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Cameron Bailey

For the New Zealand rugby union player, see Cameron Bailey (rugby union).
Cameron Bailey
Bailey in 2017
Born
London, England
EducationUniversity of Western Ontario
Occupation(s)Film critic, festival programmer

Cameron Bailey is a Canadian film critic and festival programmer, who is the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).[1][2]

In August 2025, during his tenure as CEO, TIFF made the contentious decision to rescind its invitation to screen the documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, citing legal clearance requirements for footage, including material filmed by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attacks.[3] However, the film was later reinvited to the festival.[4]

Biography

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Born in London, England to parents from Barbados,[5] he spent his early childhood in St. James, Barbados, before moving to Canada with his family at the age of eight.[5] Educated at the University of Western Ontario,[5] he worked as a film reviewer for Now, Canada AM, CBC Radio One, Take One and other publications before joining the Toronto International Film Festival as a programmer.[5]

He also co-wrote the screenplay for the 1997 film The Planet of Junior Brown with Clement Virgo,[5] and wrote and directed the short film Hotel Saudade.

In 2012, Bailey was named artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival.[6]

He participated in the 2015 edition of Canada Reads, where he advocated for Kim Thúy's novel Ru.[7] Ru ultimately won the competition.[8]

In 2018, Bailey was promoted to the newly created position of artistic director and co-head of the Toronto International Film Festival.[9] In 2021, following the resignation of co-head Joana Vicente, Bailey was named the festival's executive director.[10]

On November 30, 2021, Bailey was made the Chief Executive Officer of TIFF after a 25 year career with the festival.[11]

In 2024, he was named as a recipient of the Black Legacy Awards for distinguished cultural achievements by Black Canadians.[12]

Controversy

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In August 2025, TIFF withdrew its invitation for Barry Avrich's documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, which chronicles Israeli Major General Noam Tibon's efforts during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks. TIFF stated that the filmmakers had not met its "general requirements for inclusion," specifically legal clearance of all footage—including sensitive material recorded and livestreamed by Hamas militants—which the festival said posed legal and security risks.[13] In response, filmmakers accused TIFF of censorship; some critics characterized the decision as politically motivated.[14] Bailey said it was "unequivocally false" the film was being censored. The film was reinvited to the festival as an official selection.[4]

Selected publications

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  • Cameron Bailey (1999). Kay Armatage; Kass Banning; Brenda Longfellow; Janine Marchessault (eds.). A Cinema of Duty: The Films of Jennifer Hodge de Silva. Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema. Toronto: University of Toronto. pp. 94–108.
  • Cameron Bailey (1990). "A Cinema of Duty: The Films of Jennifer Hodge de Silva". CineAction. winter (23): 4–12. In this essay he honoured Jennifer Hodge de Silva.

References

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  1. ^ "A day in Toronto with film-festival chief Cameron Bailey". Financial Times. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ Vlessing, Etan (8 September 2022). "As TIFF Returns to an In-Person Event, CEO Cameron Bailey Talks Getting Ready for Hollywood Stars and Screaming Fans". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  3. ^ "TIFF pulls documentary on 2023 Hamas attack from festival lineup, citing footage rights issue". Associated Press. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Oct. 7 Documentary 'The Road Between Us' to Screen at TIFF After Fest Resolves Concerns". Variety. August 14, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Movie mogul Cameron Bailey" Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Immigrant, October 3, 2011.
  6. ^ "Cameron Bailey named artistic director of Toronto International Film Festival" Archived 2015-01-21 at archive.today. National Post, March 14, 2012.
  7. ^ "CBC announces Canada Reads finalists" Archived 2015-02-09 at archive.today. Toronto Star, January 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "'Ru' by Montreal's Kim Thuy wins CBC's 'Canada Reads' competition" Archived 2015-05-03 at the Wayback Machine. Brandon Sun, March 19, 2015.
  9. ^ Lang, Brent (2018-04-19). "Cameron Bailey Promoted to Co-Head of Toronto Film Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  10. ^ "Cameron Bailey appointed CEO of Toronto International Film Festival" Archived 2022-01-25 at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, November 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "TIFF appoints Cameron Bailey as CEO". TIFF. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  12. ^ "TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey among 2024 Legacy Awards honourees". Toronto Star, September 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "TIFF pulls documentary on 2023 Hamas attack from festival lineup, citing footage rights issue". Associated Press. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Anger after Toronto film festival pulls invite for October 7 doc". Yahoo News. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
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