Cypress, Ca—Sep 10, 2009
Christie® Digital Projectors Take Center Stage at 34th Toronto International Film Festival®
Christie®, a global leader in visual solutions for business, entertainment and industry, is pleased to announce that its popular DLP Cinema® projectors will be featured at select theaters hosting the 34th Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF), September 10 –19, 2009. This marks Christie’s eighth year as projection sponsor of the Festival, one of the most prestigious international film festivals in the world. Attracting thousands of Canadian and international industry delegates, the Festival’s selection of eight Christie projectors for the screening of major digital premieres marks their mutual vision for “…seeking new ways to engineer creative and cultural discovery through film.”
Remaining true to this vision, in 2009, the Festival will feature the exciting, new addition of a 3D movie premiere with Christie’s industry acclaimed and most deployed digital cinema projectors, the Christie CP2000 Series. This class of projectors features Christie Brilliant3D™ technology, which provides crisp, clear and significantly brighter images for a true digital experience.
According to Film Journal International magazine (www.filmjournal.com), by 2012, approximately 20% of the world’s cinema screens will be converted to digital projection1. “The changing perception of digital cinema, that it is becoming the premiere format of choice, speaks to the importance of continuing to screen films digitally at our festival,” remarks Andrei Gravelle, Technical Manager, TIFF. “We are pleased to be presenting 48% of all titles in digital format and are especially excited for the presentation of our first digital 3D film ever utilizing Christie’s advanced 3D DLP Cinema projectors.”
Joe Dante’s suspense thriller, TheHole (http://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/films/hole), will screen in Dolby® 3D at the Ryerson Theatre, Scotiabank Theatre 4 and AMC 9 during the Festival. The Ryerson Theatre will feature the Christie CP2000-SB and Christie CineIPM 2K in Dolby 3D. This 30,000 ANSI lumens projector is the world’s most deployed digital cinema projection solution and is ideally suited for large screen theaters, such as the Ryerson Theatre (17ft H x 40ft W screen size). With the filmmaker in mind, Christie engineered this projector to support the storytellers’ creative abilities by developing a visual solution that provides depth and perspective, rendering an immersive cinematic experience.
The Christie CP2000-X makes its red carpet appearance at the Visa Screening Room in the Elgin Theatre, where The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Up In The Air and The Boys are Back will screen. This historic, landmark theater features one of the few remaining double-decker (or stacked) Edwardian theater facilities in the world.2 The split body design of the Christie CP2000-X projector meets the requirements of this well preserved theater, where the projection head and engine of the Christie CP2000-X are separated from their power source and placed in a compact space, providing a projection solution that “fits” even the most long-standing theaters.
Other films screening with Christie digital projectors include Get Low, Micmacs, Mr. Nobody,Women Without Men, and Jennifer’s Body. The first two titles will screen at the iconic Roy Thomson Hall, where the Christie CP2000-SB projector will take main stage.
Christie is also providing four three-chip DLP® projectors to exhibit movies from HDCAM in HD resolution. Theaters that will provide this digital, high-definition experience include: the Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre), the Ryerson Theatre, the Isabel Bader Theatre, Scotiabank Theatre 1, Scotiabank Theatre 4, and Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) for titles such as: Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, The Joneses, Capitalism: A Love Story, A Single Man and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.
“Now in its 34th year, the Festival continues to engage and entertain audiences by showcasing the best in Canadian and international film,” observes Natalie Lue, TIFF’s vice-president of Operations and Production. “Through our long-standing partnership with Christie, their outstanding projectors and unparalleled support, we are able to provide audiences with a superior visual experience in Toronto.”
The “superior visual experience” Lue describes is a testament to Christie’s position as a leading provider of digital cinema solutions. Christie owns a commanding 70% of the worldwide market share and 75% of the North American market share, with a total number of 7,500+ digital cinema projection systems installed worldwide. Christie’s dominance in cinema is also witnessed in its successful, worldwide exhibitor partnerships, the latest being with Time Antaeus Media Group Co. Ltd. The two companies recently announced that they are working together to deploy 800 digital cinema projector units in theaters across China by the end of 2010.
About TIFF
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. TIFF generates an annual economic impact of $135 million CAD and currently employs more than 100 full-time staff and 500 part-time and seasonal staff and counts upon the largesse of over 2,000 volunteers year-round.
