The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the world's largest public film festival, each year debuting some of the most important movies from across the globe. In partnership with TIFF and the Embassy of Canada to China, UCCA invites Piers Handling (CEO, TIFF), and Cameron Bailey (artistic director, TIFF) to give a talk with Chinese film director Jia Zhangke.

The conversation will explore how TIFF became the world's largest public film festival and its year-round film program, including 2013's landmark “A Century of Chinese Cinema” retrospective. The speakers will also look at the future of Chinese cinema in North America: How can Chinese filmmakers stand out at the world’s largest public film festival? Which Chinese films succeed in the North American market? How can Chinese filmmakers connect with this important film institutions?

Note：

*Space is limited; no late entry.

*Collect your ticket from the ticket desk 30 minutes before the event begins.

*Please bring an ID card to rent simultaneous interpretation equipment. Equipment rental is free.

Piers Handling
Since 1994, Piers Handling has acted as the director and CEO of TIFF, responsible for leading the organization’s operational and artistic growth. He has curated numerous film retrospectives and presented Canadian cinema programs at the Sundance Film Festival, British Film Institute, and Havana Film Festival. He has sat on festival juries including Cannes, Tokyo, Rotterdam, San Sebastian, Torino, and Istanbul. In 2013, he co-curated a mutli-platform celebration of iconic Canadian director David Cronenberg. The Cronenberg Project included a comprehensive film exhibition, a virtual museum, an art exhibition, and two publications.

Cameron Bailey

Cameron Bailey is TIFF’s artistic director, responsible for the overall vision and execution of festival programming, as well as maintaining relationships with the Canadian and international film industries. Toronto Life has twice named him one of Toronto's 50 Most Influential People.

Bailey has curated numerous film series for arts organizations and served on many awards juries in Canada and abroad, including in China, the US, Turkey, Greece, South Korea, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. He has been a guest speaker at several Canadian universities, the Smithsonian Institute, Harvard University, and the Banff Centre.

Jia Zhangke (b. 1970, Shanxi) is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. He made his first feature film, Xiao Wu, in 1998. Today he lives and works in Beijing, where he is actively involved in filmmaking across China. His film Still Life won the Golden Lion at the 63rd Venice Film Festival in 2006. His latest film, A Touch of Sin, won Best Screenplay at the 66th Cannes Film Festival.

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

The Embassy of Canada to China