TIFF Next Wave

TIFF Next Wave is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario.^[1] An offshoot of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Next Wave festival is held in spring each year, screening films of interest to teenagers and young adults selected by a committee of students from the city's high schools.^[2]

The festival was launched in 2012.^[3] It programs both a lineup of Canadian and international feature films, and a Young Creators Showcase program of short films by Canadian film students. The festival has also included special programs such as Battle of the Scores, a battle of the bands competition in which emerging musicians compete to compose and perform the best live score for a short film,^[4] the Next Wave Film Challenge, a competition which gives emerging filmmakers three days to make and complete a short film,^[5] and the Young Creators Co-Lab, which gives young content creators a chance to meet and network with film industry professionals.^[6]

Prior to 2012, film programming for both children and young adults was screened as part of a single Sprockets film festival.^[7]

Admission to the festival screenings is free for people under age 25, and $14 for people older than 25.^[1]

In addition to the standalone TIFF Next Wave festival, films of youth interest in the primary TIFF program also bear a "TIFF Next Wave" designation,^[8] and the organizing committee served as the jury for the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award from 2020 to 2023.^[9]