Piers Handling Quotes (14 Quotes)

American Beauty' really reinforced in Hollywood's eyes the idea that Toronto could actually break a film that was very important. They came here and gathered acclaim and critical support that lasted through the Oscars. Subsequent to that, virtually every year, we've had a significant number of films here that later came out with nominations and Oscars.

Increasingly a lot of key films are coming to film festivals. You'll notice even Hollywood is beginning to take some of its riskier, more dangerous, darker material.

I hope 30 years later that we have kept the spirit of the founders, kept to the tone of what they set out to accomplish.

Obviously, ... politically in the United States there has been such a drift to the right that hasn't happened up here, as Canada has become much more tolerant and open.

Business was brisk for a large number of titles, with distribution deals worldwide coming from most of our world premiere participants.

French films are increasingly taking pride of place. The number of French films at the Festival is second only to the US and Canada.

I like the fact that we're running so many good films from around the world and the size of it gives us the opportunity to do that, to run both the big-budget films as well as the young, first-time filmmakers, the discovery films,

I think we have seen fewer international films that have dealt with explicit sexuality. It seems that the rest of the world has moved on from that, but maybe it's just a temporary aberration this year.

To allow Canadian filmmakers to stand shoulder to shoulder with their international counterparts.

We've been through some pretty major crises over the last little while. Air strikes and postal strikes, projectionists' strikes, we went through 911 in the middle of our festival. I think we'll roll with the punches.

This project is a wonderful keepsake for anyone who loves Canadian cinema and wants to get a real behind-the-scenes feel of the festival,

in every group of films from every continent.

It's just a more uncertain world out there, ... There is more of a possibility of losing something, a loved one or a child. Maybe too there's an increasing sense of powerlessness, that we don't have as much control over the world as we used to five or 10 years ago.

For me, ... there are no real taboos, as long as it's done with respect and sensitivity and the care and creativity of an artist. But is there a clear line between pornography of a sexual and violent nature, and art It is a fine distinction and we'll probably argue about that to the end of our days.