Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 12, 2016
• Invested on: August 25, 2017

Piers Handling has provided ample opportunities for the film industry to grow both
at home and abroad. As the director and CEO of the Toronto International Film
Festival (TIFF), he led its transformation into an international institution renowned
for its cultural and commercial importance. By spearheading the establishment of
TIFF’s permanent presence at the Bell Lightbox, he also created a centre around which
film culture in Canada could organize. Its facilities include not just cinemas, but also
publicly accessible archives, libraries and classrooms that support the next generation
of filmmakers.