The 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) opened in one of North America’s most culturally diverse cities, bringing together filmmakers, producers, studio executives, critics, media, and audiences from across the globe to share the latest in cinematic storytelling and industry insights.
In recent years, TIFF has become increasingly international. Beyond the latest Hollywood blockbusters, North American audiences and industry insiders are turning their attention to a wider range of global storytelling. Chinese-relevant cinema has also made a strong impression at this year’s festival: from Venice winner The Sun Rises on Us All to Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, winner of the People’s Choice Award, and Crystine Zhang’s Glenrothan in the prestigious Gala Presentation program—highlighting the increasing impact of Chinese filmmakers on the world stage.
On September 9, during the festival, Hengdian World Studios hosted the Hengdian Night @ TIFF industry networking event at the TIFF LightBox, themed “50 Years and Beyond.” Marking the 50th anniversary of the Hengdian Group, this event was both a celebration of its legacy and Hengdian’s first official presence at a major North American film festival—signaling a major step toward integrating into the heart of the global film industry.
For many, the name Hengdian evokes iconic images from countless Chinese historical dramas: the grandeur of Qin Palace, the bustling Along the River During the Qingming Festival set, the majesty of the Ming and Qing imperial courts… These sets have defined the visual memory of generations of Chinese audiences. But Hengdian is quietly transforming itself:
•130+ high-tech soundstages: Featuring LED virtual production studios, the world’s largest single soundstage at 12,000㎡, underwater studios, and variety show stages—capable of handling complex productions across genres including fantasy, sci-fi, war epics, and disaster films at Hollywood standards.
•A complete, one-stop production ecosystem: 140,000 registered actors, 6,000+ technical professionals, costuming, props, lighting, art departments, VFX, digital post-production, intelligent production management systems, and even China’s second-largest cinema chain—offering full-process support from filming to distribution for international co-productions and overseas projects.
•Cost and efficiency advantages: At a time when the global film industry seeks cost-effectiveness and cross-border collaboration, Hengdian extends a compelling invitation to producers worldwide with its promise of “Hollywood scale, Chinese speed”—delivering large-scale, high-efficiency, and cost-competitive production capabilities for global projects.
As Caroline Guo, General Manager of Global Development Division of Hengdian World Studios, noted in her opening remarks: “Hengdian is no longer just China’s Hengdian. We aim to become the world’s Hengdian.”
The Hengdian Night @ TIFF event welcomed TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, who attended in person to offer his congratulations. Martin F. Katz, renowned Canadian producer and former President of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, shared behind-the-scenes stories from Bethune, the first official China-Canada co-production, expressing hope for more international collaborations to be filmed at Hengdian in the future.
Also in attendance were Lesley Paterson, producer of All Quiet on the Western Front—the German epic that won four Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards including Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score—as well as Oscar-nominated screenwriters Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, known for works such as The Fighter, Patriots Day, The Outpost, and Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
Hollywood-based Chinese producer Crystine Zhang, long recognized in Cannes, Berlin, AFI, and other international circles, also joined the event. She has been deeply involved in numerous TIFF competition and Gala Presentation titles, including Glenrothan, Prisoner’s Daughter, Lee, The Fabulous Four, and Josephine, and is one of the few Chinese producers to have earned such prominent recognition in Hollywood.
Other distinguished guests included Katelyn Cursio of Carousel Pictures, Antonio Lenco, founding member of the Vaughan International Film Festival, Josh Peters,producer and co-founder of Spark Features and Hollywood actor-filmmaker Steven Morana. Together, they engaged in in-depth discussions on co-productions, industry-chain integration, and innovative collaboration models—exploring Hengdian’s potential role in the global filmmaking landscape.
Many guests were astonished after watching Hengdian’s promotional film, saying they “never imagined Hengdian’s scale and technology would be so impressive, nor that its production ecosystem and pricing policies would be so competitive.” Some immediately began exploring future collaboration possibilities, including projects set in the 1920s and the Korean War era, inquiring about Hengdian’s incentives for overseas productions, full-service support, and opportunities for Chinese cinematic distribution. As one guest remarked: “I’m going to recommend Hengdian to every producer I know.”
As Hengdian Night @ TIFF concluded amid lively conversations and bold visions for the future, Hengdian sent a clear signal to the global film industry: it is poised to become a global hub for film production, cultural innovation, and cross-border collaboration—powered by international partnerships, cutting-edge film technology, and a fully integrated industry ecosystem.
This future vision not only includes further expansion of high-tech facilities, intelligent production systems, and end-to-end service capabilities but also embraces a more open and collaborative approach to attract world-class projects to Hengdian. As one departing guest remarked: “Before tonight, I didn’t even know a place like this existed. Now I believe the next international blockbuster might very well be made in Hengdian.”
