TORONTO – The Toronto Food Film Fest (TFFF) is thrilled to announce it will be coming back for a third year in a hybrid format. The festival will be held on October 1-4, 2021 with a full lineup of film screenings, and a series of talks with some of Toronto’s favourite food and film experts.
The event will be held both virtually and in-person at Spadina Museum’s Historic House & Gardens. The Festival includes an exclusive “bike-in” screening of Peace by Chocolate by Jonathan Keijser (Canada / Syria) on Friday, October 1st and a screening of Come Back Anytime by John Daschbach and Wataru Yamamoto on Saturday, October 2nd.
Most of the 6 features and all 14 shorts films will be shown during the 15-day online portion of the festival and will be available to anyone in Ontario. The selected films also include the Canadian premiere of Wine and War by Mark Johnston and Mark Ryan (United States), Food for the Rest of Us by Caroline Cox (Canada), and The Club of Angels by Angelo Defanti (Brazil).
A series of “Talks in the Orchard” will take place on Sunday, October 3rd in Spadina Museum’s apple orchard. The talks will be an informal way for ticket holders to learn from some of Toronto’s leading food and film specialists. The talks will include such subjects as working with food waste and the importance of Meaningful BIPOC roles on our screens.
“We are thrilled the event is happening both online and in-person and that we can bring Toronto the best of the independent film community through an in-person event again,” says Jacqueline Tam, co-founder of The Festival. “We are truly excited by the quality and range of films introduced to Toronto from around the globe, and cannot wait to host an in-person event. It will bring people together again in the name of good food and good films.”
Early bird VIP pass sales opens on Tuesday, August 24th; it includes guaranteed seating for two guests at the live screenings and talks, access to the online platform and all movies, a 20% discount on workshops and special events as well as a snack box with local goodies from small Ontario businesses, curated by Phancy Food Bodega. During the live portion of the event, Rufino Espresso will be making espresso-based drinks, and The Depanneur will be curating a delicious meal by local chefs available to anyone attending the event.
Rolling Pictures, who help bring films to life through their post-production services and SIM, the leading supplier of camera equipment to the entertainment industry, will be awarding filmmakers in several categories including a pitch competition to benefit up-and-coming filmmakers. The prizes will be announced on Oct 1, 2021 during the Opening Reception. The founders are grateful for the continued support of Telefilm Canada which provides streamlined funding for smaller and emerging film festivals across the country stimulating audience demand for Canadian content and working to finance, develop, and promote the Canadian audiovisual industry of today and tomorrow.
The festival strives to showcase the diversity of food through talented chefs and international films about food thanks to our partner Quell whose mission is to accurately reflect Canada’s diversity by representing some of the most talented BIPOC and underrepresented leaders in the food and drink industry.
The Founders of TFFF aim to have as close to a zero waste event as possible, and have been working closely with Rethink Resources. In 2019, they diverted 95% of the festival’s waste from going into landfill, and in 2020 provided sustainable packaging options for partnered restaurants.
TFFF is able to be live again this year thanks to the support of Reconnect Ontario helping Ontario residents experience live events. The grant ensures support is directed to community-based events with safe and innovative experiences, creating opportunities that encourage Ontarians to reconnect with the diversity of their community.
The health and safety of TFFF attendees is a main priority. The Toronto Food Film Fest will be implementing all necessary COVID-19 safety measures to help ensure a safe and fun festival for all those participating, and will be monitoring any ongoing developments which may occur during these uncertain times.
