Toronto has held its first official film market. The launch has attracted significantly more industry interest, though it remains to be seen whether the new market structure will also result in a corresponding increase in deals.

With 1,473 registered buyers, the figure was 19 per cent higher than the previous year. In total 7,010 delegates attended to Toronto, and 238 exhibitors and 196 market screenings. This means that the Toronto International Film Festival Market passed its first test in terms of its international industry presence.

More leads, but not necessarily more deals

However, the increased buyer presence does not directly lead to more business. Whilst some sales companies have already managed to secure specific territorial sales agreements, others First of all Discussions, project development and the The focus is on initiating further business opportunities. Toronto is thus also becoming a market where deals are prepared, even though they will not be finalised until later.

An additional challenge is the range of projects on offer. For some titles, rights had already been sold in key territories. Other projects could not be brought to market in time as fully packaged deals. This means that more buyers do not necessarily have access to more immediately available stock.

Toronto in the international market cycle

The decision-making processes themselves are also taking longer. A deal initiated in Toronto therefore does not have to be finalised during the market. For sales companies, however, the event becomes yet another building block in the international annual cycle: discussions may begin in Cannes, continue in Toronto and only be finalised at a later date.

This means that for Toronto, Following the premiere, the focus has shifted to another question. The necessary market infrastructure and international attention are in place. The decisive factor now will be to be, whether the increased buyer presence will lead to more financing, pre-sales and sales deals in the long term. Only then will it be possible to gauge the economic significance of the new market.