Film Reference Library

The Film Reference Library is Canada's dedicated film research collection, situated in Toronto, Ontario. Located on the 4th floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox cultural centre, it functions as a free, non-circulating resource for students, filmmakers, scholars, and journalists. As a proud affiliate of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), the institution is devoted to promoting Canadian and global cinema scholarship through the collecting, preserving, and providing of access to comprehensive film prints and reference materials.

The library's origins trace back to 1990, when it assumed operation of the Ontario Film Institute. The Province of Ontario selected the library to act as the guardian of the institute's film-related holdings, ensuring the continuation of the dedicated work initiated by Gerald Pratley, the founder of the Ontario Film Institute. This transition established the library's core mandate to collect and preserve materials indispensable to film education, production, and research.

The library's holdings encompass a wide array of film-related reference resources, including books, periodicals, scripts, research files, press kits, and 35mm film prints. Quantitatively, the collection includes 20,000 book titles, 13,000 films, 2,000 film scripts, 700 magazine and journal titles, 6,000 soundtracks and television titles, 11,000 posters, and 300,000 images. Additionally, it maintains 60,000 film research files containing press kits, photographs, and clippings, alongside the corporate archive for the Toronto International Film Festival.

Beyond its general reference materials, the library houses over 80 Special Collections that illuminate the history of Canadian cinema. These special collections consist of original archival records, audiovisual material, film elements, print materials, festival catalogues, shooting scripts, and production notes. Among these is the personal research archive of film journalist and celebrity interviewer Brian Linehan, in whose memory the library's public reading room is named. Another highlighted holding includes over 1,900 one-of-a-kind objects created by Nadejewski, showcasing the fashion, films, and careers of notable 20th-century actors.

The library is situated on the 4th floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, a cultural centre located at Reitman Square, 350 King Street West in Toronto. Within this space, the library shares its floor with the CIBC Canadian Film Gallery, which hosts exhibitions exploring film history and culture. Previous exhibitions held in the gallery space include In Love with the Stars, The Unseen Seen, The Booth, X-Men Master: Gordon Smith, Otherworldly: The Art of Canadian Costume Design, and Mary Pickford and the Invention of the Movie Star.

The library operates as a free resource open to the public. It accepts walk-in visitors, though advance contact is recommended due to building access requirements when the TIFF Lightbox is closed. Visitors are advised to call upon arrival to gain building entry, or to book an appointment by contacting library services via email or phone at least two days in advance to ensure requested materials can be retrieved. The library also provides virtual reference services via phone and email for remote researchers.