Peek inside the film industry's home away from home at TIFF

The film industry has landed in Toronto for TIFF, but if you want to refine that ground zero to a few hundred square feet or so, their headquarters is the Glenn Gould Studio, where the festival's industry conferences take place. CBC Arts came through on TIFF's opening day, just as delegates were assembling for an annual event, the Canadian Media Production Association's Producer's Award. Robert Lantos claimed the $10,000 prize, by the way. (His latest film is Atom Egoyan's revenge drama Remember, which premieres at Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 12.) But the squished-in crowd was there for more than the announcement. There's schmoozing to do, in person or on social media.

Shana McCalla

​"I try to go to the Producer's Award every year," says McCalla, whose Salemscript Productions is based in Toronto. "As an independent producer it's important to be a CMPA member — to support the events and see who's hot and what not, to keep up to date with who's who."

After three years attending TIFF, McCalla's seeing 2015 as an exciting year. She makes documentaries, and the timing on her latest film, My Father in Grey, is good. "Before, I was coming for the learning experience. This year, I've evolved. My projects are further along," she explains, and she's already set up meetings with an executive producer.

Andrea McGrath

As the person tweeting for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, when McGrath covers TIFF red carpets and fan events (and the CMPA Producer's Award), she's all about the CanCon. "We're trying to focus the spotlight on how Canadians are doing so well this year," she says.

In four years of industry-boosting she's seen the festival grow ("it seems like there's more media at this event every year") – and she's collected some favourite moments. "I think one of the coolest people I saw was Jay Baruchel," she says of a gala premiere two years ago. "He spent so much time with the fans, they were just running up at him."

Chris Evans

It's Chris Evans, but "not Captain America Chris Evans," the London, Ontario filmmaker explains. At TIFF, he says, "I always have to explain myself."

"I'm basically here to network," he says. He's developing a documentary about his relationship with his hometown —which is appropriately titled Hometown — and he's here to show people a trailer, too, which he shot for a feature called Ledges. "It's cool to be around people like this. People with the same skill sets, the same drive, the same path."

Follow @CBCArts on Instagram for more photos of the people and places of TIFF.