Easing Canadian Travel Restrictions is Makes TIFF Organizers Hopeful

Canada recently announced that it will begin easing restrictions on travel in and out of the country that have been in place since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic — news that will be welcome to organizers of this fall’s Toronto Film Festival, who have been planning an international event not knowing whether anybody outside the country would be able to attend.

Easing Travel Restrictions

The Canadian government’s announcement stated that fully vaccinated U.S. citizens will be allowed to enter the country beginning at 12:01 a.m. August 9th, 2021 without having to quarantine for two weeks, as restrictions now mandate. The borders will open to fully vaccinated travelers beginning September 7th, 2021.

The Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) runs September 9th-18th, 2021. All foreign travelers would have to show proof of vaccination at least two weeks before arriving or they will need to quarantine. The vaccine must be authorized for use in Canada; so far that list includes Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson.

Significance of the Date

Although the lifting of restrictions depends on continued progress in stopping the virus, that September 7 date comes two days before the kickoff of TIFF, the tastemaker fall festival that has been planning a hybrid in-person/virtual event for its 46th edition. Non-essential border crossings between the U.S. and Canada have been restricted since March 2020 when Covid-19 took hold.

This year’s festival is expected to announce its Gala and Special Presentations lineups soon — perfect timing for news like today’s as noted by TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey. Last month, TIFF primed the pump by setting Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’, Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night In Soho’, Celine Sciamma’s ‘Petite Maman’ and Ted Melfi’s dramedy ‘The Starling’ among the first official selections of this year. Last year, the event was mostly virtual because of the pandemic. With the prospects of easing travel restrictions right before the opening of the Festival, the hopes for a in-person event remains high. However, as already highlighted, the organizers have not left anything to chance as they have planned a hybrid version of the event by ideating virtual sessions as well.

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