8th Annual TUFF Public Film Festival Launches in Toronto and Across Canada, September 5-15, 2014

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 4, 2014) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

The Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF) North America's largest commuter film festival, is ready to roll with its 8^th annual edition. For 11 days from September 5 to 15, 2014, PATTISON Onestop's Toronto subway platform screens present some of the world's best 1-minute, silent films to over 1 million daily commuters.

New this year, all platform screens at St. Andrew subway station will exclusively feature TUFF without interruption from news and ads for the entire festival. St. Andrew Station is Your Underground Cinema.

TUFF 2014 features 7 programmes of official selections, a special commissioned project for screen and billboard, 3 filmmaker spotlights, a handful of brilliant online-only films that are Too TUFF for the TTC, and 2 new programmes that screen across Canada.

This year TUFF expands beyond Toronto and launches TUFF Local Stories on PATTISON Onestop screens in 40 shopping malls across Canada. The programme features 6 films representing the 6 provinces where TUFF Local Stories will be screened. TUFF Travel Stories playing on screens at the Calgary International Airport showcases 5 films that engage the concept of travel.

"TUFF turns the ordinary Toronto subway commute into an extraordinary moment, and now that we are taking TUFF on the road, travelers and shoppers across Canada have the opportunity to enjoy a few minutes of unique entertainment while they are on the go," said Sharon Switzer, TUFF Executive Director.

All TUFF films can also be seen online, and viewers are encouraged to cast their votes for the Viewers' Choice Award from September 3 to 11, 2014. www.torontourbanfilmfestival.com.

TUFF's 2014 guest judge, celebrated Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg, The Saddest Music in the World) will select the top three films of the festival, as well as the winner of the City of Toronto's Award for Emerging Filmmakers. All awards will be presented at the TUFF Gala on Sunday, September 14, 2014.

"What a delight it was to watch all the films in this year's TUFF! Every one of them shot past like a train, every one of them wonderfully inventive in a different way," said Guy Maddin. "It was a bumper crop year and commuters will be delighted to see what came. Eyes will be as awash with pleasure, as mine were watching them all go past - pure, silent images that demand to be watched again and again. I love this festival."

Additionally, PATTISON Onestop is proud to partner with FAVA and launch, Gotta Minute Film Festival - the first ever, silent, short film festival to play on PATTISON Onestop station screens in Edmonton Transit's LRT system. The Gotta Minute Film Festival will screen from September 15 to 21, 2014.

"PATTISON Outdoor is proud to produce the Toronto Urban Film Festival. We are committed to increasing the appreciation of the arts in our communities and applaud TUFF and our new sister festival, Gotta Minute Film Festival, for shining a spotlight on these passionate artists and their unique works," said Randy Otto, President, PATTISON Outdoor Advertising.

TUFF 2014 TORONTO LINE-UP

• Eleven days of programming on the TTC including seven days of exceptional official selections playing every 10 minutes on PATTISON Onestop screens in subway stations across Toronto.
  
  
• Artist Spotlight programming has expanded to include three filmmakers: Wrik Mead (Toronto, Canada); Maarit Suomi-Väänänen (Helsinki, Finland); and David Gabriël Djindjikhachvili (Amsterdam, Holland).
  
  
• Guest Artist commissioning project - The Dialogues by Public Studio. Screening in the TTC on September 12, 2014 and above ground on PATTISON Outdoor's giant video billboard (Yonge St., one block north of Dundas Square) from September 8 to 14, 2014.
  
  
• The Screening Room is returning to Room 222 of the Drake Hotel. Enjoy 90 minutes of back-to-back TUFF from September 10 to September 13, 2014. Admission is free.

Website: www.torontourbanfilmfestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/torontourbanfilmfestival

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tuffest

Download hi-res images: www.torontourbanfilmfestival.com/press

TUFF is produced by PATTISON Onestop, co-produced by Art for Commuters, and is funded by NBCUniversal Canada and the Ontario Arts Council.

About PATTISON Onestop - www.pattisononestop.com @onestopmedia

PATTISON Onestop, a division of PATTISON Outdoor Advertising, Canada's largest Out-of-Home advertising company serving 200 markets coast-to-coast, is a world leader in the development and operation of Digital Out-of-Home Media (DOOH) for mass transit, mall, retail, hospitality, residential, office, and outdoor environments. Art in Transit represents PATTISON Onestop's ongoing arts and culture programme.

About Art for Commuters - www.art4commuters.com

Founded in 2007, Art for Commuters (A4C) helps bring over 100 artworks per year to subway platform screens and subway posters across the TTC. Through these projects, Art for Commuters offers a wide range of contemporary artistic voices the opportunity to showcase their work in the public spaces frequented by urban travelers. Art for Commuters collective members are Sharon Switzer, Jean-Paul Kelly, Lori Newdick, and Claire Sykes.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20140903-TUFF_2014_Bloor_TTC_lrg.jpg