Toronto Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey Reveals A 2026 Market Launch

Cameron Bailey - Shawn Goldberg

Toronto Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey reveals that the festival is launching a market in 2026. They’re looking at bringing a new venue for the market as well, while making sure it stays a walkable event. Bailey said the reason why they can’t launch the market this year is because of how much time it will take to find the right venue.

“The places we’re looking at are often booked up years in advance,” Bailey said. “We need to make sure it has the technical requirements. There’ll be some build-outs required, such as additional screening rooms.”

TIFF received a three-year commitment C$23 million from the Canadian government that will help them develop and launch the market. Bailey said they’re already beginning plans and talking to different people for the launch in two years from now. Their goal for this market is to make the most advantage of what Toronto already provides.

“There’s always a risk in starting up a big new venture, but, of course, we have federal investment,” Bailey said. “We’ve got all the building blocks, but this is not something that is going to be a massive profit spinner from day one. We think it’s a wise investment.”