Costs, dates and the AFM: Toronto attendees weigh in on 2026 market

With less than one year to go before the inaugural TIFF: The Market running September 10-16, 2026, opinions are differing wildly in the international industry over the potential benefits and ramifications of the event.

The range of views among sales executives and buyers runs the gamut from welcoming to irritated. Almost all concede they know little about how exactly the new event will operate or how it might impact their business cycle.

It is now 18 months since Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) CEO Cameron Bailey and chief programming officer Anita Lee announced the new venture at Cannes 2024. TIFF sources told Screen this week they are projecting 6,000 delegates in the first year and aim to double attendance by 2030. They also confirmed Metro Toronto Convention Centre will serve as the primary venue.

As previously reported, approximately USD $16.6m (CAD $23m) in Canadian federal funding will support the first three years and the goal is not only to grow the volume of sales packages on the ground but to offer a much broader portfolio of activity centred on areas like co-productions, television, and immersive projects.

However many are questioning whether there is the need for another market with the American Film Market (AFM) – now back in Los Angeles after a sojourn to Las Vegas – less than two months later in the calendar. While Asian buyers tend to stay away from TIFF and attend Busan, those from other territories such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Italy were also absent from TIFF, preferring to save their money (and energy) for the Los Angeles trip.

Sellers have traditionally adopted an opportunistic approach to Toronto, soft-launching several packages that were ready in time, before the serious negotiations begin at AFM. Some expressed concern that if the expectation starting in 2026 was to raise the slate level to that seen in other major markets, the summer holidays might preclude them from assembling a robust offering.

One prominent sales executive who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity, said “no-one wants the official market”, adding buyers already have their hands full covering TIFF’s vast festival selection – there were just over 200 features this year, and a considerable number were available for US and international distribution – and barely had time to read new scripts.

“We’ll go and do exactly what we did this year,” they said. “We’re always selling rights on finished films [but] I don’t see the likelihood of there being a large volume of packages.”

TIFF: The Market and the festival itself (September 10-20, 2026) will kick off one week later than usual, which is designed to give attendees a little more time to prepare while keeping TIFF within the close orbit of Telluride and Venice and their world premieres, which is where TIFF likes to situate itself.

Industry attendees love to visit a high-functioning, attractive and easily navigable city during the balmy late Canadian summer and enjoy watching how completed films  they have either bought or are thinking of buying play out in front of a passionate local audience. For some, that experience, along with a little business, is as much as they are prepared to commit to in Toronto, and the idea of ramping up to meet the demands of an expanded market does not appeal.

Cost concerns

The question of cost is critical. The market hosted a pop-up salesroom in Downtown Toronto around the corner from TIFF Lightbox and the major screening venues. Not every potential exhibitor dropped by the market pop-up, and press were not granted access. However the TIFF website makes it clear five exhibitor spaces on offer range from the “marquee” within a 3600 sq ft footprint starting at approximately USD $169,000 (CAD $235,000) to the “pod”, measuring 100 sq ft and starting at USD $4,700 (CAD $6,500). All rates are subject to change and the early bird rate through April 2026 offers an 18-20% discount.

Anne Takahashi, US representative for Unifrance, took the tour and told Screen: “We are seriously considering renting a space at the new market and we are currently surveying who and how many sales agents would be interested in being with us […] We sense that significant resources are being deployed, that ambition is there, and that expectations are high.”

Hélène Espeisse of Charades prioritised festival selections: Mona Fastvold’s The Testament Of Ann Lee, Laszlo Nemes’ Orphan, and Diego Cespedes’ The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo. ”The response was very positive especially for The Testament Of Ann Lee that buyers were waiting for after strong buzz out of Venice.” 

Espeisse added the festival was always “an essential stop to catch up with our distributors, make sure our Cannes titles have been covered, and start to talk about future titles”.

TIFF: The Market representatives have been saying the rates are competitive, however one UK executive said that was missing the point. “They are saying they are competitive with the [Martin Gropius Bau] in Berlin, but they are not the competition – the Toronto hotels are.”

Sales agents used to operating out of Hyatt Regency Toronto, Soho Hotel Toronto Downtown and The Ritz-Carlton Toronto by and large said they did not feel any inclination to move into the conference centre; nor was anyone thrilled about paying additional market accreditation costs.

Conversely, others point out there is much to be said for watching premieres in a lively festival environment. That is always a bonus for a market, and it is something the AFM sorely lacks.

Global Constellation CEO Fabien Westerhoff, who reported a solid TIFF market after Venice wins for Imran Perretta’s Ish and Oscar Hudson’s Straight Circle and productive talks on Lido out-of-competition screening Broken English and the TIFF premiere of Alejandro Amenabar’s The Captive, was keeping a positive outlook.

“We look forward to the launch of the new market in 2026, which could offer stronger critical trade visibility for festival titles and establish itself as an important fixture at the start of the fall season,” Westerhoff said.

AGC Studios chairman and CEO Stuart Ford said buyers responded strongly to his two TIFF packages – Halle Berry erotic drama Fleur and comedy drama Babies starring Anna Kendrick and Seth Rogen.

“The pre-sales performance of Babies and Fleurs solidifies my view that there is capacity for another official marketplace at the end of summer, and in a post-Covid landscape, where in-person meetings and screenings have become less of a norm, the relative proximity of a new Toronto market to a November AFM is only a good thing,” Ford said. “The international sector thrives only when distributors, sellers, talent, press, financiers and producers work hard and play hard together.”

2025 deals

On the whole, sales agents reported steady business at the just-finished 50th anniversary edition of TIFF. The optimists hope an enhanced market in 2026 could increase the number of deals.

WME Independent co-head Alex Walton and his team closed the US deal for Gus Van Sant’s Venice premiere Dead Man’s Wire with fledgling distributor Row K and is in the process of finalising international sales, as it is on James Vanderbilt’s TIFF world premiere Nuremberg starring Russell Crowe at Sony Classics. “TIFF is driven by our domestic sales slate,” he said, adding that new buyers like Row K and Black Bear’s arrival on the US distribution scene were “exciting for the market”.

Upgrade Productions co-head Jonathan Kier premiered footage from Mia Kate Russell’s Australian horror Penny Lane Is Dead and Brian Swibel’s comedy thriller The Very Best People with Paul Walter Hauser and Jai Courtney. “We had a very effective market,” said Kier. “Toronto is always effective because the buyers can move around pretty quickly; it’s not very spread out.”

That said, there were not a lot of US deals on the ground, reflecting an ongoing trend that remains a concern. “Look at the lack of deals done at Toronto,” noted one UK seller. “There’s so much more that needs to be done to attract international buyers – and thus decent sellers. There needs to be a longer gap between Venice so sales companies have time to get packages together. Moving it back one week isn’t enough.”

TIFF: The Market head Charles Tremblay is a Canadian industry veteran, although he was not too familiar to some US and international attendees. TIFF’s Cameron Bailey hailed the “vast experience, in-depth knowledge, and international business relationships” of the former Mubi buyer and co-founder of Metropole Films Distribution and Canadian distributor mk2 | Mile End.

What about AFM?

Of course the AFM is a crucial part of the equation, and how this year’s November 11-16 event goes will to a large degree inform the appetite for the inaugural TIFF: The Market. The AFM has faced its challenges over the years and yet it has always presented a large volume of commercial packages. In addition, visitors can do their rounds of meetings with studios and streamers and agencies, and those coming from colder climes enjoy visiting the beach – which this year will involve a short taxi ride from Century City as the market is no longer in Santa Monica.

The AFM’s 2025 edition will be the last rodeo for Jean Prewitt, the highly regarded president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance who is stepping down after steering the AFM through the pandemic, Hollywood strikes, and the unpopular Las Vegas edition in 2024. Prewitt’s departure raises the issue of visible figureheads who will assume the reins and instil confidence.

“Is there room for two markets in the fall?” one US sales executive asked. “Buyers will probably be reluctant to fly across the pond in either direction twice.”

It was unclear at time of writing if or to what extent TIFF: The Market will subsidise buyers’ travel and accommodation costs.

“If TIFF wants to be a true success, shift it to October and effectively wipe out AFM,” said another US source from the acquisitions community. “At the end of the day, sales companies and agents don’t need a market to sell projects but they like them, especially those that have a festival attached.”

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