With it being a very unusual year navigating the SAG-AFTRA strike, we chat with some seasoned Public Relations and Communications experts on how they will navigate TIFF ’23. Today we profile our esteemed colleagues Angie Burns and Ally LaMere–Shedden at ROUTE 504 PR.
With this being a unique year, how do the SAG-AFTRA strike-related changes impact your strategy in publicizing and promoting films at the Festival?
Route 504 PR: We are so excited for this year’s fest because Canadian talent is front and center. We stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA and their right to demand better contracts but without American talent, our Canadian films are truly shining.
Can you highlight a few films in your slate you particularly are excited about?
Ally: I have two really great films I’m excited about this year: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person from dir. Ariane Louis-Seize (which might have the coolest title at TIFF this year) and Motherland from dir. Jasmin Mozaffari.
Angie: I’m excited about all of our films at TIFF this year! Cheeseballs, but it’s true.
What you’re looking forward to most about TIFF ’23?
Ally: As always, I’m looking forward to the hustle and bustle of TIFF with all my friends and colleagues within a four-block radius, it feels like summer camp every year and i’ll never get over that.
Angie: Working with Canadian creatives is the highlight of every TIFF for me. It’s often these filmmakers’ first time on a world stage and it’s exciting and wonderful watching them shine.
The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7 through 17, 2023. We appreciate ROUTE 504 PR for sharing their time with us amidst these busy times and also their year-round support!
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