Toronto Metropolitan University’s Image Arts Film Festival (IMAFF) announced this year’s festival will be hosted at the iconic and historic Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto from April 28-29. Showcasing the newest films produced by the city’s latest generation of directors, writers, producers and cinematographers, IMAFF is designed for film and art lovers interested in taking the pulse of Toronto’s thriving cinema scene.

The Winter Garden Theatre, along with its screen sister, the Elgin, first opened its doors in 1913. In April 2023, the venue will raise its curtain for TMU (formerly known as Ryerson), to bring together the University’s latest crop of cinematic talent as well as the Toronto film community to celebrate new talent, and attend panels and workshops to share insights and experiences gleaned in one of the world’s most vibrant filmmaking hubs.

From the creative minds of this new generation of storytellers, the final-year thesis films explore identities, issues and ideas, casting fresh perspectives on Canadian life. Students fund these films themselves and collaborate in making them throughout their final year on the BFA in Image Arts at TMU.

Last summer’s IMAFF festival sold out the iconic 614-seat Cinesphere. The Winter Garden Theatre’s capacity is 1,410, giving an even more dramatic big screen feeling to the cinematic premieres of some of Canada’s most promising new filmmaking talent.