Business Class to Toronto (YTO), Canada

Rub shoulders with the stars and influence tomorrow's Oscar winners

Keen film fans who are visiting the exciting city of Toronto on business during the month of September should not miss the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF for short). This is a fantastic opportunity to attend a top class film festival of the scale normally reserved only for industry insiders.

It is a key destination for many film makers and well attended by celebrities. The festival lasts for 11 exciting days, beginning the Thursday after Labour Day. It is one of the most prestigious and influential film festivals of the year, being compared to Cannes in terms of the number of stars and the quality of the films shown and it is the kick off festival in North America for the race for the Academy Awards, because of the relatively low costs compared to Cannes and the timing of the event. It has been the venue for premiere Oscar-winning films such as American Beauty that won five Oscars in 1999, Slumdog Millionaire that won eight Oscars in 2009 and Precious that won two Oscars in 2010 .

While the festival has traditionally focused on the independent sector, Hollywood is increasingly represented among the main features shown. The festival also premieres a good number of international films from Asia, Africa and South America.

For the chance to see the hotly-tipped films before Oscar night, be sure to get a ticket for this brilliant festival.