Toronto International Film Festival will forge ahead despite SAG-AFTRA strike

The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike coupled with the WGA strike in the United States has affected the movie and television industry beyond American borders. We’ve seen actors from all walks of life in the guild walk away from press and publicity duties, or even decline to promote their projects at all, because it would mean crossing a picket line.

But when it comes to the world-renowned Toronto International Film Festival, a Canadian fest, is that part of the picket line? Could SAG-AFTRA actors come to King Street in Toronto this September to promote their films? And better yet, will TIFF be so impacted by the strike should it stretch in September that the fest has to shut down? Not so, says TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey.

“TIFF is on,” Bailey told Deadline, “Our dates are the same, the films are coming.”

In recent years, some major films that went on to sweep the Oscars have premiered at TIFF, like “The King’s Speech,” “Nomadland,” “Women Talking,” “The Fabelmans,” “American Beauty,” “Black Swan,” and “Ray.” Now, Bailey says that they’re still planning on screening some of those promising big hitters alongside independent films, including Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.”

“We have a bumper crop of sales titles, coming to the festival as independent films with A-list actors on screen,” Bailey revealed. Deadline previously reported that famed Canadian director and Oscar nominee Atom Egoyan will have his new film “Seven Veils” starring Amanda Seyfried premiere at TIFF.

Bailey noted that the SAG-AFTRA might deem many TIFF films as non-struck-worthy, and as such, many of Hollywood’s best and brightest could be cleared by the guild to travel to Toronto to promote their indie films if they’re not associated with a major studio. 

“There are some films that are not from the companies that are being struck by SAG-AFTRA. What’s their reality? It depends on each film and each actor,” Bailey tells Deadline.

“Every member of SAG-AFTRA will make their own decisions on this even if an interim agreement is in place,” he adds, “We’re just working that through with all the filmmakers and directors of the films, and the actors.”

He continued, “For many people, it’s all new territory. There are some things that are very clear and there’s a bunch of gray areas, people need to navigate.”

“We’re anticipating an opportunity for actors in independent films to be able to present their work, but it’s really a choice actors will make that we’re just trying to understand more about right now,” Bailey added.

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, TIFF had to make a bunch of adjustments, including holding their awards ceremony online. Now, more changes are coming, and that includes doing away with the film press conferences which Bailey says often conflicted with press screenings, preventing journalists from attending both. But the TIFF awards gala as of right now is still on. Bailey predicts that directors will definitely be in attendance and Canadian and international talent who aren’t impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

Nonetheless, Bailey is planning all contingencies should the strike last until September. “We have to prepare for the possibility that the strike will extend into the fall.”

TIFF will run this September in Toronto from September 7 to September 17th.