Ottawa and Toronto - September 15,
2004 Canadians can now enjoy the great films of the Toronto International
Film Festival®, delivered right to the comfort of their homes anywhere in
Canada, thanks to a new agreement between Toronto International Film Festival
and Zip.ca, Canada’s leading online DVD rental club.
Under the new agreement, members and the public alike gain new access to almost three decades of films that have been screened in the Festival through Zip’s website at www.zip.ca. Over 1,200 such films are immediately available on DVD for rental by Zip.ca members, and over 150 are available for purchase by members and the public at large.
"Our support of the Toronto Festival not only acknowledges the event as a cornerstone in Canadian culture and in international film appreciation," said Rick Anderson, President and CEO of Zip.ca. "It also extends the Festival’s reach by making past and present titles that have been screened in the Festival available for rent and purchase - year round, and in every corner of Canada - through Zip.ca’s website and service. Millions of cinephiles and film aficionados in Toronto and across Canada now have the benefit of a one-stop shop to rent or purchase the great films that have screened at the Toronto International Film Festival."
Zip.ca’s commitment to Canadian film appreciation extends beyond September 18th through Zip.ca’s simultaneous two-year commitment of support to Film Circuit. A division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, Film Circuit facilitates the screenings of Canadian and international independent films in over 170 communities across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The mandate of Film Circuit is to provide filmgoers in under-served communities with access to Canadian and international films that would otherwise screen only in larger centres. Film Circuit responds to an increasing demand for independent and international cinema and develops audiences for Canadian films.
"We are delighted to partner with Zip.ca as the Official Online DVD Service of the Toronto International Film Festival and Film Circuit," said Heather Sinclair, Director, Sponsorship of the Toronto International Film Festival Group. "Online DVD rental clubs are an exciting new channel for delivering high-quality international and domestic films to Canadian film-lovers, and Zip.ca is blazing a great trail with its commitment to providing the broadest-possible array of quality films. The Toronto International Film Festival has become world renowned as a celebration of past, present, and future achievements of filmmaking, and we are thrilled that Zip.ca is committed to bringing these achievements to film lovers across the country."
About Zip.ca:Zip.ca (www.zip.ca) is Canada’s leading online DVD rental
club, offering Canada’s largest selection, best service and best value in DVD
rentals. Zip.ca offers Canada’s most extensive DVD library (over 20,000 titles
and growing) and best prices for DVD rentals. Zip.ca provides members with 24/7
online convenience for creating and managing their own personal ZipLists of
must-see DVDs, and daily delivers thousands of DVDs right to members’ doors
across Canada. For a low monthly membership fee, Zip.ca provides unlimited DVD
rentals, with no deadlines, no late fees, and free two-way shipping. Since
opening its virtual doors to Canadian movie lovers on February 11, Zip.ca has
shipped over 239,000 rental DVDs to members. Members have filed an additional
439,000 DVD requests for future rentals in their personally-managed online
ZipLists of must-see DVDs, bringing past and future rental requests to over
678,000 DVDs. Based in Ottawa, Zip.ca is a member of the Momentous.ca family of
online enterprises, providing customers with high-quality high-value online
services.
About the Toronto International Film Festival®: The Toronto International Film Festival®, one of several programming initiatives of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, is widely recognized as the most important film festival after Cannes and the largest and most successful public festival in the world. It is the discriminating and sophisticated Toronto filmgoers who make the Toronto International Film Festival a must-attend event for the public, industry, and press alike. Over the last 28 years, the filmgoing public has supported and shaped the Festival into what it is today. Every September, the city opens its doors and experiences the best cinema in the world, and boasts 250,000 admissions annually.
About Film Circuit: A division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, Film Circuit facilitates the screenings of Canadian and international independent films in over 200 communities across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The mandate of Film Circuit is to provide filmgoers in under-served communities with access to Canadian and international films that would otherwise screen only in larger centres. Film Circuit responds to an increasing demand for independent and international cinema and develops audiences for Canadian films. Film Circuit is a grassroots, community-driven network, providing Canadian and international films to formerly under-serviced areas. Since it started in 1995, this immensely popular initiative has expanded nationally and has organized numerous national re-releases and international tours of Canadian film.
®Toronto International Film Festival is a registered
trade-mark of Toronto International Film Festival Inc.
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For more information on Zip.ca, please visit www.zip.ca
Zip.ca Media Contact: Susannah
Kilroy
(416) 524-5730 or susannah@zip.ca
For more information on the Toronto Film Festival, please visit www.e.bell.ca/filmfest
For more information on the Film Circuit, please visit www.bell.ca/filmcircuit/
TIFF and Film Circuit Press Office: 416-934-3200
