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TORONTO OUTDOOR PICTURE SHOW
PRESENTED
When we were young
SUMMER 2025 IN PARKS ACROSS THE CITY
From June 12 through August 24, 2025, Toronto Outdoor Picture Show was proud to present our 15th anniversary festival over 20 evenings of open-air cinema programming at three parks across Toronto: Fort York, Christie Pits, and Corktown Common.
When We Were Young celebrated TOPS’ milestone birthday by throwing back to the festival’s very first curated programme theme – coming of age – to reflect on where we’ve been, where we’re going, and why we fell in love with the movies in the first place. Stories about the trials and tribulations of youth are a cinematic staple, and this programme included a diversity of short and feature films about the wonder of childhood, the never-easy process of growing up, and coming of age – at any age.
The festival season opened at Fort York on June 12 with Baz Luhrmann’s hyper-stylized Romeo + Juliet, a unique take on the timeless tale of star crossed lovers featuring young Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. When We Were Young featured coming of age classics young and old, including groundbreaking new kids on the block from the past decade (I Saw the TV Glow, Moonlight), middle-aged Gen X and Millennial stalwarts (celebrating Clueless’ 30th anniversary, Stand by Me), and venerable golden-agers from cinematic eras past (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Wizard of Oz). This programme invited you to lay a blanket in the grass and gaze up at the films that take us back to the times When We Were Young (however recent or distant).
All TOPS events are accessible and open to the public, with no barriers to entry. TOPS is always free to all, and charitable donations make this possible. As part of the 15th anniversary season, every person who mad a charitable donation of $15 or more on the TOPS website by mid August was invited to vote on the festival’s closing night film in August.
The When We Were Young programme was curated by Artistic & Executive Director Emily Reid, Manager of Programme Admin Isabella Brown, and programming contributors Lauren Baldwin, Rachel Barclay, Tika Francis, David Osubronie, Felan Parker, and Jon Petrychyn.
FORT YORK
OPENING WEEKEND
JUNE 12-17
CORKTOWN COMMON
THURSDAYS
JULY 3 - AUG 14
CHRISTIE PITS
SUNDAYS
JULY 6 - AUG 24
CLOSING WEEKEND
On August 23rd and 24th, the curtain closes on Toronto Outdoor Picture Show’s 15th anniversary season with two beloved modern-day Shakespeare adaptations hitting the big screen at Christie Pits Park. Catch the two-night bill of an encore presentation of Romeo + Juliet on Saturday August 23rd, and beloved late 90s teen cult classic10 Things I Hate About You on Sunday August 24th to bookend the summer season!
SPOTLIGHT FILMMAKER
Toronto filmmaker Kelly Fyffe-Marshall is featured as this year’s Spotlight Filmmaker, an annual TOPS tradition in which TOPS highlights a Canadian artist whose work inspires our programme selections.
Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s 2022 début feature When Morning Comes screens within the programme on August 10th at Christie Pits Park. Read more about Kelly’s work and her inspirations here.
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT: SOUTHWEST ASIAN & NORTH AFRICAN FILMMAKERS
Toronto Outdoor Picture Show is pleased to introduce a new programme spotlight, curated specifically for our 15th anniversary season. The Spotlight on SWANA Stories includes eight films by Canadian women filmmakers of the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) diaspora whose films touch on the coming of age theme that drives this summer’s film selection. Spotlight on SWANA Stories will highlight seven shorts and one feature film dotted throughout the When We Were Young programme this summer. Click here for more information.
ToPS at PARKS ACROSS THE CITY
Admission: All events are free to the public, no tickets or advanced registration are required to attend
Charitable donations make our programming possible
Event details:
Showtime at sundown
BYOBlanket & Chairs
Films are screened with open captioning (more accessibility features here)
Click here to read all film content advisories
