TIFF @50

How the Toronto International Film Festival grew from a modest Canadian showcase into one of the world's most influential cinematic galas

- INDIRA KANNAN

Fifty years ago, a trio of Canadians, Bill Marshall, Dusty Cohl and Henk Van der Kolk, launched the Festival of Festivals in Toronto, bringing movies from film fests around the world, with a rather modest ambition: "Hopefully, there is something for everyone." Today, there's nothing modest about the scale of the event, now known as the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF. The annual film festival, held in September every year, screened 280 films from around the world and boasted an attendance of over 700,000 last year. It is the world's largest public film festival.

Over the years, TIFF has made a name for itself as a home to the world's biggest gathering of enthusiastic and generous filmgoers; a film star and celebrity magnet; a launch pad for films, filmmakers and talent; and the ultimate tastemaker for the following awards season. Adding another dimension to its programme, TIFF plans to launch a film market next year.

It didn't take long for the festival to start drawing stars to Toronto. Within its first few years, filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese came calling, as did mega stars like Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline and Glenn Close.

Many went on to stardom after coming to TIFF, including Daniel Day-Lewis who was noticed in the 1985 premiere of My Beautiful Laundrette.

Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar's film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown played at TIFF in 1988 and was nominated for an Oscar in the international film category. A year earlier, TIFF had showcased his work, declaring, "Almodovar's work is virtually unknown in North America... some predict he will turn into Europe's next major filmmaker." American documentary maker Michael Moore premiered his debut film Roger & Me at TIFF in 1989 and later credited the festival with launching his career.

"Actually, launch is too soft of a word," Moore said, labelling it "rocket propulsion".