Toronto International Film Festival - Film Reference Library (TFF-FRL) 

TIFF Film Reference Library maintains the world's largest resource of English-language Canadian film and film-related materials as well as a wide range of local, national and international film resources.

• Hours and Location 

  • The Library has limited hours. It's recommended to contact the Library before visiting (TIFF-FRL Policies) since some materials are held offsite and may require 48 hours to acquire from storage.

• Collections

  • Periodicals including American Cinematographer (1954+), The Motion Picture Herald (1951-1958 & 1960-1978), and numerous other popular & trade journals from the studio era and earlier days of film can be found using the advanced search by title (Note: use quotation marks around the title of the periodical in the search and select result that contain 'periodical' as the object name)
  • Special Collections include the documentation of the early work, script development and production by some of Canada numerous other popular & trade journals from the studio era and earlier days of Canada's great film auteurs. The Collections boast all three drafts of David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch, a handwritten script for Atom Egoyan’s Speaking Parts, and the original script from Don Shebib’s classic Goin' Down the Road. In addition to scripts, the Collections also feature storyboards, notes and other documentation, music scores, set designs and memorabilia.
• Tips for Searching Collections Online (PDF Guide)
  • Contact TIFF "Ask an Expert". 
  • Exhibitions include artist and curation statements, in addition to images of exhibitions held at TIFF. These include exhibitions on industry creatives and stars, production design, and cultural investigations around cinema. Some notable names include David Cronenberg, Mary Pickford, Richard Kerr. 
  • Canadian Film Encyclopedia (CFE) includes over 750 film title, biographical and subject entries, covering some of Canada’s foremost historical and modern films and filmmakers. The film title entries include plot summaries, commentary and credits, and the biographical entries have a comprehensive list of film and video works indicating the person’s key creative roles.

UofT Media Commons - Media Archives

Rachel Beattie & Christina Stewart are the Assistant Media Archivists at the UofT Media Archives

• Contact them via email: mediacommons.library.utoronto.ca/media-archives-contact
• Twitter: @MediaCommons_TO,  Facebook: www.facebook.com/uoftmediacommonsarchives

University of Toronto's Discover Archives  

Discover Archives is a shared portal for exploring archival holdings at the University of Toronto and its federated colleges. The database contains descriptions of material related to the University of Toronto's history, as well as records from private individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.

Archives in Toronto

Search Tips for Working with Local Archives

Remember unspecified, these archive collections are accessed on the physical site. It's best to review their websites and make a plan to contact them before arriving on-location.