A Letter From TIFF 2020
BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
Hello ¡Presente! Media follower,
My name is Kristal Sotomayor and I am co-founder of ¡Presente! Media. I am a filmmaker, festival programmer, and film critic. This year, I will be covering the online edition of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) running from September 10 to 19, 2020. Due to the fact that the festival will be virtual, TIFF has limited the number of press accreditations. I am fortunate to have been accepted into the competitive TIFF Media Inclusion Initiative.
Earlier this year, I was also awarded the Sundance Institute Press Inclusion Initiative to cover the Sundance Film Festival. It was my very first time covering a festival and I hope to transfer those skills to my coverage of TIFF. My experience at TIFF, however, will be my first experience covering an online film festival.
As part of my coverage, I aim to be a representative of Philadelphia during the online film festival. My goal will be to write film reviews and interview filmmakers to bring international knowledge to the city. We plan on collaborating with numerous arts organizations (such as CineSPEAK, AFROTAINO, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, and others) to bring the Philadelphia perspective to TIFF.
Best,
Kristal