Black Bear

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TIFF 2025 at Halfway Mark: Slow Negotiations, Genre Plays, New Distributors, and Market Jitters

September 10, 2025 FilmTake Comments Off on TIFF 2025 at Halfway Mark: Slow Negotiations, Genre Plays, New Distributors, and Market Jitters

Well into its second week, TIFF 2025 is shaping up less as a buying frenzy and more as a barometer for where the independent business is heading. Deal volume remains lean, but the festival has already produced a $15 million bidding war for a Midnight Madness horror and a seven-figure North American deal for Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire.”

Distribution

TIFF Turns 50 as Buyers Weigh Rising Costs Against Shrinking Streaming Fees

September 6, 2025 FilmTake Comments Off on TIFF Turns 50 as Buyers Weigh Rising Costs Against Shrinking Streaming Fees

Toronto’s 50th anniversary edition arrives with independent distributors weighing risk against opportunity. Theatrical remains a tightrope, Pay-1 and Pay-2 license fees are under pressure, and negotiations are slower across the calendar. Yet a sturdier acquisitions slate, a pair of well-capitalized newcomers, and a crop of commercially minded titles suggest TIFF could regain some of its old deal energy.