Toronto film festival modifies Telluride ban

The Toronto film festival has reversed its ruling that movies that screen at the Telluride film festival cannot play over Tiff’s first five days. However, the festival has said such films will not be eligible to premiere at three of its key venues: the Elgin theatre, the Princess of Wales theatre and Roy Thomson Hall.

They would be able to screen at the Ryerson theatre, the Winter Gardens and, of course, at the Tiff Bell Lightbox.

Tiff’s ruling was introduced after the 2013 event saw a handful of key world premieres — including 12 Years a Slave — gazumped by the boutique Colorado festival, which takes place less than a week before. Opinions were split on whether Toronto’s decision to compel filmmakers to effectively choose between festivals paid dividends. Last year’s Toronto People’s Choice award — traditionally a major barometer of Oscar success — was won by The Imitation Game, one of three films (including Rosewater and Wild) that debuted in the US, before playing Toronto in its second half.

Tiff did world premiere movies such as The Theory of Everything and Still Alice, which went on to win Oscars for Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore. In the end, this year’s Academy Awards were dominated by The Grand Budapest Hotel (which premiered at Berlin), Boyhood (Sundance) and Birdman (which opened in Venice).