Overview
Experiencing films together at a festival and meeting filmmakers and other industry professionals enhances the student experience and gives students unique insight into creative industries and artistic practices. A field trip to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)—one of the world’s top festivals—is an invaluable opportunity to learn about different career options in film and media and make connections with industry professionals.
Since 2014, Film Studies has organized annual field trips to TIFF for upper-level undergraduate and Master students during the first weekend of the festival in early September. Students have participated in Master Classes with major international filmmakers, including Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan, winner of the 2018 Palme d’Or at Cannes), Patrizio Guzman (Chile), Richie Mehta (Canada), and Bornila Chatterjee (India). In 2024, 14 students attended a master class with legendary Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, as well as exclusive Q&A sessions with directors César Augusto Acevedo (Columbia) and Nicolás Pereda (Mexico-Canada) moderated by Carleton’s own film festival studies expert Dr. Aboubakar Sanogo.
The rare opportunity of seeing films that are not usually released in Canada and participating in meetings and workshops give students a unique perspective on national and transnational film culture. Film Studies at Carleton has a global focus, and this trip enables students and faculty to stay current on new developments and better understand globalization and internationalization in the media industries.
However, the cost of accommodations in Toronto has risen, putting this trip out of reach of Film Studies’ annual budget. Your generosity will enable Carleton students to continue experiencing and participating in the process of how the future of global film and media is defined.
The Background
We are seeking your support to help make this field trip more financially accessible to students from all socio-economic backgrounds.
The costs of attending TIFF are transportation, meals, accommodations in Toronto, and a student festival pass ($294). We aim to pay for students’ accommodations and festival passes in order to reduce financial barriers. In the past, around ten students would take this field trip each year.
To set up a field trip, faculty work during the summer with TIFF organizers to arrange Master Classes with filmmakers and other industry professionals. In August, all 4th year and MA students (including incoming MA students) are invited to sign up for the trip. For each student, we arrange hotel rooms and passes. Once the festival starts, students and faculty travel to Toronto together and attend the festival for three days. After we return, attendees present their experience to other students in the program at one of our Film Friday monthly events.
The Rollout
The funds will be used to subsidize the student’s TIFF trip, so that they will get a valuable field trip that will greatly enhance their student experience.
The Impact
This field trip is an invaluable opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the film industry by building meaningful connections with filmmakers around the world and experiencing the art of filmmaking firsthand. This type of experiential learning enhances the academic journey by providing students with new perspectives, creative outlets, and elevating knowledge and skills gained in the classroom.
We are seeking your support to continue offering this field trip as a distinctive annual feature of Film Studies at Carleton.