Apple Video Execs to Scope Out Movies at the Toronto International Film Festival

Apple executives in charge of the company's video efforts will be attending the Toronto International Film Festival this week to scope out potential movie acquisitions, reports Variety.

The site says that at least one of the top programming executives, which includes Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, will be at the festival to look for new content that could fill out an upcoming entertainment service.

appletiff
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to kick off on Thursday, September 6, and it will run through Sunday, September 16. This will mark the first time that Apple executives have attended the film festival, and the company will be competing with at least one other TV giant -- Amazon. Amazon executives are also going to be attending the festival to look for new movies to pick up.

342 films are set to be shown off at the Toronto International Film Festival, with a list of content available on the website for the festival.

While Apple has more than a dozen original television shows that are in the works, it has thus far established few deals for movies.

In fact, we only know about one potential movie deal with Cartoon Saloon, a company that develops animated movies like "The Secret of Kells," "The Song of the Sea," and "The Breadwinner."

Rumors have suggested that Apple is planning to launch some kind of streaming television service in the future where all of the television shows are in the works will be available, and if Apple is aiming to compete with Netflix and Amazon, exclusive movie offerings will help to fill out its content catalogue.

There has, however, been no concrete information outlining exactly how Apple is going to distribute its original content, nor details on what a potential streaming service could cost if it is in the works, but we may learn more next year as the first of the TV shows is rumored to be debuting in March 2019.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Spotlight

Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.1 With Liquid Glass Toggle, Slide to Stop Alarm, New Apple Intelligence Languages and More

Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.1 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
Early Black Friday Deals 2

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Sunday November 2, 2025 10:04 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

New Version of Siri to 'Lean' on Google Gemini

Sunday November 2, 2025 6:06 am PST by
In his "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today provided an update on the status of Apple Intelligence and the plans for it in 2026. Apple is still planning to roll out its revamped version of Siri around March of next year. The release should be accompanied by the release of a new smart home display product with speaker-base and wall-mount options. A new Apple TV and HomePod...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Likely Launching Soon

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:49 am PST by
A new Apple TV and HomePod mini could launch as soon as this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today suggested. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple retail stores are planning an overnight refresh on the evening of November 11, where changes will be made after closing, such as refreshing displays and placing new products for the following day. The timing of the overnight...

Top Rated Comments

corebeliefs Avatar
94 months ago
So Apple cancels routers and monitors and other useful computing devices because it would split their attention. So they go into movies. Got it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
94 months ago
Well, that was eerie. I just walked my dog along King Street where the festival is being held and I noticed a group of men and a woman and one of them was wearing a blue Apple Park polo. I immediately thought that they might be Apple execs here for the festival. Then I came here and saw this news.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wigby Avatar
94 months ago
Let's hope they skip film festivals and just buy original content.
How does one "just buy original content"? The films at these festivals are original content looking for distributors. Yes they are already made but not by big studios.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
94 months ago
Update:

I'm almost certain that one of the people in the group of Apple executives that I saw was Zack Van Amburg, co-head of Apple worldwide video programming. Amburg came to Apple with Jamie Erlicht from Sony Pictures. Together, they're responsible for hits like Breaking Bad.



If it was indeed him, Apple is sending their A-Team to the Toronto International Film Festival. They're serious about TV. I can't wait for the Apple TV announcement.

I'm photographing the festival. Who else should I be on the lookout for? Eddie Cue? I doubt Tim Cook would be here.

Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
94 months ago
Let's hope they skip film festivals and just buy original content.
They tried that. We got carpool karaoke, planet of the apps, cult of Mac, and that awful fictionalized bio of Dre that pretended he wasn't a misogynistic woman-beater.

Apple sucks at original content.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
routine_analyst Avatar
94 months ago
This whole Apple Production Studio thing will go down in history as a mistake. Maybe not right now when Apple is seemingly unbreakable, but someday, when they think "damn, where did all our billions go?" and Tim Cook has gone off into politics.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)