Films, workshops, camps, and activities for all ages.
A key initiative of TIFF is to mentor and advocate for post-secondary students, faculty, and emerging practitioners. Through panel discussions, lectures, and interviews with various creators and scholars, TIFF’s Higher Learning programme creates a forum to examine the moving image from a wide range of cultural, social, historical, political and technological approaches and disciplines.
Check out the Higher Learning Digital Resource Hub for past events and supplementary research material.
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. An extension of our initiatives is the Jeffrey and Sandra Lyons Canadian Film Scholarship for the development of scholarly contributions related to Canadian film.
The successful applicant is given a stipend of $1,000, a designated office space, and the opportunity to participate in Higher Learning programming. The Jeffrey and Sandra Lyons Canadian Film Scholarship is generously supported by the Jeffrey & Sandra Lyons Endowment Fund at TIFF.
Past Recipients
2020 – Roshaya Rodness
2019 – Jonathan Petrychyn
2018 – Claudia Sicondolfo
2017 – Mary Arnatt
2016 – Jeremy Mathers
2015 – Catherine Quantz
Geared towards inspiring both the current and next generation of content creators, TIFF’s Industry Conference features a diverse group of international experts who, through keynotes, panel discussions, and presentations, will focus on the creative process, financing, marketing, distribution, diversity in the industry and the future of content. University and college scholars, faculty, and students who are currently enrolled in, or are recent graduates of film, media, arts, animation, or broadcasting programmes, are eligible to receive a special rate to conference events as part of the Toronto International Film Festival in September. For more information on Industry Conference programming, please visit tiff.net/industry.
Launched in November 2014 as a joint initiative of TIFF Higher Learning and the Film Reference Library (FRL), Reel Heritage engages and educates audiences about the importance of the preservation of the film medium. Made possible through support from the Government of Canada and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and TIFF’s community of donors and members, Reel Heritage brings post-secondary students together with film scholars, archivists, filmmakers and curators in a series of free educational sessions that examine the challenges and the opportunities facing moving-image collections in Ontario and beyond.
Past Reel Heritage Events
Featuring leading figures in the field of libraries, archives, film and new media, this panel discussion examined how moving image–based collections are utilized in the creation of new scholarship and media projects. Watch
Media archivist Christina Stewart details the material history of the film medium, including the various tools of the motion-picture handlers. Watch
Founder of the Prelinger Archives, Rick Prelinger delivered a lecture on the future of archives in the digital era and the innovations that cultural heritage institutions are experimenting with today. Watch
Film archive experts discussed curatorial strategies around moving-image–related artifacts and ephemera. Watch
Expert guests shared the skills and best practices they have gained from their experiences in the projection booths of film festivals and art house cinemas in North America and beyond. Watch
Giovanna Fossati, Chief Curator at the EYE Filmmuseum, discussed her extensive research in film preservation and heritage prior to a screening of rare silent short films. Watch
Following a screening of Dawson City: Frozen Time, director Bill Morrison and film conservator Paul Gordon discussed the making of the documentary and the challenges of preserving and archiving film. Watch
Libraries, archives and museums are vital hubs of activity that facilitate education and community building, and function as keepers of public memory. They collect, exhibit and make available heritage materials that catalyze imagination, cultivate knowledge and solidify our understanding of our shared cultural histories. Connecting Communities + Cultures: The Vital Role of Libraries, Archives, and Museums in the Arts is a two-day symposium as part of TIFF’s Reel Heritage initiative that offers professional development sessions for emerging librarians, archivists and students looking to enter the field.
For more books and articles related to Reel Heritage in our Film Reference Library, view our Library Guide.
We collaborate with non-profit community organizations to develop film experiences that fit the needs, interests, and abilities of each group.
Through our community initiatives, TIFF works to ensure that opportunities for engagement and creative expression through film extend to people of all ages across the GTA. Request an off-site event in your community space designed in consultation with our team to ensure you get the film experience you’re looking for. We look forward to working with you.
Off-site screenings held in your community space to encourage dialogue, reflection, and connection to stories and content of relevance to your group. Screenings are curated in consultation and can be held in any space big enough to accommodate a screen! This experience includes a post-screening discussion moderated by TIFF staff and occasionally featuring film representatives as guest speakers.
Hands-on workshops are facilitated by local film artists and cover a wide range of creative topics, including: acting/improv, stop-motion animation, production design, DIY filmmaking, special-effects makeup, documentary film projects, and more! Workshops support collaboration, skill development, and the amplification of participant voices. While programming is adaptable, most workshops are better suited to groups of 20 participants or less. We offer single day and more long-term projects!
Group visits can be paired with an off-site activity in your community space or organized as standalone outings. Activities include but are not limited to: screenings of New Releases and film series titles, guided tours of the building, and an introduction to the Film Reference Library as a free resource for independent research and viewing.
If you are a previous collaborator interested in booking a repeat program, please submit an email request to the relevant contact via the addresses listed below. The following are examples of past and current relationships:
Youth – Four Corners Health Centre, Applegrove Community Complex, Success Beyond Limits, Outburst Movement, Toronto Public Library, U for Change, RISE, Sketch, Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre and more!
Hospitals & mental health – Toronto General Hospital, St. Michael’s Hospital, Baycrest, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Women’s College Hospital, IMPACT, CAMH Partial Hospital Program, STAR Learning Centre, Sheena’s Place
For more information about youth initiatives, contact:
nextwave@tiff.net
For more information about adult & mental health initiatives, contact:
outreach@tiff.net
