Dear friends and Family,
What a TIFFtastic week at TIFF.
Day one started with the Industry Conference and some lovely chit chat about the biz with
casting director Jesse Griffiths. Jesse owns his own agency in Toronto and according to him,
there is no need to go to L.A to find actors. In his opinion Toronto is where it’s at and there is
artistic talent galore in this city.
The TIFF Moguls conversation with Directors Ron Howard and Brian Grazier was amazing.
They shared heaps of personal stories about visioning their company Imagine Entertainment
and ironically, their own struggles with “the pitch.” Apparently even Hollywood legends have
trouble getting their voices heard too.
First up on the movie docket for me was I Am Woman, The Helen Reddy Story, where Tilda
Colham - Harvey did an incredible job recreating Reddy’s struggles finding her career stride in
misogynistic recording world. Next up was Just Mercy; the true story of Brian Stephenson
fighting for social justice for prisoners on death row. A powerful transformational film, Just Mercy
helps the audience question morality, gain perspective, and face their fears about doing the
right thing.
Speaking of perspective, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, provided just that; a window
into the world of Fred Rogers, his incredibly compassionate approach to life, and insight into the
power of forgiveness and gratitude; all of which this planet definitely needs more of! After that I
hustled off to the Hustlers and arrived to a surprise visit from J Lo who was extremely humble
and gracious with the audience. Between my 5th anniversary with my TIFF sisters and my
industry pass I saw 14 films and some great dialogue with entertainment’s most talented
directors and writers. If you can catch the documentary Dads directed by and How to Build A
Girl from the UK; don’t miss them. Both films are funny, poignant, and heartwarming.
Finally, a big shout out to friends L and J who treated us royally with their hospitality at their
condo conveniently located in the TIFF Lightbox building, including a viewing party to watch
Bianca win the US Open. Namaste from all of us for your generosity, and the foresight to buy
that property…who knew it would come in so handy!
I’d love to Tiff Talk some more friends but I have to go; I’m starting to work on my outline or
skeleton as they call it in the literary world for my new book...stay tuned! Thanks for hanging in
there with me and best wishes for a super awesome day!
Jane