The 40th Toronto International Film Festival® comes to a close with record highs for industry attendance, including more than 2,100 buyers for a 9% increase over last year.

The Festival saw strong film sales: among the highlights was the sale of the Midnight Madness sci-fi action movie Hardcore, which sold to STX for a reported $10 million.

To date, 36 films were sold during the Festival to multiple territories. There were substantial U.S. sales for Anomalisa (Paramount), Eye in the Sky (Bleecker Street), Forsaken (Momentum Pictures), Into the Forest (A24), ma ma (Oscilloscope), Mr. Right (Focus), The Program (Momentum) and Sunset Song (Magnolia). Platform titles Neon Bull (Kino Lorber) and Land of Mine (Sony Pictures Classics) both claimed U.S. deals, while Primetime crime series Trapped sold to The Weinstein Company. The Festival’s Industry Office saw the number of registered delegates increase by 7% over 2014 with 5,450 delegates from 80 countries. T

he territories with the highest growth in registrants were Africa (33%), Europe (25%), and Australia/New Zealand (13%). Industry initiatives introduced this year included the Digital Screening Library and a live feed of popular Conference sessions direct to the Industry Centre. “It’s been an exciting year for sales with significant deals being made at the Festival.

 It’s a major draw for the industry and a hub for buyers from around the world,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Each year the TIFF Industry Office ensures that industry professionals who attend the Festival are provided with the opportunities, tools and information they need to successfully network and further their business, as well as creative goals. It’s a key component that drives the increase in numbers we see year after year.”

“Toronto’s enthusiastic audiences turned out for a cluster of high-profile titles, creating hype for Awards season and bolstering interest from international buyers,” said Kathleen Drumm, Director of TIFF’s Industry Office. “There were sales for the strong lineup of independent films showcased at the Festival along with substantial pre-sales.” U.S. and international sales confirmed to date include: 3000 Nights, Angry Indian Goddesses, Anomalisa, The Ardennes, Baskin, Dheepan, Eye in the Sky, Families, Green Room, Hardcore, I Smile Back, In the Room, Ixcanul, Land of Mine, Last Cab to Darwin, Les Cowboys, Let Them Come, ma ma, Men & Chicken, Mr. Right, The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Neon Bull, The Other Side, Our Last Tango, The Program, Summertime, Sunset Song, Trapped, Truman, Truth, Un plus une and The Wave. Canadian films sold during the Festival include: February, Forsaken, Into the Forest and Sleeping Giant.

The 2015 Industry Conference delivered 53 sessions and 213 speakers from September 10 to 17. Over the course of the seven-day conference, industry professionals heard from cinematic masters, creative innovators and business visionaries.

Notable presenters included Wendy Calhoun, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Stephen Frears, Asif Kapadia, Jia Zhang-ke, Mike Goodridge, Gigi Pritzker and Nicolas Chartier