Thank you to everyone who submitted! We received 248 submissions from 11 countries, and are screening 80 in this year's festival.

Congratulations to our 2009 Winning Films!

Our Watch and Vote page has all the films archived for viewing, and the full 2009 schedule.

The Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF) is the only film festival of its kind in North America, and one of the largest in the world with an average daily viewing audience of over 1 million. The 3rd annual TUFF is programmed on the Onestop Network of subway platforms screens throughout the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

The film festival for commuters showcases all genres of film, video, and animation from both professional and amateur filmmakers. All films screened are silent and 1-minute in length. TUFF is free to enter and open to both Canadian and international submissions.

TUFF PLAYS ON THE TTC

TUFF plays every 10 minutes, all day on the network of over 270 TTC subway platform screens across the city. Films selected by our jurors for each thematic category will play repeatedly during one day of the festival. Award winners and audience picks will repeat on the final weekend of the festival.


HEINEKEN FILM ZONE SCREENINGS AT BLOOR AND YONGE
New this year - no news, no ads, just TUFF! In addition to screening every 10 minutes across the network, we now have 4 screens dedicated to TUFF. Centrally located on the northbound and southbound platforms of the Bloor Subway Station, the Heineken Film Zones will air uninterrupted TUFF content all day long for the entire run of the festival. Watch for the green Heineken screens.

2009 THEMATIC CATEGORIES:

Filmmakers are asked to submit to one of 7 urban-themed categories that engage the imagination of an urban populace. Each of our 7 guest jurors creates a program from work submitted to a particular category.

• Urban Encounters – the moments that make city-living worthwhile
• Urban Diversity – the differences that make us stronger
• Urban Journeys – the multitude of ways we navigate our city
• Urban Imaginary – hopes for the future of municipalities
• Urban Natural – the living city, both nurtured and oppressed
• Urban Secrets – stories about the hidden or forgotten city
• Urban Ideas – the opinions and politics of an engaged populous

TUFF ONLINE

All selected films are also eligible to be posted our our website, for viewing and voting throughout the festival, as well as for future viewing. Filmmakers can also opt to have their TUFF film added to our YouTube channel.

TUFF AWARDS:

Our Guest Judge, Don McKellar, will chose the top three films of the festival, and the winner of the "Naish McHugh Award for Emerging Filmmakers." Each will receive a prize. Our guest jurors award "Best in Category" status to a top film in each of our seven categories, and to the TSV Program. Audience votes determine the winner of the "TUFF Choice Award."

1st Place

– 4.5 star trip for two to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, donated by BelAir Travel

2nd Place

– $2,500 Cash Award, sponsored by Heineken Canada

3rd Place

– $2,000 Cash Award, sponsored by Heineken Canada

The Naish McHugh Award For Emerging Filmmakers

A $2,500 Cash Award, sponsored by the City of Toronto. The winning film will take an inspired view of the city of Toronto, reflecting its unique qualities. To qualify for the award, candidates must live or work in the Greater Toronto Area (416/905 area code) and have completed, and publicly screened, between one and six independent film or video works outside of school. The winning film will be selected from the finalists for the seven thematic categories and awarded by guest judge Don McKellar.
Sponsored by the Toronto Film & Television Office (TFTO) in celebration of its 30th anniversary, this award is named after the city of Toronto’s first Film Commissioner. The Press Release

Most Ambitious Film by a Female Director

Sponsored by Women in Film & Television (Toronto) and Videoscope; includes a complementary one-year membership to WIFT-T, a $1,200.00 WIFT-T programming pass, plus a $1,500 equipment rental credit and 15% rental discount (good for 1 year) from Videoscope.

The Drake People's Choice Award

Awarded to the film that receives the most online votes during the 2009 festival. The award includes a complimentary reception and screening at the Drake's Underground to support the launch of a new film. Includes free tech support, and room set up, along with 200 appetizers and 75 basic bar drink tickets. The event will be featured on the Drake's website and in their bi-monthly AKE newsletter. Sponsored by the Drake Hotel, total in-kind value is $3,800.

Best in Category Awards

Awarded to the film judged to be the best in each category. Each winning film is awarded by the juror for their category. Prize sponsors include the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, Hot Docs, The Images Festival, Planet in Focus, and Reel Asian.

Trinity Square Video Pitch Award

Congratulations to the seven filmmakers who won the Trinity Square Video Pitch Award! Maya Bankovic and Nadia Tan (with Stuart Campbell), Caitlin Durlak, Jean-Pierre Joubert, Vince Kesavamoorthy, Melissa Levin, Carolyn Tripp, and Zefred will each be receiving a TSV membership and up to $600 of in-kind support towards both the production and post-production of their TUFF movie. TSV Pitch Award Winners will be screened as their own category on the 8th day of TUFF. For more information about TSV: trinitysquarevideo.com

TUFF is co-produced by Art for Commuters (A4C) and Onestop Media Group.


Questions or Comments: A4C@torontourbanfilmfestival.com