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From Film Festival reViews 10-Year Archives: After 31 years, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) have a sophisticated Canadian film audience– film lovers willing to line up blocks long at screening venues to see the premieres. They are savvy about How to Festival even at morning screenings (the 9:30 a.m. screening of Dixie Chicks Shut Up and Sing) the line circled the block around Ryerson University. As one woman put it while waiting for her friend, “I’m retired and decided to take in this festival as much as possible. I get to see films before anyone else does and love to see films that I may never have a chance to see anywhere else.”
TIFF has a reputation for being well organized and audience friendly as can be attested by the packed theaters thus providing input longed for in marketing focus groups. Celebrities come here giving stargazers an opportunity to join the paparazzi. Passing by the Intercontinental Hotel I see clusters of people hanging around. I ask whom are they waiting to see? “Don’t know” Who are they expecting to see? “Don’t know” Have they seen anyone? “Not yet” OK, lots of patience going on here for a sighting and an autograph. Buyers are here, shopping and because the festival is touted as a very informal place to do business it wasn’t uncommon for me to hear purchases and distribution deals discussed at receptions, hotel lobbies, eating establishments and after panel discussions.
My arrival was a bit bumpy with last minute accommodations taking precedence, so I wasn’t into the mindset quite just yet, while everyone who arrived for the Opening Night were into it full swing. That’s what can be a little tough getting started, it’s like a car warming up, idling along and then once you get in gear, you’re screaming down the highway. Next day, I camped out at the Press Office. The staff, especially David the press office coordinator, was extremely helpful and I had an opportunity to follow up on some leads.
Blindsight is about the blind climber Erik W. and Sobriye co founder of Braille Without Borders, a school for blind children in Tibet, who take six students to climb the mountain peak next to Mount Everest. After watching a German film Khadak, I headed over to the Discovery Films reception hoping to run into some AFI or Discovery people I knew. Here I met the executive producer for A Killer Within and the director, Macky O. There, I found that a press/industry screening was scheduled for 10:30 p.m. and while I figured out where I was going to stay the rest of the week, I headed back downtown to see this documentary by Discovery Films.
Interestingly, I had preconceived notions about every one of the films I saw and have to say that I came out of the screening thinking to myself that’s not what I expected at all. This is good because sometimes I get bummed that nothing surprises me anymore and I tend to enjoy the cinematography over the story. Hence, for the remainder of the week I dub this truly a Discovery Week in Toronto.
09/12/2006
Film Festivals