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This year marks my 6th consecutive year of attending the Toronto International Film Festival. I remember my first festival like it was yesterday – tickets were being sold in a large, extended trailer near the Eaton Center. Now? Well now, TIFF has it’s own Lightbox so, you know, NO BIG DEAL. I love this festival with all of my heart. I mean that. There is no time more exciting in this city than those two weeks in September. There is a certain spark in the air – a mix of celebrity and fall, resulting in a love for movies. Movies! So, since I’ve been doing this thing for a while (eventually I’ll be accredited and it won’t collide with my school schedule) I thought I would put a together all you need to know for TIFF ’13.
How to pick your movies: this is for those of you opting for single tickets. First things first: do not try to see everything. Unless you have a blog, or you’re a film critic, or you live, breathe, eat, sleep movies, it’s absolutely exhausting. More power to you if you can, by all means and please do as many as you can because why not but don’t go out of your way because after the first 4 days, you will need a vacation from the festival. Trust me. If you’re just going for the films – try your best to avoid galas. They’re overpriced and you can see the exact same movie for less at the regular screenings. If seeing movies and celebrities are your main priorities pick tickets for day time screenings and go to the premieres at night. TIFF.net makes it super easy to schedule where you need to be to see what you need to see and meet who you want to meet.
How to meet celebrities: In recent years, the last 3 to be exact, the festival has become a madhouse. When I first started TIFFing (I hate myself for using that but we’re moving past it) it was me and 3 other people at the back of Ryerson, my secret spot no one knew about. Now? Now you have to get to any premiere at least – the very least – an hour early just to get a decent spot. Again: I try to avoid the big premieres. It’s just too much and you have better luck of spotting someone at a more neautral setting. Again: if you can do it, by all means, but it’s become slightly insufferable. My favourite spot remains the Ryerson Theatre (to interact with them one on one). Where’s my secret spot? The back of the theatre/end of the red carpet. You’re welcome! But don’t limit yourself to red carpets. Our city is beautiful, so walk around and you never know who you’ll bump into. With that said, do not be that person who lingers in Yorkville. They know to not stay there anymore, so they don’t. Some of them still do, of course, but there are now mobs of people who travel there during the festival lessening your chances of meeting anyone and just ending up annoyed.
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This is an incredibly focused picture of me and Kristen Wiig in a genuine and intimate exchange
How to use the festival to your advantage: buying tickets for the festival can be stressful. Picking packages, picking movies, sitting at your computer buying single tickets; it’s overwhelming but don’t limit yourself to the obvious. Rush lines are always your best opportunity to see something you forgot for cheap and last minute. If you’re the last person in the rush line, chances are you won’t end up seeing anything so know your lines: get there early, be in the first 50 people, and be prepared to wait. Also: always attend the TIFF Blackberry People’s Choice Award screening. It’s usually the absolute last screening of a movie for the festival and it’s the film that audiences enjoyed most. Last year it was a little movie called Silver Linings Playbook. Oh, and it’s free!
How to not be an asshole: every year the festival gets bigger and bigger. While the festival is amazing and all that, please, please, don’t forget your manners and don’t become a deranged fan. In Canada, we seem to be deprived of celebrity interaction, especially the kind that TIFF grants us peasants. So when it does happen, people seem to lose all self control. One year I was pushed into a wall by a mob of Ryan Gosling/Alexander Skarsgard fans. True story.
Enjoy your TIFF!
Tagged: anne hathaway, Bell Lightbox, canada, Film, Ryerson Theatre, Silver Linings Playbook, Tagged Image File Format, tiff, toronto international film festival Image may be NSFW.
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