TIFF Talk

TIFF 2011 Day 4 Recap

2011-09-12T00:21:00.003-04:00

Thoughts on day 4:

In place of the normal trailers, they showed a short film talking about 9/11 and what happened at the festival in 2001. Although someone forgot to tell the projectionist for Lightbox 1 for Drive that.
Drive: interesting film with a bit of an 80's vibe going on; esthetic reminded me a bit of Michael Mann. Gosling gives a good understated performance, but Brooks steals the show. Director Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks all made it to a Q&A after the film (alas, no Carey Mulligan or Christina Hendricks).
In Conversation With Frances Ford Coppola: wide-ranging discussion with questions from Cameron Bailey and the audience, covering everything to his thoughts on how to deal with actors, how he learned to stand up to studios, to his winery, and his writing process. Coppola received a well-deserved standing ovation at the start and end of the session.
I'm Yours: fun and dramatic road trip through northern Ontario with Rossif Sutherland and Karine Vanasse. Thought it was a nicely put together film. I couldn't stay for the Q&A with Sutherland and director Leonard Farlinger (Vanasse appeared before the film, but had to jet off for shooting on the ABC TV series Pan Am). The film was proceeded by Something Red, a fun little short from first-time director Ilana Frank, an EP on Rookie Blue, which explains the presence of Travis Milne, Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith in the short and at the screening. Combined with seeing Charlotte Sullivan at last night's premiere of Edwin Boyd, I only need to find a film with Enuka Okuma to get the set.
Headshot: latest from Pen-ek Ratanaruang (who is a pretty funny guy in real life), about a hitman who after being shot sees the world upside down. Liked the story of how the main character sees his life differently as his view changes, and was quite accessible, which is not always the case with films in the Vanguard program. Only problem was apparently the film was projected far darker than it should have been, so some of the scenes at night were difficult to make out. Hopefully that won't happen in other screenings.

TIFF 2011 Day 3 Recap

2011-09-11T01:02:00.002-04:00

Some quick thoughts on the movies I saw today:

The Artist: a film about a silent screen star that can't cope with the advent of the talkies. Shot as an actual silent movie with no dialog, this was a really clever move that produced a really touching and funny story. Hard to believe you can get a compelling 90 minute movie with no speaking, but director Michel Hazanavicius does it with aplomb.
Killer Elite: couldn't get more star power than having Robert De Niro, Jason Statham and Clive Owen on stage at once. But I was actually there to see Yvonne Strahovski (from TV's Chuck), and she didn't disappoint. :-) She even managed to change at some point between the start and end of the movie! The film itself was action packed, but was a bit awkwardly structured at the start, and I'm not quite sure I bought the Featherman as this all-powerful Illuminati-like cabal, at least from how they were portrayed. But I enjoyed the interplay between all the characters, and De Niro's turn, while nothing taxing, reminded me a little bit of his role in Ronin.Owen and Statham played well off of each other. Strahovski's part was a 180 from Sarah Walker, and I wish the script gave her more to do, but she acquitted herself well with what she had, including sharing scenes with De Niro.
Burning Man: Matthew Goode does a great turn as a chef plagued by his own inner demons as he comes to terms with a tragedy in his life. The film jumps around quite a bit in time and as such is a bit hard to follow at the start; by the end the rhythm settles and you can see everything come to together.
Edwin Boyd: Based on the real life exploits of a Canadian bank robber, the film features Scott Speedman as the title character. Speedman really digs into the role and you can see his struggle as he finds his way to criminality first as a means to support his family, and then as he begins to enjoy the noteriety. Also features Kelly Reilly (who I recognized but struggled to remember from where, until I remembered her as Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice and Mary Morstan in Sherlock Holmes), Brian Cox, Kevin Durand (who's old Toronto vocal coach happened to be in the audience), Charlotte Sullivan (who I recognized from Rookie Blue), and William Mapother.

TIFF 2011 Day 2 Recap

2011-09-10T00:57:00.002-04:00

Some quick thoughts on the films I saw today:

Urbanized: the latest from documentarian Gary Hustwit (Helvetica, Objectified), the film takes a look at urban design around the world, from the US to South America, from Europe, to Africa, and to Asia. A fascinating look at how the organization, or lack thereof, in how a city is built can affect communities, societies, and the environment. The film was well-received by the packed crowd at the Ryerson. Hustwit himself, who stayed for a Q&A, was quite well acquainted with the urban planning challenges we have here in Toronto, including the mayor's recent attempt to throw out the current, long-in-the-works plan for the waterfront with a completely different one that he somehow thinks can be in place in six years. Probably the biggest hit in the film was the former mayor of Bogota, who talked of the city's move to put transit and cyclists front and center. If you care about having a vibrant, livable city, this is one to see.
Elles: an interesting film, but can't say too much about it as I was unfortunately sitting behind the tallest person in the theatre so I couldn't make out much of the subtitles and my French is rather limited. Juliette Binoche did appear, as did director Malgoska Szumowska. I'll have to catch this again at some point.
Sons of Norway: at turns funny and dramatic, this film from director Jens Lien (The Bothersome Man) showcases the story of a young boy who turns to punk to cope with a tragedy in his life. Also features a cameo by John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) who joined Jens Lien and writer Nikolaj Frobenius on stage afterwards for a Q&A. Lydon said he rarely if ever puts his name behind anything, but he was really committed to this film.

TIFF 2011 Day 1 Recap

2011-09-09T03:18:00.000-04:00

Had a pretty good start to the fest:

Pina: I'm not into modern dance, but if any film can make me a convert, it's this one. Wim Wenders did a Q&A after the film, and you can tell this was a labour of love for him and Pina Bausch's dance company. The use of 3D is not overwhelming, and is effective in giving that added layer of depth that makes the dance movements stand out.
From Up on Poppy Hill: intentionally not as fantastical as Studio Ghibli's other output, it's a nice little coming-of-age/love story, although a little bit thin on plot/drama except for the main obstacle that arises between the leads, which in and of itself is a bit out there (and which the film itself knowingly acknowledges). Still enjoyed it and was a nice break between some heavier films.
The Raid: probably the best martial-arts action film I've seen in a long time, and puts anything coming out of North America to shame. Great fight choreography that is well shot and framed so you can see all the movements and action.

Some other things of note:

The new Cadillac and RBC trailers were funny and a nice change, although I think the RBC ones will get tired quicker.
The new volunteer trailer was fun; wouldn't want to cross Deepa Metha.
Last year they were plugging an upcoming Tim Burton exhibit at the Lightbox; this year it's Grace Kelly.
They really have to work on their line management at the Lightbox. We were queueing for Poppy Hill, and they had the line doubling up on itself multiple times; credit the volunteers and the crowds from keeping things getting ugly, but they should fix the whole situation fast.
Don't lose your 3D glasses! They'll charge you $10 if you do.

2011 Programme Book Gift Bag

2011-09-03T22:15:00.002-04:00

For those that are interested, the 2011 programme book gift bag contains the following:

A tote bag, co-sponsored by Timberland. The material seems flimsier than last year.
The big thing in the bag this year was a GO Transit umbrella. GO Transit is our regional transit agency in southern Ontario.
A RBC TIFF fridge magnet.
An ad for the TIFF Festival Music House, which allows filmmakers (not the public) to listen to Canadian bands. This year, K'naan, the Sam Roberts Band, The Rural Alberta Advantage, and Lights are just some of the artists that will be performing. The card had a link for a free music sampler, but when I tried it today, the link didn't work.
A Pizza Nova gift card.
An ad for TorontoFilmFestivals.com, which seems to list all the various film festivals around Toronto during the year.
An ad for Skyy Vodka.
A visitor's guide pamphlet for the Toronto entertainment district, the area bounded by Spadina, Bay, Queen, and Front Streets.
A Bell Blackberry ad, with a discount of 50% of any new Blackberry purchased during the festival, and QR codes for apps.
A postage-paid postcard with a picture of actress Fay Wray. I think this is from Canada Post.
An ad for Canada Post for their app that allows you to send a physical TIFF postcard from your smartphone.
An ad for the National Film Board of Canada.
A coupon for one free McCafe product from McDonald's.
A coupon for one free digital download from HMV.
An ad for Telefilm Canada.

No food products, no samples, and I think Stella Artois has long given up on the beer glasses from previous years. The GO Transit umbrella is nice, though.

TIFF 2011 Available Screenings, September 7 8:04 PM

2011-09-03T07:47:00.001-04:00

Here'sthe current list of available screenings, according to the TIFF website, listedbelow. This will be my last update of available tickets. Your best alternative is to check at the Festival Box Office, or at the Theatre Box Offices the day of the screening, or the festival website at http://www.tiff.net/.

If aparticular screening is marked as Off Sale, i.e. sold out, then keeping tryingthroughout the festival. Additional screenings may be added, additional ticketsmay be released, or people may exchange their tickets for other movies andthose originals are then released back for sale.

Additionaltickets may also be made available the day of the screening, so try checkingthen. The TIFF website will list their "best bets" for same daytickets available on the following day, on the website, and through e-mail ifyou subscribe to their TIFF Alerts.

Try adifferent screening. Screenings early in the week tend to sell out faster thanthose later in the festival.

Try checking the forums at TIFF Reviews, at http://www.tiffreviews.com/forum/. People will often post if they are looking to tradetheir tickets.

If allelse fails, you can try the rush line outside the theatre screening your film.If any last minute seats open up, because someone doesn't show up for theirscreening, or seats reserved for people associated with the film aren't allfilled, the theatre may release those seats. People in the rush line will getfirst crack at purchasing any seats that come available (sales are usually cashonly, so make sure you have enough on you). Note there is no guarantee anyonein the rush line will be able to get in.

Onoccasion, ticket holders that don't want to see the film or that have extratickets, may go down the rush line offering their extras; I've been on bothends of this before, where I've sold my ticket to someone in the line, or beenin the line and bought a ticket off of someone looking to sell.

Screenings - #
Available	360 (PREMIUM SCREENING) Friday, September 9, 2011 - 9:00pm Visa Screening Room at the Elgin 18A
Available	11 FLOWERS - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - PG

Screenings - A
Available	ALBERT NOBBS (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	ALMAYER'S FOLLY - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 10:00pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	ALMAYER'S FOLLY - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	ALOIS NEBEL - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 2:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	ALOIS NEBEL - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	ALWAYS BRANDO - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	ALWAYS BRANDO - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 2:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	AMERICANO (PREMIUM SCREENING) Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:30pm Isabel Bader Theatre 18A
Available	AMERICANO - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 3:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	AMERICANO - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 10:00pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A
Available	AMONG US - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	AMY GEORGE WITH GOOD BOY - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - PG
Available	AMY GEORGE WITH GOOD BOY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - PG
Available	ANONYMOUS (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:00pm Visa Screening Room at the Elgin 14A
Available	ARIRANG - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	ARIRANG - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 2:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	ARIRANG - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 2:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	AVALON - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 4:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	AVALON - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	AVALON - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 6:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	THE AWAKENING (PREMIUM SCREENING) Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:30pm Roy Thomson Hall STC
Available	AZHAGARSAMY'S HORSE - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 6:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - PG
Available	AZHAGARSAMY'S HORSE - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - PG

Screenings - B
Available	BACK TO STAY - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	BACK TO STAY - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 2:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - 14A
Available	BACK TO STAY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 11:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - 14A
Available	BEAUTY - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:30am - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A
Available	BEAUTY - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 18A
Available	BEHOLD THE LAMB - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 6:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	BEHOLD THE LAMB - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	BEHOLD THE LAMB - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 10:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	BELOVED (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 1:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 18A
Available	A BETTER LIFE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	A BETTER LIFE - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 3:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 7:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - PG
Available	BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:45am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 5 - PG
Available	BLOOD OF MY BLOOD - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	BLOOD OF MY BLOOD - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 1:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	BLOOD OF MY BLOOD - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 18A
Available	BONSAI - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 9:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	BONSAI - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 1:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 18A
Available	THE BOY WHO WAS A KING - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:30am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - PG
Available	THE BOY WHO WAS A KING - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - PG
Available	BREATHING - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 6:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	BREATHING - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 2:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	THE BROOKLYN BROTHERS BEAT THE BEST - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 10:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	THE BROOKLYN BROTHERS BEAT THE BEST - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 4:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	THE BROOKLYN BROTHERS BEAT THE BEST - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	BUNOHAN - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	BUNOHAN - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 3:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	BUNOHAN - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	BURNING MAN - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	BURNING MAN - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	BUTTER (PREMIUM SCREENING) Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A

Screenings - C
Available	CAFE DE FLORE - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 10:00pm - Princess of Wales Theatre - 14A
Available	CAPRICHOSOS DE SAN TELMO - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 8:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	CAPRICHOSOS DE SAN TELMO - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 1:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	THE CARDBOARD VILLAGE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - PG
Available	THE CARDBOARD VILLAGE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - PG
Available	CARRE BLANC - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	THE CAT VANISHES - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	CENTURY OF BIRTHING - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 12:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - PG
Available	CENTURY OF BIRTHING - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - PG
Available	COLOR OF THE OCEAN - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	COLOR OF THE OCEAN - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	COMIC-CON: EPISODE IV - A FAN'S HOPE - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - PG
Available	COUNTDOWN - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:00pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	COUNTDOWN - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 4:45pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	COUNTDOWN - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	CRANE WORLD - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 10:15pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - PG
Available	CRANE WORLD - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 10:00am - AGO Jackman Hall - PG
Available	CRAZY HORSE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 6:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	CRAZY HORSE - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 4:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 18A
Available	CUCHERA - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 6:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 18A
Available	CUCHERA - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 2:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #1 - 18A
Available	CUCHERA - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 18A
Available	CUT - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	CUT - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 5:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #1 - 14A
Available	CUT - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 6:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A

Screenings - D
Available	DARK GIRLS - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:15pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	DARK GIRLS - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	DARK GIRLS - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 4:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	DARK HORSE - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 2:30pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	DARK HORSE - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 6:45pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	THE DAY - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	THE DAY - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	THE DAY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 18A
Available	DEATH FOR SALE - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 8:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	DEATH FOR SALE - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 2:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	DEATH FOR SALE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:30am - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	DEATH OF A SUPERHERO - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 5:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	DEATH OF A SUPERHERO - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 1:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	THE DEEP BLUE SEA (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:15pm TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 14A
Available	DOPPELGANGER PAUL - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 9:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - PG
Available	DOPPELGANGER PAUL - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - PG
Available	DOPPELGANGER PAUL - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 7:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - PG
Available	DUCH, MASTER OF THE FORGES OF HELL - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 1:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A

Screenings - E
Available	THE EDUCATION OF AUMA OBAMA - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 2:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - PG
Available	THE EDUCATION OF AUMA OBAMA - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - PG
Available	THE EDUCATION OF AUMA OBAMA - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 10:15am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - PG
Available	EDWIN BOYD - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 3:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	ELENA - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	EXTRATERRESTRIAL - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	THE EYE OF THE STORM (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 4:30pm Winter Garden Theatre 18A

Screenings - F
Available	FABLE OF THE FISH - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	FABLE OF THE FISH - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 7:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - 14A
Available	FABLE OF THE FISH - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 1:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	FATHERLAND - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 2:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - PG
Available	FATHERLAND - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - PG
Available	THE FIRST MAN - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 9:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	THE FIRST MAN - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:00am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	FIRST POSITION - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - PG
Available	THE FLYING MACHINE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - G
Available	THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A
Available	FREE MEN - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:00am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #1 - 14A
Available	FROM UP ON POPPY HILL - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 2:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - PG
Available	FROM UP ON POPPY HILL - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - PG
Available	A FUNNY MAN - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 10:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	A FUNNY MAN - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 8:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	A FUNNY MAN - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:30am - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	FUTURE LASTS FOREVER - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A

Screenings - G
Available	GENERATION P - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 8:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	GENERATION P - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 6:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	GENERATION P - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 10:00am - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A
Available	GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:15pm - AGO Jackman Hall - PG
Available	GOD BLESS AMERICA - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	GOD BLESS AMERICA - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 1:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 18A
Available	GOD BLESS AMERICA - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	GOOD BYE - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 5:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	THE GOOD SON - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 18A
Available	THE GOOD SON - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 4:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 18A
Available	THE GOOD SON - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 4:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 18A
Available	GOODBYE FIRST LOVE - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 6:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	GOODBYE FIRST LOVE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	GOON - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 3:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	GUILTY - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	GUILTY - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 4:15pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	GYPSY - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 2:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - PG
Available	GYPSY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - PG

Screenings - H
Available	HABIBI - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	HABIBI - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	HABIBI - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:00am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	HANAAN - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 6:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	HANAAN - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	A HAPPY EVENT (PREMIUM SCREENING) Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 6:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	A HAPPY EVENT - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 4:45pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	HARD CORE LOGO - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 7:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	HARD CORE LOGO II - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 10:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	HARD CORE LOGO II - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	HEADSHOT - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	HEADSHOT - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	HEADSHOT - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	HELENO - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 10:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	HELENO - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 6:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	HELENO - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	HICK - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 4:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A
Available	HICK - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 2:30pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 18A
Available	HIMIZU - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 10:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	HIMIZU - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 8:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	HIMIZU - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:45am - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	HISTORIAS QUE SO EXISTEM QUANDO LEMBRADAS - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	HOTEL SWOONI - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	HOUSE OF TOLERANCE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 2:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 18A
Available	THE HUNTER - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 9:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	HYSTERIA (PREMIUM SCREENING) Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	HYSTERIA - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 11:00am - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A

Screenings - I
Available	I AM A GOOD PERSON, I AM A BAD PERSON - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 12:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - PG
Available	I AM A GOOD PERSON, I AM A BAD PERSON WITH HI - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 8:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - PG
Available	I WISH - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 4:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - PG
Available	I WISH - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:30pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - PG
Available	I'M CAROLYN PARKER: THE GOOD, THE MAD, AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A
Available	I'M CAROLYN PARKER: THE GOOD, THE MAD, AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 3:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	I'M CAROLYN PARKER: THE GOOD, THE MAD, AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 7:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	IN MY MOTHER'S ARMS - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 5:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	IN MY MOTHER'S ARMS - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 8:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	IN MY MOTHER'S ARMS - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	THE INCIDENT - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	THE INCIDENT - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A
Available	THE INCIDENT - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	INTRUDERS (PREMIUM SCREENING) Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:30pm Visa Screening Room at the Elgin 14A
Available	INTRUDERS - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 4:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	THE INVADER - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	THE INVADER - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 2:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	THE INVADER - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 10:00am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	INVASION - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:45am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 18A
Available	ISLANDS - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 10:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A
Available	ISLANDS - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A
Available	ISLANDS - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:15am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A

Screenings - J
Available	J'AIME REGARDER LES FILLES - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 6:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	J'AIME REGARDER LES FILLES - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 5:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 11:00am - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:15am - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	JUAN OF THE DEAD - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 10:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A - OFF SALE
Available	JUAN OF THE DEAD - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A

Screenings - K
Available	THE KID WITH A BIKE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 4:30pm - Winter Garden Theatre - PG
Available	KILL LIST - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	KILL LIST - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 18A
Available	KILLER ELITE (PREMIUM SCREENING) Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 1:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	KILLER JOE (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:00pm Ryerson Theatre R
Available	KILLER JOE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 3:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - R
Available	KILLER JOE - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:00pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - R
Available	KOTOKO - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	KOTOKO - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 3:30pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	KOTOKO - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 18A

Screenings - L
Available	THE LADY (PREMIUM SCREENING) Monday, September 12, 2011 - 9:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	THE LADY - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 11:00am - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	LAND OF OBLIVION - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	LAS ACACIAS - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 8:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	LAS ACACIAS - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 2:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	LAS ACACIAS - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 5:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - 14A
Available	THE LAST CHRISTEROS - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 8:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - 14A
Available	THE LAST CHRISTEROS - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 5:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	THE LAST DOGS OF WINTER - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - PG
Available	THE LAST DOGS OF WINTER - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 10:30am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - PG
Available	THE LAST GLADIATORS - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:15am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	THE LAST GLADIATORS - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	LAST WINTER - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 7:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	LAST WINTER - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 2:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - 14A
Available	LAST WINTER - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 2:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 8:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	LENA - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 8:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 18A
Available	LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 9:00pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - PG
Available	LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 3:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - PG
Available	LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - PG
Available	LIKE CRAZY (PREMIUM SCREENING) Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 6:00pm Ryerson Theatre 14A
Available	LIKE CRAZY - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 12:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	LIPSTIKKA - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 8:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	LIPSTIKKA - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:15am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 18A
Available	LIVID - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	LIVID - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 5:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	THE LONELIEST PLANET - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:00am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	THE LONELIEST PLANET - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 10:00am - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	LOST IN PARADISE - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 5:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	LOVE AND BRUISES - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 10:15pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A
Available	LOVE AND BRUISES - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 3:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 18A
Available	LOVE AND BRUISES - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 7:00pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A
Available	LOVELY MOLLY - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	LOVELY MOLLY - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 5:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	LOVELY MOLLY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 4:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	LOW LIFE - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 18A
Available	LOW LIFE - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 18A
Available	LOW LIFE - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 18A
Available	LUCKY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 1:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A

Screenings - M
Available	MACHINE GUN PREACHER (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 6:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	MAN ON GROUND - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	MAN ON GROUND - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	MAN ON GROUND - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:30pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	MAUSAM (PREMIUM SCREENING) Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 6:00pm Visa Screening Room at the Elgin PG
Available	MICHAEL (Austria) - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 7:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 18A
Available	MICHAEL (Austria) - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 10:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 18A
Available	MICHAEL (Austria) - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 4:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 18A
Available	MICHAEL (India) - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:00pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	MICHAEL (India) - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 12:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	MICHAEL (India) - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 7:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	A MONSTER IN PARIS - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 4:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - PG
Available	MONSTERS CLUB - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 6:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	MONSTERS CLUB - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 1:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	MONSTERS CLUB - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:30am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	THE MOUNTAIN - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 8:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 18A
Available	THE MOUNTAIN - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 8:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 18A
Available	THE MOUNTAIN - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:30am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 18A
Available	MR. TREE - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 4:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - PG
Available	MR. TREE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - PG
Available	MUSHROOMS - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	MUSHROOMS - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 8:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	MY WORST NIGHTMARE - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 8:00pm - Winter Garden Theatre - 18A
Available	MY WORST NIGHTMARE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 4:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 18A
Available	MY WORST NIGHTMARE - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 6:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 18A
Available	A MYSTERIOUS WORLD - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 2:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	A MYSTERIOUS WORLD - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 8:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - 14A

Screenings - N
Available	NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS (PREMIUM SCREENING) Monday, September 12, 2011 - 7:00pm Princess of Wales Theatre PG
Available	NUIT #1 - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 6:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - 18A
Available	NUIT #1 - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A
Available	NUIT #1 - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 2:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - 18A

Screenings - O
Available	THE ODDS - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 5:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	THE ODDS - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	THE ORANGES - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 12:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	OSLO, AUGUST 31ST - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 18A
Available	THE OTHER SIDE OF SLEEP - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 6:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 18A
Available	THE OTHER SIDE OF SLEEP - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 3:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 18A
Available	THE OTHER SIDE OF SLEEP - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 8:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 18A
Available	OUTSIDE SATAN - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 6:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	OUTSIDE SATAN - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:15am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	OUTSIDE SATAN - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:30am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A

Screenings - P
Available	PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 2:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 8:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	PARIAH - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 7:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	PARIAH - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 5:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	THE PATRON SAINTS - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 5:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - 14A
Available	THE PATRON SAINTS - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	THE PATRON SAINTS - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:30am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 7:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - PG
Available	PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 4:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - PG
Available	PEACE, LOVE, & MISUNDERSTANDING (PREMIUM SCREENING) Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 6:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	PEACE, LOVE, & MISUNDERSTANDING - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 11:00am - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	PEACE, LOVE, & MISUNDERSTANDING - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 12:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	PINK RIBBONS, INC. - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 12:30pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	PINK RIBBONS, INC. - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	PINK RIBBONS, INC. - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	PLAY - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	POMPEYA - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - 18A
Available	POMPEYA - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 18A
Available	POMPEYA - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 18A
Available	PORFIRIO - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 7:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 18A
Available	PORFIRIO - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 18A
Available	PORFIRIO - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 7:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 18A

Screenings - R
Available	RAMPART (PREMIUM SCREENING) Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 10:00pm Princess of Wales Theatre 14A
Available	RAMPART - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	RANDOM - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 10:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	RANDOM - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 1:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	REBELLION - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 7:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	REBELLION - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 12:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	REBELLION - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 2:45pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	RESTORATION - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 10:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 14A
Available	RESTORATION - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A
Available	RESTORATION - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	THE RIVER USED TO BE A MAN - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 6:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 4 - 14A
Available	THE RIVER USED TO BE A MAN - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #1 - 14A
Available	THE RIVER USED TO BE A MAN - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 4:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A
Available	ROMAN'S CIRCUIT - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - 14A
Available	ROMAN'S CIRCUIT - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 3:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	ROMAN'S CIRCUIT - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 6:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	ROMEO ELEVEN - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 7:45pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - PG
Available	ROMEO ELEVEN - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 2:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - PG
Available	ROSE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 5:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	ROSE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 1:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A
Available	ROUGH HANDS - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 5:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - PG
Available	ROUGH HANDS - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 6:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - PG
Available	ROUGH HANDS - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 3:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - PG

Screenings - S
Available	SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (PREMIUM SCREENING) Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 7:00pm Princess of Wales Theatre 14A
Available	SARAH PALIN - YOU BETCHA! - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - G
Available	SARAH PALIN - YOU BETCHA! - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 10:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - G
Available	SHAME (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 7:00pm Princess of Wales Theatre R
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 1 - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 10:00am - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 2 - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 8:45pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 2 - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 3 - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 6:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 3 - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 3:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 4 - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 8:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 4 - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 5:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 5 - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 7:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 5 - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 2:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 6 - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 1:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A
Available	THE SILVER CLIFF - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 7:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A
Available	THE SILVER CLIFF - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 1:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 3 - 18A
Available	THE SILVER CLIFF - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 1:00pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A
Available	A SIMPLE LIFE - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 5:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	A SIMPLE LIFE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:45am - Scotiabank Theatre 2 - 14A
Available	SISTERS&BROTHERS - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 3:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	THE SKIN I LIVE IN (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:00pm Princess of Wales Theatre 18A
Available	SLEEPLESS NIGHT - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	SLEEPLESS NIGHT - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #1 - 14A
Available	SLEEPLESS NIGHT - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A
Available	SMUGGLER - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	SMUGGLER - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 6:45pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	SMUGGLER - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	SNOWTOWN - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 9:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - R
Available	SNOWTOWN - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 10:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - R
Available	SONS OF NORWAY - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 12:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	SONS OF NORWAY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 7:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 11 - 14A
Available	SPC 20TH ANNIVERSARY: MICHAEL BARKER AND TOM BERNARD - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 3:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	STARBUCK (PREMIUM SCREENING) Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 6:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	THE STONES - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 10:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - PG
Available	THE STONES - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:15am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - PG
Available	THE STONES - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - PG
Available	THE STUDENT - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	THE STUDENT - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 10:00am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	SUMMER GAMES - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 8:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - PG
Available	SUMMER GAMES - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 10:00am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - PG
Available	SWIRL - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 5:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #2 - PG
Available	SWIRL - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 5:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - PG
Available	SWIRL - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:00am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #4 - PG

Screenings - T
Available	TAKE SHELTER - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 6:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	THE TALL MAN - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 8:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	THE TALL MAN - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 10:00am - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	THE TALL MAN - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	TEN YEAR (PREMIUM SCREENING) Monday, September 12, 2011 - 9:00pm Ryerson Theatre 14A
Available	TEN YEAR - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 12:30pm - Winter Garden Theatre - 14A
Available	TERRAFERMA - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:15am - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	THAT SUMMER - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 6:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	THAT SUMMER - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:00am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 18A
Available	THINK OF ME - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 5:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	THINK OF ME - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	THINK OF ME - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 6:15pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 14A
Available	THIS SIDE OF RESURRECTION - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 1:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	THIS SIDE OF RESURRECTION - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 1:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #6 - 14A
Available	TRESPASS (PREMIUM SCREENING) Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 9:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 18A
Available	TRESPASS - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 2:30pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 18A
Available	TRISHNA (PREMIUM SCREENING) Friday, September 9, 2011 - 10:00pm Princess of Wales Theatre 18A
Available	THE TURIN HORSE - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	THE TURIN HORSE - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:15pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 14A
Available	THE TURIN HORSE - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 12:30pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	TWIGGY - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:30am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	TWILIGHT PORTRAIT - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 18A
Available	TWILIGHT PORTRAIT - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 18A
Available	TYRANNOSAUR - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 6:00pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 18A
Available	TYRANNOSAUR - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 4:00pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A

Screenings - U
Available	UFO IN HER EYES - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:15pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 18A
Available	UFO IN HER EYES - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 6:00pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - 18A
Available	UFO IN HER EYES - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 18A
Available	UNION SQUARE - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 9:15pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	UNION SQUARE - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	UNION SQUARE - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	URBANIZED - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 3:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - PG

Screenings - V
Available	VAQUERO - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:00am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	VAQUERO - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 7:30pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	VIOLET & DAISY - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	VIOLET & DAISY - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 9:00am - Scotiabank Theatre 1 - 14A
Available	VOLCANO - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 10:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3 - 14A
Available	VOLCANO - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:45am - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #3 - 14A
Available	VOLCANO - Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 6:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 14A

Screenings - W
Available	W.E. (PREMIUM SCREENING) Monday, September 12, 2011 - 6:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	W.E. - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 2:30pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A
Available	WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW SEEDIQ BALE - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 8:00pm - Winter Garden Theatre - 14A
Available	WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW SEEDIQ BALE - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 12:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 14A
Available	WAVELENGTHS: ANALOGUE ARCADIA - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 9:15pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	WAVELENGTHS: TWENTY CIGARETTES - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 6:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	WAVELENGTHS: SERIAL RHYTHMS - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 9:15pm - AGO Jackman Hall - PG
Available	WAVELENGTHS: SPACE IS THE PLACE - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 7:00pm - AGO Jackman Hall - PG
Available	WAVELENGTHS: THE RETURN/ABERRATION OF LIGHT - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 9:30pm - AGO Jackman Hall - 14A
Available	WETLANDS - Friday, September 9, 2011 - 6:30pm - Isabel Bader Theatre - 14A
Available	WETLANDS - Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 12:45pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #5 - 14A
Available	WHERE DO WE GO NOW - Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 9:00am - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 14A
Available	WHORES' GLORY - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 10:30pm - Scotiabank Theatre 4 - R
Available	WHORES' GLORY - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 2:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #10 - R
Available	WHORES' GLORY - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 10:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - R
Available	WINNIE (PREMIUM SCREENING) Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:30pm Roy Thomson Hall 14A
Available	THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 8:00pm Winter Garden Theatre 14A
Available	WUTHERING HEIGHTS - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 9:00pm - Visa Screening Room at the Elgin - 14A

Screenings - Y
Available	THE YEAR OF THE TIGER - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 8:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #1 - 14A
Available	THE YEAR OF THE TIGER - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 3:00pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #9 - 14A
Available	YOUR SISTER'S SISTER (PREMIUM SCREENING) Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 6:00pm Ryerson Theatre 18A
Available	YOUR SISTER'S SISTER - Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 12:15pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 - 18A
Available	YOUR SISTER'S SISTER - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 12:00pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	YOU'RE NEXT - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 11:59pm - Ryerson Theatre - 18A
Available	YOU'RE NEXT - Monday, September 12, 2011 - 6:30pm - AMC Yonge Dundas 24 #7 - 18A
Available	YOU'RE NEXT - Friday, September 16, 2011 - 4:00pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 - 18A

My 2011 Films

2011-09-01T22:08:00.001-04:00

My films for this year include:

The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius, France), shot in the style of the silent era in which it is set
Burning Man (Jonathan Teplitzky, Australia), starring Matthew Goode
Dark Horse (Todd Solondz, USA)
Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, USA), starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston, won for best director this year at Cannes
Edwin Boyd (Nathan Morlando, Canada), with Scott Speedman as the eponymous bank robber
Elles (Malgoska Szumowska, France/Poland/Germany), continuing my Juliette Binoche streak at the festival of L' Heure d'été, Le Voyage du ballon rouge, Quelques jours en septembre, and Paris, je t'aime)
From Up on Poppy Hill (Goro Miyazaki, Japan), from the son of famed anime director Hayao Miyazaki, directing his father's screenplay
I'm Yours (Leonard Farlinger, Canada), starring Rossif Sutherland, of the famous acting Sutherlands
In Conversation with... Francis Ford Coppola
Killer Elite (Gary McKendry, USA/Australia); despite having De Niro, Statham, and Owen, really just going to see it for Yvonne Strahovski :-)
Melancholia (Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany), with Kirsten Dunst, best actress winner at Cannes this year
Page Eight (David Hare, UK), with fairly high-powered UK cast including Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, and Rachel Weisz among others
Pearl Jam Twenty (Cameron Crowe, USA), curious to see what Crowe has been up to since Elizabethtown (which I liked, btw)
Pina (Wim Wenders, Germany/France), 3-D tribute choreographer Pina Bausch; be interesting to see the use of 3-D here vs Wener Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams that I saw last year at TIFF)
The Raid (Gareth Evans, Indonesia), my Midnight Madness action pick for this year
Sleeping Beauty (Julia Leigh, Australia)
Smuggler (Katsuhito Ishii, Japan), my Midnight Madness action/comedy pick for this year
Sons of Norway (Jens Lien, Norway), my one Scandinavian movie this year, sounds like it should be entertaining
That Summer (Philippe Garrel, France/Italy/Switzerland)
Urbanized (Gary Hustwit, USA/UK), Hustwit's follow up to Objectified, which I saw a couple of years ago at the Hot Docs festival

Because of work commitments, I'm compressing my schedule this year, so I likely won't be heavily blogging or reviewing films this year. Might tweet anything I really enjoy (or especially hate).

TIFF Tickets On Sale Saturday, September 3, 2011

2011-09-01T21:21:00.001-04:00

If you didn't purchase a TIFF Choice or a My Choice package for TIFF this year, then you can buy tickets starting at 7:00 AM on Saturday, September 3, 2011.

You can purchase tickets at the Festival Box Office at Metro Centre, 225 King St W, Concourse level (enter off Duncan St).

You can also purchase tickets online from the TIFF web site (http://www.tiff.net/).

You can also purchase by phone at (416) 599-TIFF, or 1-888-599-8433.

All three methods will be extremely busy on the 3rd, so choose your poison.

If a screening is listed as Off Sale, then it means that it is sold out. You can try closer to or during the festival to purchase tickets for a screening, as occasionally additional tickets may be released.

Tickets for regular screenings are $19.69.

Tickets for premium screenings, indicated by stars on the right-side of the screening's box in the schedule, are $38.27.

Note that Visa is the only credit card accepted by the festival. If you are purchasing in person at the Festival Box Office, you can also pay by cash or debit.

For every purchase, a service fee is also applied:

Per Unit (i.e. ticket or package)	Service Fee
$0.01 - $18.99	$1.00
$19.00-$37.99	$3.00
$38.00-$99.99	$4.00
$100-$499	$5.00
$500+	$10.00
CAP	$10.00

Pick Up TIFF My Choice Tickets September 2, 2011

2011-09-01T21:08:00.000-04:00

If you bought a My Choice package, you can pick up your tickets starting tomorrow, Friday, September 2, 2011. Go to the Festival Box Office at Metro Centre, 225 King St W, Concourse Level (enter at Duncan St), starting at 7:00 AM. Remember to bring your Pick Up Voucher in order to get your tickets!

You most likely received an e-mail sometime in the last few days saying which tickets you received and which you didn't. If your e-mail indicated any PCVREG01 items, that means you didn't get one or more of your first or second picks, and you will receive a voucher for each missed screening instead. This voucher can be exchanged for any regular screening. You can use your voucher on September 2, before tickets go on sale to the public, or use it anytime leading up to or during the festival. Redeem these vouchers anytime at the Festival Box Office, or you can also use them at the theatre box offices, but only on the day of the screening you want to see.

If you didn't receive an e-mail, don't panic; your order likely got processed in any case.

If you received all your picks, then I strongly recommend you do not go to the box office when it first opens. There is usually a huge line of people picking up their tickets and trying to make exchanges the same day; it is not unusual to spend hours in line.

If you bought a TIFF Choice package, you should also have received an e-mail listing your film selections. You can also pick up starting on September 2, but once again, since you effectively received all your selections, I would encourage you to go later in the day to pick up your tickets.

Box 20 of 33 Chosen

2011-08-29T19:10:00.001-04:00

Thanks to TIFFReview's livestream, learned that box 20 of 33 was chosen as the starting point for processing Advance Order Books for TIFF 2011. The festival will start processing orders from that box, all the way up to box 33, before wrapping around to box 1, finishing up at box 19.

Advance Order Books Due Tomorrow, August 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM

2011-08-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder, if you are participating in the Advance Order process this year because you bought a My Choice package, all orders are due at the Festival Box Office at Metro Centre, 225 King Street W, before 7:00 PM on Monday, August 29, 2011. If you fail to return your orders before then, you will be processed after everyone else, so make sure you aren't late. This year, they've moved the drop off date to the evening, so hopefully that makes it easier for people finishing at the last minute.

For everyone else, tickets go on sale September 3, 2011, at 7:00 AM online, by phone, and in person at the Festival Box office.

What Are the Stars on the TIFF Schedule?

2011-08-24T07:36:00.000-04:00

If you're wondering what the stars along the right-hand side of some of the films are in the schedule, that "star strip" indicates a premium screening for that film. A premium screening is a "red-carpet experience," and you cannot select these screenings with the My Choice film packages when you are filling out your Advance Order Book. For these premium screenings, you would have to have bought one of the TIFF Choice gala packages, or you can buy individual tickets when they go on-sale on September 3, 2011.

Note that directors, actors, and crew generally still show up to the non-premium screenings, so it's not vital that you go to a premium screening unless it's someone really big.

Actors, Directors, and Others Attending TIFF 2011

2011-08-23T18:04:00.000-04:00

The list of actors, directors, and others attending or expected to attend the festival has been announced. The full list can be found here.

Some highlights of the filmmakers coming to the festival:

Alexander Payne
Bobcat Goldthwait
Bruce Beresford
Bruce McDonald
Cameron Crowe
David Cronenberg
Davis Guggenheim
Enrico Colantoni
Francis Ford Coppola
George Clooney
Gus Van Sant
Guy Maddin
Ingrid Veninger
James Franco
Jean-Marc Vallée
Jennifer Westfeldt
Joel Schumacher
Johnnie To
Jonathan Demme
Ken Scott
Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Lasse Hallstrom
Léa Pool
Luc Besson
Madonna
Marc Forster
Mark Duplass
Mathieu Kassovitz
Michael Glawogger
Michael Winterbottom
Morgan Spurlock
Nicholas Winding Refn
Ole Christian Madsen
Paddy Considine
Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Peter Lynch
Ralph Fiennes
Roland Emmerich
Sarah Polley
Terence Davies
Todd Solondz
Werner Herzog
William Friedkin
Wim Wenders

Actors and others attending include:

Alia Shawkat
Abbie Cornish
Adam Brody
Adam Scott
Albert Brooks
Alexander Skarsgard
Alison Pill
Allison Janney
Alexis Bledel
Anton Yelchin
Antonio Banderas
Arielle Kebbel
Ben Foster
Bill Nighy
Blake Lively
Brad Pitt
Bryce Dallas Howard
Carey Mulligan
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Keener
Chace Crawford
Charlotte Rampling
Chloe Moretz
Chris Pratt
Christopher Plummer
Clive Owen
David Thewlis
Deepa Mehta
Dominic Monaghan
Elias Koteas
Emile Hirsch
Emily Blunt
Erin Brockovich
Ethan Hawke
Evan Rachel Wood
Ewan McGregor
Frances O'Connor
Freida Pinto
Gael Garcia Bernal
Geoffrey Rush
George Clooney
Gerard Butler
Glenn Close
Greta Gerwig
Harry Knowles
Hugh Dancy
Hugh Laurie
Isabelle Huppert
Jamel Debbouze
James Gandolfini
Jane Fonda
Jason Reitman
Jason Statham
Jay Baruchel
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Wright
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Lawrence
Jessica Chastain
Joely Richardson
Jon Hamm
Jonah Hill
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Lewis
Juno Temple
Keira Knightley
Kirsten Dunst
Kyle MacLachlan
Lauren Ambrose
Leighton Meester
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Marisa Tomei
Matthew Goode
Max Minghella
Maya Rudolph
Megan Fox
Michael Fassbender
Michelle Williams
Michelle Yeoh
Mira Sorvino
President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives
Neil Young
Nicolas Cage
Oliver Platt
Pascale Bussières
Patrick Huard
Pearl Jam
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Rachel Weisz
Rebecca Hall
Robin Wright
Rosemary DeWitt
Ryan Gosling
Salma Hayek
Salman Rushdie
Sam Neill
Saoirse Ronan
Sarah Silverman
Scott Speedman
Seann William Scott
Selma Blair
Seth Rogen
Shahid Kapoor
Terrence Howard
Tilda Swinton
Tom Hiddleston
U2
Viggo Mortensen
Willem Dafoe
Woody Harrelson

Advance Order Process Begins Tomorrow, August 23, 2011

2011-08-22T20:33:00.001-04:00

The Advance Order process for TIFF 2011 begins tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23, 2011. If you purchased a My Choice package (50-film pack, 30-film pack, 20-film daytime pack, or the 10-ticket flex pack), you participate in the Advance Order process. If you bought a TIFF Choice package, you don't have to do anything. Note all the My Choice packages are sold out, so if you missed out this time, you have to wait until individual tickets go on sale to the public on September 3, 2011.

If you bought your My Choice package before August, you should have already received in the mail an envelope voucher, a drop-off voucher, and a pick-up voucher. If you purchased a programme book, you should have also received a voucher for that. If you purchased your My Choice package in August, or you are a student or senior, you can go to the Festival Box Office starting August 23 to receive your vouchers. Remember to bring photo ID, and if you are a student or senior, ID that attests to that.

Starting Tuesday, August 23, 2011, go to the Festival Box Office at Metro Centre, 225 King Street W, on the Concourse Level (that's down from street level). Enter off of Duncan Street. The box office is open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on August 23, and 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM from August 24 to August 29. Note you do not have to show up first thing in the morning; in fact it's probably best to wait until later to pick up your items, as it's a pretty quick process.

It is important to note, that you go to the Festival Box Office at Metro Hall and NOT the TIFF Bell Lightbox; they will not be able to help you at the Lightbox.

Once you get to the Festival Box Office. hand over any envelope vouchers you received. You will be asked for photo ID, so make sure you've brought some along. You will receive an envelope, an Advance Order Book, and an Official Film Schedule. If you have a programme book voucher, you can exchange that for a programme book at this time. Note that you don't need to buy a programme book, as the same information in the book is also available online at the TIFF website at http://www.tiff.net/thefestival. Some people find it easier to flip through the book, however, and it makes for a nice souvenir. You can purchase programme books at the Festival Box Office.

Once you have your items, fill them out according to the instructions inside the Advance Order Book. You can find instructions based on last year's book on this blog at http://tifftalk.blogspot.com/p/advance-ordering.html, or you can watch a video put together by the festival at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ijtITKNwY&feature=player_profilepage. For tips on selecting films, and some important things to keep in mind, consult my post on the subject here: http://tifftalk.blogspot.com/p/selecting-films.html.

You can return your completed Advance Order Books, in their envelopes with the drop-off vouchers, anytime before 7:00 PM on August 29, 2011. If you drop off your forms after that time, you will be processed after all other orders have been filled. After 7:00 PM the festival will draw a random number to determine the order box at which processing will start.

If you provided an e-mail address with your order, you should receive an e-mail prior to September 2, 2011, listing which films you received from your order. It's not unusual to not receive all your first or second choices; in such a case, you will receive vouchers instead, which can be used to pick other films. Don't panic if you don't receive an e-mail; there's always people who don't receive e-mails for various reasons, but your order should still get processed.

You can pick up your tickets starting September 2, 2011 at 7:00 AM at the Festival Box Office. If you received all your 1st and/or 2nd choices, then I would recommend NOT showing up first thing; wait until later in the day. There is usually a huge line up first thing in the morning, and if you can avoid it, that's best. If you received one or more vouchers because you didn't get all of your 1st or 2nd choices, then you can line up early and exchange your vouchers for other screenings. I'd strongly recommend you look at the festival schedule in advance and pick out possible other screenings you want to see. What usually holds up the line is people trying to exchange multiple vouchers and taking ages to find another film to see.

Ticket Packages on Sale for Visa, Cash, and Debit July 11, 2011

2011-07-10T23:17:00.000-04:00

Ticket packages go on sale for Visa, cash, and debit tomorrow, July 11, 2011, starting at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. Packages can be purchased by one of the following means:

TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office

Reitman Square, 350 King Street West
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Phone

416-599-TIFF or 1-888-599-8433
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Online

http://www.tiff.net/

Note that you only have to buy ticket packages if you want movies pre-selected for you by the festival (the TIFF Choice packages), or if you want to participate in the Advance Order procedure (the My Choice packages). You can also wait until September 3, 2011 and buy individual tickets to films then.

So far, the following packages are sold out:

Visa Screening Room Opening Weekend Pack
Visa Screening Room Weekday Evening Pack
Double-Date Gala Pack

All other packages are still available.
The packages that typically sell out early are the Visa Screening Room packs; most of the others generally do not sell out. Note that the Double-Date Gala package appears to be already sold out; they must have fully sold them off to TIFF members as opposed to reserving some for the general public.

Ticket Packages on Sale to Visa Cardholders July 4, 2011

2011-07-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

Ticket packages go on sale to Visa cardholders tomorrow, July 4, 2011, starting at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. Packages can be purchased by one of the following means:

TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office

Reitman Square, 350 King Street West
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Phone

416-599-TIFF or 1-888-599-8433
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Online

http://www.tiff.net/

Visa is the only accepted method of payment at this time. If you want to pay by cash or debit, you have to wait until July 11, 2011.

Note that you only have to buy ticket packages if you want movies pre-selected for you by the festival (the TIFF Choice packages), or if you want to participate in the Advance Order procedure (the My Choice packages). You can also wait until September 3, 2011 and buy individual tickets to films then.

The packages that typically sell out early are the Visa Screening Room packs; most of the others generally do not sell out. Note that the Double-Date Gala package appears to be already sold out; they must have fully sold them off to TIFF members as opposed to reserving some for the general public.

Changes for 2011

2011-06-14T23:34:00.002-04:00

The festival released a number of details for the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival today. Some changes for this year include:

The Festival Box Office is at Metro Hall this year, at 225 King Street W, on the concourse level. Entrance is on Duncan Street. It opens August 23, 2011.
The Princess of Wales Theatre is being used as a venue this year in addition to the venues from last year.
There is a TIFF Choice 5-Film Sampler Pack, where the festival programmers select 5 films for you.
There is a My Choice 20-Film Daytime Pack, where you can select 20 regular screenings that start before 5:01 PM. This appears to replace the 15 and 25-Film Daytime Packs from last year.
There is a Back Half Pack, where you can get 5 tickets for regular screenings from September 13 to 18 at half the cost of regular tickets.
There is discounted pricing for individual tickets if you are 25 or younger.
Advance Order Books are due at 7:00 PM ET on Monday, August 29, 2011 instead of at mid-day.
People are also reporting that the number of daytime screenings is being increased, which was a criticism last year from regular festival-goers. We'll have to wait for the scheduled to be released in August to see.

I'll posted a detailed breakdown of ticket packages later in the week, but prices seem to be the same as last year for both packages and individual tickets.

Upcoming Dates for 2011

2011-06-11T23:54:00.004-04:00

Some upcoming dates for the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival:

June 20, 2011: ticket packages go on sale to TIFF members (except for Visa Screening Room packages)
July 4, 2011: ticket packages go on sale to to the general public at 10:00 AM ET (including Visa Screening Room packages); only Visa cards are accepted as payment
July 11, 2011: ticket packages go on sale for all payment methods at 10:00 AM ET (Visa, cash, debit; no other credit cards are accepted)
August 23, 2011: Festival Box Office at 225 King St. W opens and Advance Order Procedure begins. Film schedule available online.
August 25 - 29, 2011: individual tickets go on sale to TIFF members
August 29, 2011: Advance Order Books due by 7:00 PM ET at the Festival Box Office.
September 2, 2011: Advance Orders ready for pickup, ticket exchange for Advance Orders.
September 3, 2011: individual tickets go on sale to the general public at 7:00 AM ET
September 8 - 18, 2011: the Toronto International Film Festival

Note you only have to buy a ticket package if you plan on seeing multiple films and either want them to be selected for you, or you want to participate in the advance order process. If you just want to buy individual tickets, you can wait until they go on sale in September.
Generally speaking, most ticket packages do not sell out right away or at all, with the exception of gala packages, which get you tickets to gala screenings at Roy Thompson Hall or the Visa Screening Room.

TIFF 2010 Festival Wrap-Up

2010-09-19T22:05:00.002-04:00

Well, another festival done for the year. I was up slightly from last year, with 26 films or discussions, totalling 44 hours, 1 minute.

Things that worked well:

As always, the volunteers did a great job, and there was an occasion or two I watched them have to put up with crap from festival goers. But in general everyone was appreciative of the effort, as evidenced by the applause during the volunteer trailer, as soon as the cloud of names appeared.
Ended up using tiffr.com again this year to actually schedule my movies, and it continues to work well.
I liked the RBC trailers again this year (especially the guys wondering where they were going to get the 50k to save their store), but there were too few of them to last for an 11-day festival.
No problems with the advance order book this year, and it was good that premium screenings were so-marked in the official film schedule.
Luckily I made it through the entire festival without someone asking a meandering question in the Q&A (or worse yet, not asking one at all!)
The TIFF Bell Lightbox is a nice building. Free wi-fi, good food, cheaper concession prices, nice theatres (seating and sound), good location, permanent gift shop. And they'll be showing not only their normal year-round programming, but also the commercial runs of smaller festival-type films like Trigger.

Things that could use improvement:

The online box office seemed particularly bad this year, and they quickly abandoned the "shopping cart" in favour of the old-style single page for all the movies for purchasing tickets. Part of the problem is everyone has to go through the main, media-rich site for the TIFF organization to get to the film schedule, and then each film page is also filled with media and auto-playing slideshows and videos. Great most of the time, but not when thousands of people are hammering your site. They should probably consider a cloud-based solution (Amazon, Windows Azure) to scale up the website on the first day of general ticket sales. But then who knows if their old MaxWeb ticketing back-end could process orders fast enough?
There seemed to be an abnormally high number of technical and projection issues this year. For me, Film Socialisme at the Ryerson had no subtitles, and Dhobi Ghat was delayed 3 hours. More embarrassingly still, the gala for Little White Lies had to be moved from Roy Thomson Hall to the Scotiabank because the new digital projector couldn't do the subtitles, and the premiere of Cave of Forgotten Dreams had a projector issue a few minutes before the end, with Werner Herzog in the audience.
Downsides of the Lightbox: the theatre entrances seem a bit tight compared to the AMC or the Scotiabank, and they've got artifacts on display inside the theatre entrances where you're never going to see it (it's too dark, and you're usually in a rush to get in or out). And what's up with the men's bathroom on the second (or should that be second-and-a-half) floor? Everyone I saw was surprised by the stairwell you had to hike up, and there's only two stalls. Plus, there didn't seem to always be enough room to hold the lines for the theatres inside the building.
I may complain about the Lightbox, but really, it is nice to have the building complete and available year-round to foster film in the city, and it's great the festival now has a permanent home.
The general consensus between veteran festival-goers was that the number of screenings available during the early morning during the week were reduced from previous years, making it difficult to make use of some of the packages (like the 50-pack or the daytime pack). Not sure if that was due to the availability of theatres, impact of press/industry screenings, or just a philosophical change.

Miscellaneous notes:

If you're wondering what song was playing over the TIFF Bell Lightbox trailer before the films, check my post here.
Was linked to or referenced by The Guardian's film blog and The Globe and Mail's tech blog this year.

Overall, was pretty happy with the films I saw this year. My favourites below, from those films that I saw:

Favourite Film: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, because it was so unexpected, and was well-paced, well-written, and well-acted.
Best Canadian film: Tossup for me between Bruce McDonald's Trigger and Xavier Dolan's Heartbeats.
Best drama: I liked Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghat, Trigger, and Heartbeats.
Best action film: Takeshi Miike's 13 Assassins.
Funniest film: The Trip
Best documentary: Tossup between Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie. Tabloid and Inside Job were pretty good, too.
WTF?! Award: Film Socialisme, and I don't think the subtitles would have actually helped any.
Screening with the most celebrity wattage: The Way, which had both Martin Sheen (fresh from walking the picket lines outside his hotel) and Emilio Estevez.
Director I enjoyed seeing the most: Werner Herzog edges out Errol Morris.

I hope to post other reviews and Q&A transcripts in the immediate future (although I say that every year and never get around to it). Hopefully people found this blog useful again this year, and with any luck I will be back again next TIFF with more ticketing tips, reviews, and Q&As. Thanks for reading this year!

TIFF 2010 Award Winners

2010-09-19T21:54:00.003-04:00

The festival announced its award winners for 2010:

The Cadillac People's Choice Award, voted on by the public based on ballots submitted after screenings, went to The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The runner-up was The First Grader, a movie I saw earlier in the week, based on the real-life story of a Kenyan who enrolled in primary school at the age of 84 when the government announced free education for all its citizens.
The Cadillac People's Choice Midnight Madness Award, voted on by the public for the best film in the Midnight Madness programme, went to Stake Land, with Fubar II the runner-up.
The Cadillac People's Choice Documentary Award, voted on by the public for the best documentary, went to Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie, which I reviewed earlier in the festival. The runner-up was Nostalga for the Light.
The FIPRESCI Prize for the Discovery programme went to Shawn Ku's Beautiful Boy. This award is voted on by a panel of international critics from the International Federation of Film Critics.
The FIPRESCI Prize for the Special Presenations programme went to Pierre Thoretton's L'Amour Fou.
The award for Best Canadian Short Film went to Vincent Biron's Les Fleurs de l'age.
The SKYY Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film went to Deborah Chow's debut, The High Cost of Living (starring Zach Braff).
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian Feature Film went to Denis Villeneuve's Incendies.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 11

2010-09-19T21:28:00.003-04:00

Thoughts on the final day:

Boy, there were some die-hards lined up for tickets for the free screening of the Cadillac People's Choice Award Winner, The King's Speech. I was there at 2:00 for The Trip, and there were already people lined up, and they weren't releasing tickets until 4:00.
The Trip: hilarious improvised romp through the restaurants of Northern England with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon played fictionalized versions of their real-life selves. As everyone has mentioned, their dueling Michael Caine impressions are one of the highlights of the film (and having seen Michael Caine in person at the festival last year, I can attest to that). But their conversations are also interspersed with personal moments, Brydon missing his wife and newborn, and Coogan having one-night stands while longing for his girlfriend in America and thinking about his own pre-teen son, lending a bit of dramatic flair to the comedic road trip. Well worth seeing.
13 Assassins: the latest from Japanese director Takeshi Miike, 13 Assassins is a remake of the 1963 Eiichi Kudo film of the same name, and follows the real-life story of Shinzaemon Shimada, a samurai who is secretely charged with a mission to assassinate Lord Naritsugu, the adopted younger brother of the current shogun. Naritsugu is brutalizing his subjects, and after another lord commits seppuku, the consipracy is put in motion. Shinzaemon recruits others to his cause, and it all comes to a head in an action-packed 45-minute climax reminiscent of The Seven Samurai or Miike's last film, Sukiyaki Western Django. Even though there is a long buildup, the film never felt like it dragged, and the assassins' last stand again insurmountable odds is worth the wait.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 10

2010-09-19T02:47:00.003-04:00

Some thoughts on Day 10:

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives: winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, this latest from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul finds Uncle Boonmee at the end of his days, suffering from kidney failure. He is visited by ghosts and spirits from his past, and experiences some of his past lives. This is a fairly arty film with a lot of levels not necessarily apparent on first viewing, so your enjoyment might or might not be tempered as such (I think I fall into the former camp).
Trigger: Vic (played by the late Tracy Wright) and Kat (Molly Parker) were once the two halves of a band called Trigger, until a falling out on tour. Fast forward to 10 years later, and the two women meet up for dinner, right before a tribute concert to the women of rock. The film follows the two over the course of a night, during which they hash out their long buried issues, conflicts, and feelings. Directed by Bruce McDonald (Roadkill, Highway 61) and written by writer/playwright Daniel MacIvor, Trigger features a couple of great performances by the leads, even more so especially considering the short time frame in which the completed the movie (a matter of days). Actor Don McKellar, Wright's real-life husband and who had a small cameo in the film, was at the Q&A and almost broke down while giving his thanks to everyone who worked so hard to get the film completed.
Henry's Crime: average heist movie that finds sad sack Henry (Keanu Reeves) serving time for a botched bank robbery for which he was duped into being the getaway driver. Eventually parolled, Henry decides if he's done the time, he might as well do the crime. Teaming up with former cellmate Max (James Caan), Henry figures out the best way into the bank is to tunnel from the theatre next door. This embroils him with a production of Chekov's The Cherry Orchard being staged there, along with leading actress Julie (Vera Farmiga). Whether you enjoy this movie is likely closely linked to whether you would have bought Reeves as Hamlet when he played the role in Winnipeg a number of years back.
Fire of Conscience: excellent high-adrenaline Hong Kong action flick from director Dante Lam. Follows Manfred (Leon Lai), an emotionally damaged cop who prowls the streets at night looking for a particular pickpocket. But his days are occupied trying to solve the murder of a prostitute and teaming with another detective, Kee (Richie Ren), to track down a cop killer who may be linked to something bigger. As typical with the genre, nothing and no one is as they seem.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 9

2010-09-17T21:27:00.002-04:00

Some thoughts on Day 9:

This blog was referenced by an article on The Guardian's film blog.
Home for Christmas: based on some of the short stories of Levi Henriksen, this film from director Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories, O'Horten) consists of several vignettes, largely connected only by the fact they all occur on the same Christmas Eve. There's the workaholic doctor called out for a childbirth; a couple of teenagers connecting with one another; the woman in an affair with a man who will never leave his wife; a divorced man who can't give his own kids presents on Christmas; a homeless man trying to make it back to his hometown; and others. The film constantly shifts between stories, and despite the short time available to each, you do develop feelings and sympathies for the characters. Only one story, that of an old man and his aged mother didn't really click for me, but the others found me longing for family and the holidays.
The First Grader: this film is based on the real-life story of Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge, a veteran of the Mau Mau Uprising against British colonial rule in Kenya in the 1950's. After the government announced free universal education for all in 2003, Maruge, at the age of 84, enrolled in primary school to get the education he never had as a child. At first, the teachers refuse to admit him, but his persistence causes head teacher Jane Obinchu (played by Naomie Harris) to relent. Jane and Maruge must fight against wary parents and the system to keep Maruge in school, all the while Maruge must deal with his own demons from the past. An inspiring, dramatic, and at times, funny, story.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 8

2010-09-17T00:41:00.002-04:00

Some thoughts on Day 8:

Beaver!
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Hilarious and thrilling film. Young Onni Tommila is the real star of the film, and the next great action hero. Well worth seeing.
Monsters: Interesting film, but don't go in expecting an action piece. The "monsters" of the title are almost more of a background piece to the relationship between the two leads (played by real-life couple Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy). Much of the dialogue is improvised, which didn't always work for me especially when it tried to get allegorical, but probably does fit with director Gareth Edward's goal of having a "real-life" monster movie. Some of the sci-fi elements reminded me of The Mist or Cloverfield, but like I said, the film is more about the journey of the leads (both physically and emotionally) than the aliens around them.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

2010-09-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

Pietari (played by Onni Tommila), a young boy living in rural Finland with his single father Rauno (Jorma Tommila), is intrigued by the excavation being done on a nearby mountaintop by a group of supposed scientists. After investigating with his friend, Pietari becomes consumed with the thought that the scientists have found Santa Claus frozen in the ice; but this is not the "Coca-Cola" version of Santa we're used to today, but a much darker one from ancient lore, one that would sooner spank or boil alive young children. As mysterious happenings soon envelope his neighbours, only Pietari knows what's going on, and may be their only saviour.

It's hard to characterize this film; it's more of a thriller with some horror elements thrown in, but with a lot of humour and some tender moments around the relationship between father and son. The film, from director Jalmari Helander based on idea from himself and his brother, is a prequel of sorts to the short films Helander has previously released on the Internet (YouTube has Part 1 and Part 2).

The movie maintains a brisk pace right out of the gate, and the suspense builds to a thrilling and hilarious climax. Young Onni Tommila does a great job as Pietari, and is one of the best things about the film. Overall, it was really fun and exciting, and it seemed to be a real crowd-pleaser. Well worth seeing if you get a chance.

Director Jalmari Helander did a Q&A after the film:

He's made two shorts on the same topic before, and this movie is kind of a prequel; everyone seems to like the shorts and always ask him why he doesn't make a feature, so he did.
The idea was developed by him and his brother; they wondered why Santa Claus has changed over the years. The original Father Christmas is totally opposite from the one we have now. So they started to investigate it.
The music was done by first-time composer Juri Seppä, who is a friend of Helander's.
Onni Tommila is actually Helander's nephew, and has been in a few of Helander's short films. Helander thinks Tommila is really something.
When asked why there are no women in the film, Helander responded that there was one in the beginning on the first shooting day, but he suddenly realized that there couldn't be any in the story. He originally had more women in the script (for example, Pietari had a mother), but when men have their own plans, it's so much easier to do those plans when there's no women around asking "what the hell are you doing?"
Shooting took place over 26 days.
They went to the northern part of Norway because the mountains are great there, unlike in Finland. The real Korvatunturi mountain is a really stupid, sad hill.
It was nice to be really isolated with the whole team, it was really interesting.
They don't have the Easter bunny in Finland, they have an Easter Witch, but Helander doesn't have any opinion on her.
Helander is 34 years of age. One of his influences is the movie E.T.

Possible spoilers below:

He's working on something else right now, but does have an idea for a sequel. He says it's not going to be pretty with all these Santas around the world.
There's lots of CGI in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film, not so much in the beginning, except for some snow, the excavated pit, and dead reindeer (because they didn't have enough real ones).

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 7

2010-09-16T01:06:00.002-04:00

Some thoughts on Day 7:

How to Start Your Own Country: funny yet thoughtful look at a few micronations around the world that raises deeper questions about what it means to be a country. The film takes a look at well-known micronations like Sealand, as well as lesser known ones. While some of the founders come off a bit eccentric, the filmmakers do portray them in a sympathetic light, and all have their own deeply held beliefs as to why they do what they do.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers: based on the best-selling Italian novel by Paulo Giordano, who co-wrote with director Saverio Constanzo, this film examines a boy and a girl through different period of their lives; their childhood, their teens, their early 20's, and their late 20's. Both are damaged, either physically or emotionally or both, and struggle with relating to family, people, and each other. Filled with melancholy, it's occasionally as difficult to relate to the characters as it is for them to relate to their own world, but the shifting timeframes gradually reveal the source and depth of their sorrows.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 6

2010-09-14T22:29:00.003-04:00

Past the halfway point now, with 14 movies seen, and 12 to go.

Mercifully, no technical issues today, but then again, I only watched one movie.
Heartbeats (Les amours imaginaires): director/actor Xavier Dolan's follow-up to J’ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother), the film finds friends Marie (Monia Chokri) and Francis (played by Dolan himself) becoming obsessed with newcomer Nicolas (Niels Schneider), a blond, curly-haired Adonis that bewitches them both, threatening to drive a wedge between them. By turns funny and sad, comedic and dramatic, Heartbeats is a worthy sophomore effort from Dolan.

Into the Wind

2010-09-14T10:42:00.003-04:00

As part of the Mavericks program, Steve Nash (of the Phoenix Suns) and Ezra Holland brought their new film about Terry Fox to the festival. The film was developed as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series of films to celebrate the network's 30th anniversary, but this also happens to be the 30th anniversary of Terry Fox's run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research.

For those who are unfamiliar with Terry Fox, he was a young man in his 20's, who lost a leg to cancer. After reading about Dick Traum, the first amputee to finish the New York Marathon, Fox became inspired to run across Canada, from the east coast to the west, and in the process raise money to go towards finding a cure for cancer. Into the Wind tells the story of Terry Fox and of his run.

Nash and Holland, who are cousins and together have a production company, had previously tackled smaller projects like commercials and music videos. But after being approached by ESPN to be part of their 30 for 30 project, Nash and Holland decided to make Terry Fox the focus of their contribution. Narrated by Taylor Kitsch, the film interweaves footage of Terry's run with
interviews of his mother and father, his childhood friend Doug Alward who drove the support van, Terry's brother Darrell who eventually joined Terry and Doug on the road, Bill Vigars, a PR representative of the Canadian Cancer Society who worked with Terry during the run, Terry's high school coach, and Douglas Coupland, who wrote a book about Fox back in 2005.

One of the unique things about this particular film is that it also incorporates the journals that Terry Fox kept on his run, providing insight into his motivations and feelings as he moved across the country.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Fox's run, and this year's Terry Fox Run is next Sunday, September 19th. You can visit the Terry Fox Foundation for more information or to donate.

Notes from the Q&A below. I don't think this really needs a spoiler alert, but if you aren't familiar with Terry Fox's story, there are points below that discuss how it ended.

Nash: Terry fox is a hero to all us Canadians. Nash was 6 in 1980 when Fox did his run, and he would watch the news every day to see where Fox was. The run raised a lot of questions for a 6-year old, like what is charity, what is giving, what is community, what is cancer, what is terminal illness? He hopes that the traits that Terry Fox displayed became a part of him and of the community.
Nash: You can see why Fox's Marathon of Hope continues today, and why it is still taught in schools. Fox was a normal guy who did extraordinary things, but the way he went about it is quintessentially Canadian.
Holland: They wanted to tell a story from Terry's perspective. They tried to figure out how to get the audience on the journey with Terry in an honest and simple way.
You can see the his reflections in his diaries, his insecurities contrasted with his public persona.
Holland: Steve Nash is conversational with people, and has an ability to get people to open up and tell it as it was, that's Steve's magic.
Nash: Being able to sit down with Terry Fox's family was a pleasure and a great personal experience. He didn't want to go in with a list of questions, he wanted to have a conversation, leave open possibilities of new angles and directions, emotions, and hopefully uncover some things about Terry we haven't realized before.
Overall it was a celebratory tone, with sad moments.
Inside Canada, he's our biggest figure, but to his family and friends, they remember the Terry before the Marathon of Hope.
His run had an impact internationally, and is run in 50 countries around the world. It's very Canadian that he is relatively unknown outside of the border, and that we don't go around thumping our chest about it.
Holland: It was incredible the amount of archival footage they were able to find. As an 8-year old in England, he vaguely remembers a school assembly about Terry Fox, but when he read Douglas Coupland's book, Terry, it really hit home for him.
When ESPN approached them to make a film about an athlete, Fox was the one who stood out, even just on the pure athletic achievement alone, plus he's a normal kid with a good friend, and the whole arc of the movie was right there. Nash: the film is made primarily for a US audience on ESPN, so he wanted to just get out of the way of the story and let it tell itself.
But they also wanted to do something different, and get inside Terry's head through his journals. But Nash could relate to Terry Fox as an athlete full stop. They were also interested in the contradiction in Fox; did he know he was going to die? It wouldn't have stopped him; he refused to see doctors and kept going. It was ironic that the motto for the run was "Cancer can be beaten," but it was killing him to do it.
Nash and Holland are co-producers with director Bill Guttentag on a movie about Pele.
They would like to make dramatic feature films at some point.
Nash: It's humbling to work in a new profession, but it's amazing to challenge yourself and grow. The teamwork, collaborative nature, and creativity in film-making is similar to basketball.
Nash: On the topic of Terry Fox being a small, not very good basketball player and then rising to be the captain of his high school team through sheer determination and practise, it never crossed Nash's mind the similarities to his own career and challenges in the NBA.
On what they think Terry would be doing today, Nash thinks he might have continued on as a leader in the community, or he may not have wanted that 24 hours a day and just wanted to be a regular human being in his community as a teacher or coach. Holland said that Bill had said Terry said to him that he wanted to carry on with his education and get back to his life after the run was over.
Nash: it would be great if this film inspires people the way Terry Fox inspired him.
Fox's family has seen the film, but they haven't had the chance to speak with them yet. They have heard the family is pleased with the film, and it means a lot to Nash and Holland that the family likes it.
Someone asked if Julian Schnabel influenced Nash at all, since Schnabel painted Nash's daughters, which is actually hanging in the Art Gallery of Ontario currently in an exhibition of Schnabel's work. Nash had made a Nike commercial with Schnable's daughter and knows Schnabel's son, so they have talked on occasion about film-making, but not specifically about this project.
On the fact that the early days of the run were not widely publicized, Nash thinks that today it would be unlikely to go unnoticed, but Holland said there are so many competing media interests today, it may not have had the same impact.
The reporter who said Terry hadn't crossed Quebec is no longer alive, but at the time issued a retraction. Nash and Holland said everything they read indicated the reporter was kind of a jerk in real life, and they think the retraction was probably driven more by the paper.
On if they ever disagreed about anything on the movie, Nash and Holland said it was like having a conversation, a continual dialog, but it was really fun.

Thoughts on Day 5

2010-09-14T01:09:00.003-04:00

Some random thoughts for Day 5:

Wouldn't be a day at the festival without technical issues. They had to "reboot the server" at the AMC for a showing of 22 of May, and then the Lightbox had a building-wide problem with all the theatres when we were about 5 minutes from the end of Cave of Forgotten Dreams. At least they were able to restart after a couple of minutes, which means we didn't miss the Herzogian ending of the film.
Tamara Drewe: light, funny, entertaining bedroom farce. Nothing too taxing, which was a nice way to start the day.
22nd of May: in contrast, this was a lot darker, with a security guard being haunted by the people killed in a bombing he didn't stop. Not too bad, ending shots quite good, get a bit of sense of the characters but could've done with something deeper on them.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams: fascinating look at the Chauvet caves in France, which contains cave paintings that are over 30,000 years old. Herzog utilized 3D cameras, which really bring to light the drawings, especially given that they are painted on uneven, rolling surfaces. Amazing to think of our far distant ancestors drawing on those walls so many years ago.

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

2010-09-13T10:08:00.003-04:00

Non-Canadians might not be aware of who David Suzuki is, but for Canadians, he is a household name. A scientist, broadcaster and environmentalist, Suzuki has for years hosted a science program on the CBC called The Nature of Things. Suzuki is passionately devoted to the environment and has done much to highlight the problems facing us through his work and through his organization, the The David Suzuki Foundation.

Force of Nature, the latest film from director Sturla Gunnarsson (who's Beowulf and Grendel I saw previously at the festival), takes a slightly different focus with Suzuki than we're used to seeing. Rather than just be science film, Gunnarsson weaves excerpts from Suzuki presenting his "Legacy Lecture" with insights into his personal life, influences and the evolution of his activism. Suzuki talks in the first-person about his childhood in the internment camps for Japanese-Canadians during World War II, his work for the US government as a scientist during the Cold War, his obsession with research during the 60's and 70's, his eventual shift to TV, and his increasing involvement in environmental concerns.

Suzuki is quite open and honest with how his experiences influenced him. How his isolation in childhood, being between two worlds, not quite Japanese, and not quite accepted as Canadian, drove his initial interest in the natural world. How his drive to write the perfect paper resulted in long hours in the lab which would eventually lead to divorce from his first wife. How a conversation with a student initially sparked him to look at the responsibility scientists have for how their basic research may eventually be applied. How reporting on the Haida's efforts to stop logging in the Queen Charlotte Islands crystallized his thoughts on how humanity and nature are intrinsically linked to one another.

Having grown up watching The Nature of Things on CBC, and coming from a similar cultural background, the film really resonated with me. Suzuki, and by extension the film, did a good job at highlighting the pivotal events in his life that shaped and directed his opinions and beliefs, and you could clearly understand and appreciate why he is so passionate and driven to sound the call about our impact on this planet. I think this makes the film even more effective than just a simple presentation of his lecture would be.

For anyone who got nostalgic when they played the old theme music from the show, here's a link to the opening.

Director Sturla Gunnarsson and David Suzuki himself were at the screening and did a Q&A after the film:

When asked where the hope is today, Suzuki replied that the environmental movement alone is not enough. If we reach out to human rights, social justice, and peace movements, it creates a very broad tent to include all of these issues, making a big movement that would be hard to ignore.
He continued that he is afraid if you look at our own actions, Canada ratified Kyoto, but you never hear about it anymore. Most countries that have ratified will meet their targets, but Canada elected a law-and-order PM who obviously doesn't give a s--- about international law and said he wasn't going to do anything about Kyoto.
Having said all that, Suzuki thinks the hope is that we will have a broad tent and the public will do something. It looks to him that unfortunately it may take more Katrina-like events before we get serious about making change.
The hope is that we can imagine a future; we always have. Knowing based on our past we can use our experience to see where the danger lies, where the opportunities lie, and imagine a different way of going.
When asked if the participation of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) guarantees wide distribution, Gunnarsson said it's really Entertainment One, the top distributor in the country, that guarantees that. The film opens October 1, 2010 in Toronto and Ottawa, and 2 weeks later across the country.
The CBC guarantees it will be seen on TV in 2011, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of The Nature of Things. The NFB will ensure the film will travel far and wide in international and educational markets. Planet Green will ensure the film will be seen in the US.
When asked about what hope do we have with the world's spiralling population, Suzuki said that we are way over the capacity of the planet to sustain us indefinitely. 1/5th of the world's population (the developed world) consumes 80% of the planet's resources and produces well over 80% of the toxic waste sent back into the biosphere. If we have too many people, the solution will not be to get rid of them or forget about them. The opportunity we have is to reduce the hyperconsumption in the developed world. All the stuff we consume, a lot of it should be utilized by the developing world to bring them up as we radically reduce our consumption. Hyperconsumption and population are the two driving factors undermining the future.
He never thought he would be in this role, leading the charge. He always thought of himself as a messenger, transmitting information out to everyone else to exploit. He gets a lot of people coming up to him, saying they support his foundation for which he is very grateful, but then may say, "boy, am I glad you're out there doing that," as if that is somehow enough. We all have to be involved; every day we are doing things, making decisions, that are all adding up to the impact on the planet. Becoming aware is only the first step, we all have to become more directly involved. It's very rewarding when you start down a different path.
Co-executive producer Laszlo Barna first contacted Gunnarsson to ask him to meet David Suzuki to discuss doing a project together. Gunnarsson wasn't sure at first, but Barna was very persuasive. Suzuki wanted to do a film about the meaning of life and the history of time back to the Big Bang and moving through to the present. They had many discussions about making a popular science movie, but as discussions unfolded, Gunnarsson became more interested in Suzuki himself. What emerged was a film that dealt with the relationship between David, his character, his life story, and his ideas.
Suzuki continued that he himself is not a filmmaker, it was really Gunnarsson's film. Suzuki couldn't see where this direction was going to go. He kept thinking in terms of his work in television, where you start with something and have to explicitly link everything together. In film, it's a different audience when someone has paid $10 to sit in a seat for an hour-and-a-half. They are going to be looking at it in a different way than someone watching television.
What excited Suzuki was that Gunnarsson has given the audience a lot of credit by exposing them to his ideas and letting them think about it and put them together. It doesn't have to be driven like in TV where you tell the audience something and the repeat it again and again to drive it home.
Gunnarsson said that with every documentary film, there is a process of getting engaged and building trust. After the first few shoots, he realized he was on the right track when he would ask Suzuki a question and Suzuki would respond to him and not the camera.
On the topic of the music in the film, Gunnarsson said that right from the beginning he was so taken by the fact that Suzuki has been at the centre of all these major turning points in the 20th and now 21st centuries, so he always imagined in part the film would be a trip through modern history and imagined using pop music from different eras.
He didn't know exactly which songs he would use, but one tune he did want was a Neil Young song for the opening, but it fell through. He says that was his good fortune, because he got Jonathan Goldsmith to do a version of "Hard Rain" he really liked.

Thoughts on Day 4

2010-09-13T00:52:00.002-04:00

Some random thoughts for Day 4:

Mr. Horse-man!
Thanks to twitter.com/leoraheilbronn who pointed out the music used in this year's TIFF Bell Lightbox Trailer is Hold Your Secrets to Your Heart from Miracle Fortress. The single is available from from iTunes.
I missed the cupcakes, but did catch the inaugural screening of theatre 2 in the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Errol Morris' Tabloid. The theatre was nice; lots of leg room, high plush seats, stadium-type seating, drink holders, and rear-window captioning capability. Downsides were small entrance doors that become a bit of a bottleneck, and insufficient space to hold people in line before the movie let in. Will have to try the cafe and the bar at some point this upcoming week.
Can programmers please remember to repeat the Q&A questions through the mike? Some are really good about it like Thom Powers and Steve Gravestock, and some should know better by this point.
Piano in a Factory: I'm not entirely sure about some of the scenes and motivations, but overall liked and enjoyed the film. Probably could also be a bit shorter, but we did see a director's cut that is 15 to 20 minutes longer than what the commercial release will be.
Into the Wind: moving documentary from Steve Nash and Ezra Holland about Terry Fox, done for ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Interviews with Terry's parents, brother, friend, and others, interspersed with archival footage and excerpts from Terry's own journals from the trip. This is the 30th anniversary of Fox's run, and this year's Terry Fox run is next Sunday, September 19th. You can visit the Terry Fox Foundation for more information or to donate.
Tabloid: Errol Morris' newest documentary. I actually went into this blind, not knowing anything about the subject, and found I really enjoyed the film that way. The revelations that are piled on one after the other as the film progresses is one of the ways it hooks you.
Norwegian Wood: based on the Haruki Murakami novel, this is the latest film from Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya). I haven't read the novel so I can't comment on how faithful the film is, but I did find the movie interesting and emotionally engaging. Stars Kenichi Matsuyama, who's becoming something of a fixture at the festival for me; I've seen Matsuyama in Linda, Linda, Linda, Detroit Metal City, Kamui Gaiden, and Bare Essence of Life.
Thanks to everyone who's read or linked to this blog. Sunday morning it passed 100,000 page views since its inception back in 2004. Here's to the next 100,000!

2010 TIFF Lightbox Trailer Theme Music

2010-09-12T09:22:00.002-04:00

Thanks to twitter.com/leoraheilbronn who pointed out the music used in this year's TIFF Bell Lightbox Trailer is Hold Your Secrets to Your Heart from Miracle Fortress, from the album Five Roses.

Miracle Fortress is a band from Montreal and their site can be found at
MySpace.

The single is available also available from from iTunes.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 3

2010-09-12T01:05:00.004-04:00

Some random thoughts on day 3:

No new trailers for me today.
What's up with all the technical problems this year? Or is it just more visible because everyone and their brother are on Twitter? Subtitling issues at Roy Thomson Hall for Little White Lies and moving everyone to Scotiabank, then issues at Scotiabank for Dhobi Ghat pushing the screening back 90 minutes, and I suspect there were similar problems for the Film Socialisme screening on Day 1 I attended.
Speaking of Dhobi Ghat, it was worth the wait. Very nice film, story and performances. Director Kiran Rao and actors Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, and Kriti Malhotra were all there and did a Q&A. This was the first role for both Dogra and Malhotra, and I think the second for Babbar.
Note for anyone who ended up skipping Dhobi Ghat because of the delay, they were saying in line that you can do exchanges or refunds at the main festival box office on Sunday.
Also saw Force of Nature, the documentary about scientist, environmentalist, and broadcaster David Suzuki, who was in attendance with director Sturla Gunnarsson (who's Beowulf and Grendel I saw previously at the festival). The film weaves Suzuki's Legacy Lecture with his personal life, providing a first-person look at the influences that shaped Suzuki's life and passions. Having grown up watching The Nature of Things on CBC, and coming from a similar cultural background, the film resonated with me, and Suzuki was fairly forthcoming about his own failings and successes, and how he came to be such a champion for the environment.
For anyone who got nostalgic when they played the old theme music from the show, here's a link.
Cupcakes tomorrow! Unfortunately, Sunday is one of my busier days, and I'm not going to be near the Lightbox in time to partake.

Thoughts on TIFF 2010 Day 2

2010-09-11T00:31:00.003-04:00

Some random thoughts for day 2:

Dr. Strangelove! Terminator! Don't forget to rinse your hook...
Link from the Globe and Mail's website today from Amber MacArthur's tech column.
The Way: a bit uneven in places, but overall, I liked this film from Emilio Estevez, directing his father, Martin Sheen, as a man who is driven to finish his son's pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, reconnecting with the memory of his son, himself, and the world along the way. Those in the audience who did the route themselves seemed to find the film captured the experience quite well. After seeing this movie, you'd be hard pressed to not find yourself wanting to do the same. Estevez and Sheen were there for a Q&A. Co-star Deborah Kara Unger was there at the start, but had to duck out early.
Guest: I saw Jose Luis Guerin's last film at the festival, Dans la ville de Sylvia, back in 2007. On a tour of festivals for that movie, Guerin took the opportunity to film his travels, resulting in Guest. Along the way, he observes life in many countries, from Italy to France, Peru, Chile, Cuba, China, and Jerusalem, connects with many of the locals, and finds common themes among the often difficult lives people lead.

2010 Programme Book Gift Bag

2010-09-10T10:55:00.004-04:00

Finally connected up with my friend who picked up our tickets this year, and there was a programme book gift bag after all. One rumor I read said the bags were not given out when you picked up your programme book because they were held up at customs. When my friend went to pick up the completed order, bags were available, although he had to specifically ask for it. No word on whether any would still be left at this point.

Highlights of this year's bag:

A tote bag.

No Stella Artois glass! So much for my collection.

A small 237 ml bottle of Diet Coke.

A bag of Blockbuster popcorn.

A Crest 3DWhite teeth whitening strip.

A rent 1/get 1 free coupon for Blockbuster with post-its to bookmark your programme book.

A card advertising the Tim Burton exhibition organized by MOMA that will be at the Lightbox in November.

A card advertising 50% off the Toronto Star.

A Pizza Nova gift card.

An ad for TorontoFilmFestivals.com, which seems to list all the various film festivals around Toronto during the year.

A card advertising the Liberty Entertainment Group's restaurants, like the Rosewater Supper Club (no discount, though).

A Blockbuster gift card, although it doesn't say if there's any credit on it.

A scratch and win card for the Drake Hotel.

3D glasses for the National Film Board of Canada's website (http://nfb.ca/3-D).

Inside Job

2010-09-10T10:36:00.004-04:00

Inside Job is an intriguing look at the causes and the effects of the recent financial crisis. With narration by Matt Damon, and interviews with some of those that contributed to the problem and those who foresaw the results but went unheeded, director Charles Ferguson's film lays out the initial origins of the problem back in the 70's and 80's when deregulation of the financial industry began, moves through its expansion in the 90's and early 2000's, right up to the boiling point in 2008/2009. The film presents a clear explanation of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and credit default swaps (CDSs) and shows how they created a house of cards just ripe for a collapse.

Inside Job reminded me somewhat of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, in that both films took a rather esoteric topic and made it understandable to a layperson, and highlighted how greed created a self-perpetuating cycle that piled more and more bad decisions on top of one another to the point that failure was inevitable. The film shows the intertwining connections between academia, government, and the financial services industry, with the same players moving back and forth between each of them, further entrenching the same principles that led to many of the problems.

Director Charles Ferguson, producer Audrey Marrs, and Gillian Tett, US managing editor of the Financial Times, did a Q&A after the film:

Ferguson's hope for the film is to be able to show the world these issues and hope it leads to action.
When asked about how they got people to interview for the film, Marrs said that in getting people, they gave them a brief synopsis of the film and Ferguson's CV, and she was surprised more people didn't ask for more information. She thinks that many thought they were going to them just for the expertise, and that they had never been challenged before. For those people that declined, they pushed really hard to get specific no's, as opposed to people just saying they were too busy and deferring.
Gillian Tett described that before moving to the editorial side, for 5 years she covered global markets, and she used to be frustrated at trying to take these complicated, specialized topics and ideas and communicate them to other people. It was an area of activity that was incredibly important to the global economy but very hard to communicate. She thinks the film does a good job of taking this geeky, complex stuff and communicating its core essence to a wider audience, and wishes there had been some version of this 5 years ago.
She continued that it is tempting to take a topic like CDOs, which seems dull and geeky and boring, and stick it on the back page. People would tend to say its geeky and boring, so leave it to the technical experts. And technical experts are not used to be questioned, because people aren't looking at what they are doing, so they are left alone and get on with their stuff, but we now know in finance that is dangerous.
She raised the question of how many other geeky areas of activity are there in society today where people are averting their eyes, like how many people knew what was happening in the Gulf of Mexico before the BP well blew up, and how many other areas is there a need for people to make serious films looking at these technical areas where experts are not used to being challenged?
Some interview subjects tried to back out afterwards, but they had all signed releases before doing the interviews. Ferguson got an e-mail from Martin Feldstein the day after the interview rescinding his permission, but they already had a signed release so they left the footage in; Ferguson had thanked his legal team before the start of the screening.
On the academic connection: Ferguson started in academia, has a PhD in political science from MIT, and did economic policy. He noticed some of his professors popping up as expert witnesses in antitrust cases or regulatory proceedings. Over time he kept in touch with academia, and has friends who are academics, and he noticed this became more prevalent, and once the crisis hit, he looked deeper, and found what you saw in film and much more. The Law and Economics Consulting Group, one of the firms mentioned in the film, is a $300 million a year publicly held company; overall, it is a billion dollar industry, and their website listed all the academic experts you could hire, and there are a lot of serious people
on there.
When asked about the film's position that President Obama hasn't addressed the issue in more depth (and the film is fairly non-partisan in that both Republican and Democratic administrations alike get blame for contributing to the problem), Ferguson said that he doesn't know the President personally, but says once he made certain appointments for positions like the Secretary of the Treasury, the Fed, etc. the die was cast. He said
he really doesn't know the answer to that, but in discussions with others, some people think it's actually contrary to the President's own political self-interest to do what he has done and probably had the capital to do much more.
Gillian Tett said she thinks President Obama was trying to to tackle many targets at once, and to reform the financial industry would require a strong, concerted focus, but the lobby is very powerful. Before becoming a journalist, she trained as a social anthropologist, and one of thinkers that had an impact on her was Pierre Bourdieu, the French anthropologist, who argued the way elites stay in power is not by controlling the means of production
(i.e. money), but by controlling the cognitive map (how we think). This plays into Ferguson's point about the academic role in all this; academics were reinforcing and supporting a cognitive map that served the financial industry very well. There is a powerful nexus of thinkers, politicians, idea people, money men and women, who worked together in recent years to create the system.
Ferguson concluded by agreeing that the US political system has become more a servant of the financial service industry, but it's not irreversible, and the American people have in past come to realize similar problems in the system and asserted themselves, and thinks that the President has the capacity to do much more.
The film will be released this fall in North America.

Film Socialism

2010-09-10T10:02:00.002-04:00

I can't really comment too much on this film. Everything I've read indicated that there should have been English subtitles (albeit ellipitical ones), but the version I saw at TIFF had none, and my French is extremely limited, so that made it even more difficult to interpret what I was seeing. Especially the middle section of the film, set at a small gas station, where there was a fair amount of dialogue.

If you're a fan of Godard's work, and/or you have a good working knowledge of French, consider seeing this, but otherwise, you may not get much out of the film.

Thoughts on Opening Day

2010-09-10T00:28:00.003-04:00

Some random thoughts on day 1:

New trailers! RBC one was funny, but hope they have more in store, because it will get old fast. Cadillac seems to be going for iconic film images this year (Psycho!).

Liked the new volunteer trailer.

The Lightbox Tim Burton trailer was visually interesting. Have to checkout the exhibit when it comes to town.

The TIFF woman doing the intro for Film Socialism found it cute the audience remembered the arrrrrr for her anti-piracy spiel.

Speaking of Film Socialism, what was up with the 30 minute delay? Heard conflicting reasons for the delay, from the projectionist being late to the film itself being late. And were there supposed to be subtitles? The few reviews from Cannes I've read seem to imply that there should've been (although they probably wouldn't have helped me interpret the movie any better).

Inside Job was a fascinating look at the causes and impact of the financial crisis, and does a good job explaining collateralized debt obligations, credit default swaps, and how they led to the whole financial mess. Took a fairly non-partisan view in the sense that both Republican and Democratic administrations alike take blame, along with the major players in the financial industry and academia. Director and producer were in attendance, and did a Q&A which I'll post a summary of when I get a chance.

My TIFF 2010 Fest Schedule

2010-09-04T21:46:00.005-04:00

Got my tickets for this year:

13 Assassins, Takashi Miike, Japan
22nd of May, Koen Mortier, Belgium
Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Werner Herzog, USA
Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries), Kiran Rao, India
Film Socialism, Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland
Fire of Conscience, Dante Lam, Hong Kong
The First Grader, Justin Chadwick, United Kingdom
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie, Sturla Gunnarsson, Canada
Guest, José Luis Guerín, Spain
Heartbeats, Xavier Dolan, Canada
Henry's Crime, Malcolm Venville, USA
Home for Christmas, Bent Hamer, Norway/Germany/Sweden
How to Start Your Own Country, Jody Shapiro, Canada
Inside Job, Charles Ferguson, USA
Into the Wind, Steve Nash and Ezra Holland, USA
Monsters, Gareth Edwards, United Kingdom
Norwegian Wood, Tran Anh Hung, Japan
The Piano in a Factory, Zhang Meng, China
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, Jalmari Helander, Finland/Norway/France
The Solitude of Prime Numbers, Saverio Constanzo, Italy
Tabloid, Errol Morris, USA
Tamara Drewe, Stephen Frears, United Kingdom
Trigger, Bruce McDonald, Canada
The Trip, Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, United Kingdom/Thailand
The Way, Emilio Estevez, USA

Individual Tickets Now On Sale

2010-09-03T07:18:00.002-04:00

Individual tickets to screenings are now on sale:

Online at http://www.tiff.net/, starting September 3, 2010 at 7:00 AM

At the Festival Box Office at 363 King Street West (King and Peter Streets) or by phone at (416) 968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM:

September 3: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
September 4 to September 8: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
September 9 to September 18: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
September 19: 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The website is pretty unresponsive at the moment.

TIFF 2010: Box 9 out of 39 Drawn

2010-08-30T13:09:00.002-04:00

In this year's ticket lottery, there were 39 boxes, and box 9 was selected as the starting point. This means all orders that were dropped off in box 9 will be processed first (after donors are processed), then box 10, 11, 12, etc., up to 39, after which boxes 1 through 8 will be processed.

If you filled out an e-mail address on your Advance Order Book and your envelope, you should get an e-mail between now and September 2, letting you know which of your choices were filled; for any that weren't you will receive vouchers that you can use starting September 2 to select a different screening. Don't panic if you don't receive an e-mail, a number of people every year don't.

You can pick up your tickets or vouchers starting on September 2, 2010 at 7:00 AM at the Festival Box Office at King and Peter. If you actually got all your choices, I recommend you do not show up first thing at 7:00 AM, as the lines will likely be long.

For all those that did not participate in the advance order procedure this year, general tickets go on sale starting September 3.

Advance Order Books Due Tomorrow

2010-08-29T10:18:00.004-04:00

Just a reminder, Advance Order Books have to be returned before 1:00 PM on Monday, August 30, 2010 to the Festival Box Office at King and Peter. If you miss the deadline, then your order will be processed after everyone else in the lottery.

Your Advance Order Book should be in the order envelope you received at pickup, and the envelope should include your Drop Off Voucher. Keep your Pick Up Voucher, as you will need that to pick up your tickets.

Don't forget to also fill out your e-mail address on both the envelope and the cover of the Advance Order Book, so the festival can notify you of which tickets you will receive.

If your 1st and 2nd choice for a screening were sold out, then you will receive a voucher at pick up that can be used to pick and pay for another screening, which you can pick as soon as September 2, 2010.

For a more detailed explanation of what happens in the lottery, consult my post here.

TIFF 2010 Programme Guide Tote Bag

2010-08-28T23:58:00.003-04:00

I've heard that the reason that purchasers of the programme guide did not get tote bags at envelope pick up this year is that all the contents were ready to go, but the bags themselves were held up in customs at the border. No word on exactly when the bags might be available.

The Whistleblower

2010-08-28T14:30:00.002-04:00

While scheduling films, my friend noticed that the Rachel Weisz film, The Whistleblower, is listed on the website and the Official Film Schedule, but is not in the programme book. So if you're strictly looking at the programme book when picking films, don't forget to look this one film up off of the website.

Actors, Directors, and Others Attending TIFF 2010

2010-08-24T22:19:00.006-04:00

The list of actors, directors, and others attending or expected to attend the festival has been announced. The full list can be found here.

Some highlights below:

Ben Affleck
Malin Akerman
Woody Allen
Darren Aronofsky
Gemma Arterton
Javier Bardem
Jay Baruchel
Maria Bello
Danny Boyle
Zach Braff
Catherine Breillat
Abigail Breslin
Jim Broadbent
James Caan
John Carpenter
Vincent Cassel
Thomas Haden Church
Jennifer Connelly
Steve Coogan
Paolo Costanzo
Denis Côté
Marion Cotillard
Matt Damon
William B. Davis
Robert De Niro
Catherine Deneuve
Kat Dennings
Laura Dern
Garrett Dillahunt
Xavier Dolan
Minnie Driver
Clint Eastwood
Aaron Eckhart
Atom Egoyan
Emilio Estevez
Vera Farmiga
Will Ferrell
Colin Firth
Megan Fox
James Franco
Stephen Frears
Vincent Gallo
Ed Gass-Donnelly
Bill Gates
Zach Galifianakis
Paul Giamatti
Amos Gitai
Ryan Gosling
Bruce Greenwood
José Luis Guerin
Davis Guggenheim
Sturla Gunnarsson
Michael C. Hall
Rebecca Hall
Jon Hamm
Woody Harrelson
Josh Hartnett
Amber Heard
Jill Hennessy
Werner Herzog
George Hickenlooper
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Bob Hoskins
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Irène Jacob
Jason Jones
Milla Jovovich
Catherine Keener
Harvey Keitel
Nicole Kidman
Rachelle Lefevre
Mike Leigh
Blake Lively
Ken Loach
Jon Lovitz
Josh Lucas
William H. Macy
Guy Maddin
Amy Madigan
Bruce McDonald
Helen Mirren
Michael Moore
Errol Morris
Temuera Morrison
Carey Mulligan
Bill Murray
Steve Nash
Olivia Newton-John
Alessandro Nivola
Edward Norton
Jonathan Nossiter
Clive Owen
François Ozon
Ellen Page
Molly Parker
Ron Perlman
Ryan Phillippe
Rosamund Pike
Freida Pinto
Amanda Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Natalie Portman
Kelly Preston
Bill Pullman
Om Puri
Charlotte Rampling
Robert Redford
Keanu Reeves
Jeremy Renner
Ryan Reynolds
Miranda Richardson
Emma Roberts
Sam Rockwell
Stephen Root
Mickey Rourke
Geoffrey Rush
Amy Ryan
Ludivine Sagnier
John Sayles
Julian Schnabel
David Schwimmer
Kristin Scott-Thomas
Martin Sheen
Michael Sheen
Sarah Silverman
Kevin Spacey
Scott Speedman
Bruce Springsteen
Mary Steenburgen
Fisher Stevens
Emma Stone
David Suzuki
Hilary Swank
Juno Temple
Uma Thurman
John Turturro
Tom Tykwer
Liv Tyler
Ingrid Veninger
Denis Villeneuve
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Rachel Weisz
Lambert Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Ray Winstone
Michael Winterbottom
Dwight Yoakam

How Do I Buy Tickets for TIFF 2010 - Part 4

2010-08-24T21:30:00.002-04:00

This is the fourth in a series of posts on how to buy tickets for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In this post, we'll look at ways you can purchase tickets while the festival is underway.

You can purchase tickets in advance (i.e. not on the same day of the screening) by the following methods:

Online at http://www.tiff.net/, starting September 3, 2010 at 7:00 AM

At the Festival Box Office at 363 King Street West (King and Peter Streets) or by phone at (416) 968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM:

September 3: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
September 4 to September 8: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
September 9 to September 18: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
September 19: 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

On the day of the screening, in addition to the above methods you can also purchase tickets at the venue box office; i.e. the box office located at each theatre showing films for the festival. Venue box offices usually open one hour before the first scheduled screening of the day at that theatre, and close 30 minutes after the last scheduled screening of the day at that theatre.

In 2009, ticket prices were as follows:

Regular Public Screenings - $19.76, Student/Senior - $17.14 (in person only, same-day sales only)
Premium Public Screenings - $38.33, Student/Senior - $19.05 (in person only, same-day sales only)
Children’s Tickets for Sprockets Family Zone programming only - Child (12 and under) - $12.86

Prices do not include HST, building-fund fee, or service charges. You can pay by cash, debit, or Visa.

You can usually purchase a maximum of 4 tickets to a single screening. All sales are final; to exchange tickets, there is a $2.50 fee per ticket, and you can only do exchanges up to the day before the screening (i.e. no same day exchanges allowed). Exchanges can usually only be performed at the Festival Box Office.

For Student and Senior (+65) discounts, you need to present your ID with your ticket when entering the screening.

If a particular screening is marked as Off Sale, i.e. sold out, then keeping trying throughout the festival. People may exchange their tickets for other movies, and those originals are then released back for sale.

Additional tickets may also be made available the day of the screening, so try checking then. The TIFF website will list their "best bets" for same day tickets available on the following day, on the website, and through e-mail if you subscribe to their TIFF Alerts.

Try a different screening. Screenings early in the week tend to sell out faster than those later in the festival.

Try checking the forums at TIFF Reviews, at http://www.tiffreviews.com/forum/. People will often post if they are looking to trade their tickets.

If all else fails, you can try the rush line outside the theatre screening your film. If any last minute seats open up, because someone doesn't show up for their screening, or seats reserved for people associated with the film aren't all filled, the theatre may release those seats. People in the rush line will get first crack at purchasing any seats that come available (sales are usually cash only, so make sure you have enough on you). Note there is no guarantee anyone in the rush line will be able to get in.

On occasion, ticket holders that don't want to see the film or that have extra tickets, may go down the rush line offering their extras; I've been on both ends of this before, where I've sold my ticket to someone in the line, or been in the line and bought a ticket off of someone looking to sell.

Some tips for the festival:

Make sure you are in the right line. Ask festival volunteers (the ones with the headsets or festival t-shirts) what line you should be in. Multiplexes like the AMC will have multiple films lining up at the same time, so you want to make sure you are in the right one. Plus, each theatre has a rush line as well, which is for people who still want to buy tickets, not those who already have one.
Be at the theatre at least 15 minutes before the start of the screening, otherwise you are not guaranteed a seat, even if you have a ticket. If you arrive more than 10 minutes after the scheduled start of a movie, they may not let you in.
Not all theatres allow food and/or drink. The Varsity, AMC, and Scotiabank theatres allow food/drink since they are all part of the big theatre chains, but other theatres like Ryerson do not. So don't buy take-out or a big coffee right before you go into one of those.
Don't leave empty seats next to you. Squeeze in, because generally speaking, every film will be playing to a packed house. Note the festival also says you aren't allowed to save seats in the theatre.
Be aware of where you sit if you are watching a subtitled movie. Not all theaters have good sight lines to the bottom of the screen.
If you have limited time between screenings, don't forget all the factors that might affect you: many screenings will have a Q&A after the movie, and the time for any Q&A is not factored into the screening time in the schedule (you're not obliged to stick around for the Q&A, though); films will occasionally start late for a variety of reasons; some theatres are far apart from one another.
If you're watching a Midnight Madness film at midnight, don't forget that the subway may not be running by the time the film ends, so plan accordingly.
Speaking of Q&As, if you're going to speak up, make sure you actually have a question or keep it short. No one else wants to hear you gush over the director or cast for 5 minutes, no matter how good the film was. If you want to do that, try to catch them after the Q&A is over. In a similar vein, it generally does not go over well if you want to spend your question severely criticizing the director without anything constructive to say or ask.
Don't forget to turn off your cell phone, and for pete's sake, don't text or talk through the movie (especially if you're in the industry; the rest of us don't care how much of a Hollywood bigshot you are :-))
It should go without saying that you shouldn't be taping movies, but in case that's not obvious, I've been at a number of films where they've had people scanning the audience during the screening, with and without night-vision goggles. Also note that taping movies is now a criminal offense that could net you 2 years in prison.
Be nice to the volunteers; they don't get paid for this (other than getting a ticket from whatever is still available after having worked for several hours in a row). Just think about how much *more* expensive the festival would be without them. :-)

If you want a really detailed breakdown of tips of what to do during the festival, check out Larry Richman's series of posts, the first of which is linked below:

http://www.pronetworks.org/index.php/independent_films/post/how_to_do_the_toronto_film_festival_-_real_tips_for_real_people/