Amid the sold-out movie premieres and star-studded red carpets, there was another side of the Toronto International Film Festival unfolding in places like the Soho Metropolitan Hotel on Wellington Street.

“Every hotel room has a different sales agent,” said Laurie May, co-president of Elevation Pictures and a member of TIFF’s board of directors.

Behind the scenes, distributors and studios met with sales agents and filmmakers. These meetings, as well as buzz from the festival can determine when, how, and sometimes if a film can one day be seen by a wider audience.

While high profile studio films like The Fablemans, The Woman King, and Glass Onion: