Live from TIFF: Recap and Summation
And so that it's for the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. And it been quite a week.
You see, this was my first trip away from home alone. Last Tuesday I packed my bags with an eager anticipation and an equal amount of nervousness. It subsided as I got used to this terrific inn I stayed at, and began to feel at home in a city not so different from mine. I was struck by the great subway lines-quicker than New York City, that's for sure. I was struck by how close everything was. And most of all I was struck by how friendly every single person was.
I never felt alone even though I was so many miles away from home. I would stand on a line, and the person behind or in front would wrap you into some kind of dialoge-"How many movies have you seen so far?" or "Got any recommendations?" I even managed to make a friend after you see the same people again and again every day, every show, all the time. The first day I felt distant, but by the end I saw how the festival was really a community thing.
When I go back home in an hour or so, or now that I am home if you are reading this late, know that I now understand how movies bring people together. I thought I understood the concept-you get a room, get a screen, show a film, people come to see it. But with TIFF, I saw film in a whole new light. When I go back to New York, for the next four days I am just continuing the festival on my own. I'll see seeing sixteen films in the next four days, and then whatever comes out Friday-films like "Across the Universe," "Eastern Promises," "The Brave One," "3:10 to Yuma," "The Hunting Party," "In the Shadow of the Moon," "December Boys"-all of which could be as good, if not better, as some films I've seen here at the festival. But I won't have the pleasure of seeing a 9:00am show with a crowd of of two hundred. Hell, Monday morning at 12:30 may not even crack double digits. I won't have the joy of the anti-piracy ad coming on the screen with people (including myself) going "ARRRR" a voice coined by the Midnight Madness programmer. I won't get to see that great Cadillac ad (with the tagline "Be An Original"-five rotated ads with a man pitching scripts to Hollywood-many of them with plots similar to "Jaws" or "The Lord of the Rings." I won't have the pleasure of seeing the crowd clap every single time the film ends-however bad. Even if there is no filmmaker or actor. They were just so happy to be there. So happy to be together.
So I leave Toronto now with a feeling of immense sadness, but not the type of sadness where I regret coming. This was a great trip, and a great festival. I met a lot of really great people for a second, several for an hour, and even more for a few days. I saw a lot of great movies, a few duds, and a few mediocre-but that is how it normally is. When I tell people I saw forty-five films, they will say "You could have just seen them here." But its the experience. It's the crowds. The conversation. the film fans. The community wanting to support the festival even if it is just one film, the residents who take off from work or a week to see thirty plus films, and the out of towners who come to see 50 plus, and maybe even more if they can. It's a love for something outside of the box.
And so even though Oscar season has just begun, and I'll be seeing quite a few four star films-I even got a minor head start-the TIFF was more than just an introduction, it was a season all of its own. And I hope I get to go once again soon.
So with that. . . Cumberland. . . .Scotibank. . . .Varsity. . . .Isabel Bader. . . and Elgin. . . .I'll be back, so you better stick around.
The comedy is ended.
You see, this was my first trip away from home alone. Last Tuesday I packed my bags with an eager anticipation and an equal amount of nervousness. It subsided as I got used to this terrific inn I stayed at, and began to feel at home in a city not so different from mine. I was struck by the great subway lines-quicker than New York City, that's for sure. I was struck by how close everything was. And most of all I was struck by how friendly every single person was.
I never felt alone even though I was so many miles away from home. I would stand on a line, and the person behind or in front would wrap you into some kind of dialoge-"How many movies have you seen so far?" or "Got any recommendations?" I even managed to make a friend after you see the same people again and again every day, every show, all the time. The first day I felt distant, but by the end I saw how the festival was really a community thing.
When I go back home in an hour or so, or now that I am home if you are reading this late, know that I now understand how movies bring people together. I thought I understood the concept-you get a room, get a screen, show a film, people come to see it. But with TIFF, I saw film in a whole new light. When I go back to New York, for the next four days I am just continuing the festival on my own. I'll see seeing sixteen films in the next four days, and then whatever comes out Friday-films like "Across the Universe," "Eastern Promises," "The Brave One," "3:10 to Yuma," "The Hunting Party," "In the Shadow of the Moon," "December Boys"-all of which could be as good, if not better, as some films I've seen here at the festival. But I won't have the pleasure of seeing a 9:00am show with a crowd of of two hundred. Hell, Monday morning at 12:30 may not even crack double digits. I won't have the joy of the anti-piracy ad coming on the screen with people (including myself) going "ARRRR" a voice coined by the Midnight Madness programmer. I won't get to see that great Cadillac ad (with the tagline "Be An Original"-five rotated ads with a man pitching scripts to Hollywood-many of them with plots similar to "Jaws" or "The Lord of the Rings." I won't have the pleasure of seeing the crowd clap every single time the film ends-however bad. Even if there is no filmmaker or actor. They were just so happy to be there. So happy to be together.
So I leave Toronto now with a feeling of immense sadness, but not the type of sadness where I regret coming. This was a great trip, and a great festival. I met a lot of really great people for a second, several for an hour, and even more for a few days. I saw a lot of great movies, a few duds, and a few mediocre-but that is how it normally is. When I tell people I saw forty-five films, they will say "You could have just seen them here." But its the experience. It's the crowds. The conversation. the film fans. The community wanting to support the festival even if it is just one film, the residents who take off from work or a week to see thirty plus films, and the out of towners who come to see 50 plus, and maybe even more if they can. It's a love for something outside of the box.
And so even though Oscar season has just begun, and I'll be seeing quite a few four star films-I even got a minor head start-the TIFF was more than just an introduction, it was a season all of its own. And I hope I get to go once again soon.
So with that. . . Cumberland. . . .Scotibank. . . .Varsity. . . .Isabel Bader. . . and Elgin. . . .I'll be back, so you better stick around.
The comedy is ended.
posted by Eric at
6:10 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home