LIFT News

Call for Proposals: Baghdad/Toronto Film Exchange (BTFX) 2026 Wednesday 22 July 2026, 18:00 to 23:59 THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT), IRAQI INDEPENDENT FILM CENTRE (IIFC) AND YORK UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES CALL FOR PROPOSALS: BAGHDAD/TORONTO FILM EXCHANGE (BTFX) 2026 Toronto, July 22, 2026—In the fall of 2026, the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) will co-present the Baghdad/Toronto Film Exchange (BTFX), in par”… more

Screenwriters Circle – August 19 Wednesday 19 August 2026, 19:00 to 19:00 The LIFT Screenwriters Circle meets online on the third Wednesday at 7:00pm ET of each month to facilitate skill sharing, supportive critique and moving member scripts from the page to the screen. You must be a current LIFT member to attend this group. No experience is necessary, just a passion for words and images and a dream to one day see them o”… more

LIFT Summer 2026 Garage Sale – Rescheduled to July 30 LIFT SUMMER 2026 GARAGE SALE 9:00am ET, July 16, 2026—We regret to inform the LIFT community that we have had to reschedule today’s garage sale. The Greater Toronto Area’s orange-level air quality warning remains in effect as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario moves into the region. We encourage community members to stay indoors today. Th”… more

LIFT co-presents “Empire of the Rabbits” at Toronto Turkish Film Festival Saturday 4 July 2026, 17:00 LIFT co-presents “Empire of the Rabbits” at the 2026 Toronto Turkish Film Festival Saturday, July 4, 2026 Starts at 5:00pm Alliance Française, 24 Spadina Road Twelve-year-old Musa lives under the pressure of poverty and his father’s authority in a remote village. His fragile inner world, shaped by injured rabbits and childhood dreams, begins to col”… more

LIFT Welcomes Summer Staff – June 2026 (L-R) Mia Buono, Victoria Bacani and Imogen J Lister Photo by Renata Mohamed June 26, 2026 Welcome to Summer 2026 Staff Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program, supported by the Canadian Government’s Employment and Social Development Canada (EDSC), we are able to welcome three new summer staff to LIFT this summer, Victoria Bacani, Mia Buono”… more

LIFT Office and Store Closed for Canada Day – July 1 June 15, 2026 The LIFT office and store will be closed for Canada Day on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. We will reopen on Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 10:00 am ET.

Call for Proposals: 45th Anniversary Retrospective Zine – Extended Friday 12 June 2026, 10:00 to 17:00 THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) ANNOUNCES CALL FOR PROPOSALS: 45TH ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE ZINE Toronto, June 12, 2026 (Updated June 25, 2026)—Earlier this year on April 8, 2026, the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) celebrated its 45th Anniversary. It’s exciting and humbling to reflect on the impact we h”… more

Open Screening – June 2026 Friday 26 June 2026, 19:00 to 21:00    THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) ANNOUNCES OPEN SCREENING – JUNE 2026 Join the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) on Friday, June 26, 2026 in the Main Classroom at the LIFT facility (located at 1137 Dupont) for our June 2026 Open Screening. The event is an opportunity to show new films, audiovisual experim”… more

LIFT co-presents “Levers” at imagineNATIVE Film     LIFT co-presents “Levers” at the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival In-Person: Thursday, June 4, 2026 Starst at 2:30pm TIFF Lightbox, 350 King Street West Rhayne Vermette’s sophomore feature surrounds a pivotal event: the sun does not rise for one day. While the world watches a new sun rise, mysterious events weave together the lives”… more

LIFT co-presents “Shorts: Local Heroes” at Inside Out LIFT co-presents “Shorts: Local Heroes” at the 2026 Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival “Shorts: Local Heroes” Various Directors In-Person: Thursday, May 28, 2026 Starst at 6:45pm TIFF Lightbox, 350 King Street West Virtual: (Ontario only) From May 29 to May 31, 2026 Virtual tickets https://insideout.ca/event/id/69df11206f553b794e0be706 From”… more