Toronto lineup aims to show diversity on and off the screen

Prophecy abounds at the Toronto International Film Festival. Pundits pronounce Oscar guarantees. Buzz, the most cherished commodity at the festival, is measured and speculated on like stock prices.

But this year's festival, teeming with diversity on screen and behind the camera, stuffed to the gills with not just more than 300 films but virtual reality and even a smattering of television, might just offer a broader vision of what's to come in movies.

"If you want to see the future of film, you need to come to Toronto this year," says Cameron Bailey, artistic director of the festival.