TIFF Hits 35% Women-Directed Films, Beating Its 2028 Target Early
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey says 35% of official selection films are directed by women, a goal the festival had set for 2028.
The Toronto International Film Festival has reached a gender-parity milestone ahead of schedule, with women directing about 35 per cent of the films in its official selection, according to the festival's chief executive, Cameron Bailey.
Speaking in Toronto, Bailey said the figure fulfilled a target the festival had originally set for 2028, putting it several years ahead of its own timetable. He acknowledged, however, that the result does not mark the end of the effort.
"There's always more that we can and should be doing," he said, describing gender parity as a continuing project for the festival and, he hoped, for the wider film industry.
Beyond the main lineup, Bailey pointed to other areas where the festival has sought to balance participation. In its talent development programmes, he said, at least half or more of the participants are women. Speakers at the festival's market summit, meanwhile, typically reach around the 50 per cent mark.
Bailey said the festival remains conscious of gender parity as an evolving goal, adding that while progress has been made, a significant amount of work lies ahead.