I’m on the road to Toronto now as this publishes. This will be my seventeenth year in a row attending with fellow Buffalonian critic Christopher Schobert. It’s wild to think we’ve been doing it that long—especially considering how much the experience has changed with the event’s popularity skyrocketing right alongside its greatly enhanced infrastructure thanks to the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Our first time going in 2007 was a result of my winning an arbitrarily defined award at Buffalo Spree, where we both worked at the time. Knowing I enjoyed film, the owner gifted me two sets of six ticket vouchers and a two-night hotel stay. And, knowing Chris was also a fan, we decided to make it an unofficial work excursion. We simply drove down the QEW and walked into the closest box office to see what was available.
With literally no clue what was actually playing when or where, all the biggish titles were somehow still available—something that would never happen today considering how tickets are currently being scalped for exorbitant prices thanks to Ticketmaster being firmly in control.
We asked the volunteer what was playing soonish so we could comfortably fit in two titles each day. The answer: JUNO. What a first TIFF screening it proved too as both Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody were present to introduce and deliver a Q&A despite the real premiere being the previous night (with many alcoholic beverages and zero sleep surely in-between).
The other five we selected: new films from Julie Taymor, Sean Penn, Noah Baumbach, Woody Allen, and Brian De Palma. An auspicious debut indeed.
REVIEWS:
COPA 71
(world premiere)
“Along with these first-hand accounts, the footage of the games themself amazes too. Add some stunning still photography and a wealth of newspaper headlines and COPA 71 becomes an archival treasure trove of sports history.”
– Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE:
NORTH STAR, d. Kristin Scott Thomas
DICKS: THE MUSICAL, d. Larry Charles
THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME, d. Sara Margrethe Oskal