Gary Oldman, ‘Obsession’ Director Curry Barker and ‘Barbie’ Producer Robbie Brenner Among Toronto Market Speakers

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- TIFF is launching its first-ever market — 'TIFF: The Market' — running Sept. 10-16, headed by Charles Tremblay, with programming VP Geoff Macnaughton curating the summit slate.
- Gary Oldman will anchor the Visionaries program in a talk celebrating his career and creative process, timed to the festival premiere of 'Slow Horses' season six.
- Robbie Brenner, Mattel Studios president and chief content officer and two-time Oscar nominee ('Barbie,' 'Dallas Buyers Club'), headlines a moderated discussion and brings 'The Housewife' to this year's festival.
- Lee Chang-dong will be featured in Visionaries with his upcoming 'Possible Love' as focal point, and will receive the Ebert Director Tribute Award.
- Curry Barker and Inde Navarrette will appear in Dialogues to discuss Focus Features' 'Obsession' and its journey from TIFF debut to one of the year's biggest box office hits.
- Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, founders of Killer Films, will discuss the multi-faceted role of a producer and their approach to working with filmmakers.
- Matthew Belloni's 'The Town' podcast will record live at the market with Fox Searchlight president Matthew Greenfield as the special guest.
Why it matters: TIFF is making a structural bet with its inaugural market, expanding the festival beyond screenings into deal-making territory — and Tremblay's own framing of 'creativity and commerce to co-exist' signals a deliberate dual track of prestige (Lee Chang-dong's Ebert Tribute) and commerce (Mattel Studios, Killer Films, Warner Bros.' Abdy and De Luca). For indie producers and studio arms, it plants a new September commercial venue right alongside the festival's longstanding creative reputation.



