TORONTO - The Toronto International Film Festival is putting its weight behind up-and-coming Canadian actors.
Co-director Cameron Bailey says the festival wants to boost the burgeoning careers of homegrown performers with a "Rising Stars" program, starting this September.
The program will give four actors a festival showcase, as well as consultations with casting directors, agents, managers, publicists and filmmakers.
It will also connect the promising performers with Canadian stars who have already established successful careers in the United States and elsewhere.
The program launches at this year's festival, slated to run Sept. 8 to 18.
Organizers say details regarding the selection process will be announced in the coming weeks.
"Filmmaking in Canada has resisted a star system, yet many Canadian actors have gone on to enormous global success," Bailey said Friday in a release.
"TIFF's Rising Stars aims to find Canada's most promising actors and give them the professional tools and contacts they need to break big."
