exists on planet Earth. But then when you see more of her and more of the character, you think, oh, yeah, I can see where this is all coming from.
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (directed by Mohammad Rasoulof), because when you talk about transformative cinema and incredibly brave directors, I don’t know how that man did it (filming secretly in defiance of Iranian censors). To learn that he directed it remotely, it’s such an accomplishment on so many levels and I think such an important film for people to see.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.