Reel impact: Toronto Outdoor Picture Show was founded by alumna Emily Reid

Alum and TOPS founder Emily Reid poses with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow during a screening in summer 2024. Photo by Rebecca Tisdelle-Macias.

For more than a decade, the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (TOPS) has been a staple of the city's summer scene. Whether it’s a cultural touchstone film or something more obscure, the screenings bring thousands of people together. And it’s all thanks to alum Emily Reid (MA 2010).

“TOPS exists at the intersection of community, culture, cinema, public spaces, accessibility and affordability, providing programming that is available to everyone regardless of financial means,” says Reid, artistic and executive director of TOPS.

The venture began humbly in 2011, just a few months after Reid earned her master of arts degree from the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Cinema Studies Institute.

The first screening billed as, “Movies in Christie Pits”, was a small event organized by Reid. She didn’t know if it would even last more than one night, but she was determined to tap into something the city craved.

“I think there is such a strong desire for gathering and fostering cultural experiences together,” says Reid.

Within a few years, the park was packed every Sunday night, to the point where Reid wanted to add more shows at more locations. After rebranding as Toronto Outdoor Picture Show and registering as a not-for-profit, Reid started running TOPS on a full-time basis.

“I didn't expect it to pay much and I was right about that. It took quite a long time to take a salary,” says Reid. “And there are times when I get caught up in the planning and the numbers of it all — but that goes away at showtime. When I look out and see such an impressive crowd, it's very touching and I feel enormously proud of it.”

TOPS registered as a charity in 2020, which helped secure new government grants and sponsorship opportunities. This growth made it possible for Reid to hire more full-time staff and purchase premium AV equipment to make the organization nimbler and more autonomous.

Lights, camera, education

Growing up in the ’90s in small-town Quebec, the only movies Reid could watch were the ones she rented from the small video store in town. Her favourites included A League of Their Own and Strictly Ballroom.

Reid was infatuated with film but realized she wasn’t a born filmmaker. Her true calling was in film curation and supporting other people’s artistic goals. She knew U of T could open the right doors and give her the experience she needed to make an impact.

“Toronto always sounded like a mythical place to be,” says Reid. “I knew its reputation as a city of cinephiles, and a city of festivals, I’d never been to the Toronto International Film Festival.”

For the practicum requirement of Reid’s master’s degree, she worked at Toronto’s historic Revue Cinema, where she pitched and curated her first film series. She learned how to source films, marketing and event production, all essential skills for her future startup.

U of T also played a pivotal role in expanding Reid’s industry network. She formed close bonds with the 13 people in her cinema studies cohort, some of whom later became her collaborators at TOPS. 

Felan Parker, associate professor, teaching stream in the Book & Media Studies program at St. Michael's College, is a TOPS co-founder who has served several terms on the board of directors and regularly contributes to festival programming.

“Emily is the driving force behind TOPS, having taken it from humble beginnings to what is easily the biggest and best outdoor movie event in the city,” says Parker. “She is probably the most fastidious person I know and community-oriented public arts is her passion and vocation.”

Parker and Reid have teamed up to build strong ties between U of T and TOPS. The organization has hosted numerous for-credit undergrad interns. Isabella Brown, a U of T graduate, joined TOPS as an intern and now she's the organization's program administrator.

An optimistic future

Despite TOPS’ success, Reid is tasked with combatting existential threats year in and year out, citing underfunding in the arts. Government grants are shrinking while inflation is rising.

“We lost all our sponsorship funding in the first week of the pandemic. And most of that has never returned, even though our festival is so much bigger, so much more successful than it was in 2019,” says Reid.

But Reid is hopeful that TOPS will continue hosting outdoor film screenings for many years to come. She knows the kind of value her creation has brought to the city she once studied in. She didn’t grow up here, but now she calls Toronto her home.

“When we hear that some arts entity is calling it quits, that doesn't mean something else won't come in its place. But it takes at least a decade to create something impactful. And we don’t live in a time where there are many resources available to create new things.

TOPS is grateful to the patrons who keep the festival running summer after summer. The films are free for everyone.

“We need to preserve what we love and what we value as the cultural fabric of this city.”

Originally published by Faculty of Arts & Science