Ok, I know it’s early, but I still wanted to send out an FYI about the TIFF site going live and a few other important dates for all the festival freaks out there. I discovered this site 3 years ago, simply for discussion about the film festival. As a result, I’ve discovered Chan Wook Park, Guy Maddin, Takashi Miike, and the holy grail of television…“Spaced”. Thanks everyone, and is it really 86 days away?
Important Dates
June 27 - tiff08.ca live with all the info you need to plan your Festival.
July 7 - Box Office opens for advance package purchases at 10:00am, VISA only.
July 14 - Advance packages available for purchase by VISA and cash.
July 15 - Canadian programme information announced at 3:00pm.
July 23 - Programme information announced for Midnight Madness, Sprockets Family Zone, Wavelengths at 3:00pm.
August 19 - Full film list live & Gala, Visa Screening Room schedule available online at 3:00pm.
August 23 - Gala and Visa Screening Room tickets available as of 10:00am.
August 26 - Programme Book and Official Film Schedule available as of 10:00am.
Welcome back Grease! We still remember your inquisitive series in regards to TIFF a number of years ago.
As usual, we’ll be hitting TIFF long and hard this year.
Films I’m really hoping are at TIFF:
Blindness
The Road
Three Monkeys
Burn After Reading
Transperceneige
The Good, The Bad, & The Weird
Tokyo Gore Police
Jean Claude Van Damme
Che
Sparrow
SYNECDOUCHE, New York
Genova
Lakeview Terrace
Been a slow year at the domestic cinema, TIFF Can’t come soon enough.
It’s good to be back. I’ve heard very little about any releases for the festival, as it’s still quite early. I really don’t know what to expect as far as expectations, or even releases for this year. Although I did hear that Blindness got luke-warm reviews at Cannes. Although, Cannes is not always a reliable source for reviews….too many snots.
I’ve heard this year(and confirmed with the Box Office) that the Elgin will now be a premium screening, similar to Roy Thomson, and as a result is not eligible for the lottery this year…fyi.
I’ve heard this year(and confirmed with the Box Office) that the Elgin will now be a premium screening, similar to Roy Thomson, and as a result is not eligible for the lottery this year…fyi.
Every year it seems there’s one “Ah, crap,” moment when word starts trickling out of the box office. That’s a bummer, but I sort of expected it, after they raised the ticket prices last year. Honestly, I’m not too put out, since the experience was less than stellar both times last year. Just leaves more time for the low-profile films, which are almost always more rewarding (though I did catch NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, BRAND UPON THE BRAIN!, LADY VENGEANCE, etc. in the Elgin in times past. Sigh…)
Anyway, has anyone heard word about other ticket issues this year? More specifically, are they going to re-instate the 30-coupon pack? It’s not a huge loss, but it’s so much more convenient to buy one set instead of three. I would also hope the prices would go down, considering the lousy economy, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.
As for the films, I’m guessing JCVD, Blindness, Synecdoche, NY, and Che will all be there, in some form or another, though I’ve been wrong before. Any more possibilities?
I agree with the “ah crap” moment. The Elgin is one of, if not my favorite theatre(along with Bader). Lady Vengance, Diving Bell and TransAmerica were some of my festival favorites that I have seen there. Oh well, I’m not paying 40 bucks to see a movie and then NOT get a Q&A;afterwards.
In regard to the festival pass, this is part of the email response I got from the Box Office, “I can advise you that Festival/Daytime/10 Ticket Packages are valid for regular-priced screenings only, as of this year.”
I don’t know if the festival package is the 30 coupon or not, but I hope so, because I doubt he would mention it if it weren’t going to be included this year.
P.S. The guy at the Box Office told me all of this is yet to be announced, so anyone who calls the box office, try not to get this guy in trouble.
The Wintergarden was a real treat last year. Saw Johnnie To’s MAD DETECTIVE there and it was sweet.
I hope that don’t stiff the ELGIN, but I tend to agree that that leaves more time for the ‘smaller’ screenings and more surprises. The SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS typically make it to the domestic theatres within 6 months of TIFF anyway. Plus they don’t do Q&As;at THE ELGIN unless you are Christopher Guest or Michael Moore. And I like the Q&As;.
I didn’t know they ever used the Wintergarden. It looks nice from the outside. I’ve also never seen the inside of the Al Green theatre either. How do those 2 compare to some of the nicer theatres(Bader, Elgin)?
By the way, Darrin the creator of the great TIFF blog, 1st Thursday, is going to be updating his site over the next few weeks, so if you are a TIFF junkie, particularly a 1st timer, I highly recommend it.
Just got off the phone with the box office. There evidently is going to be a new package or 2. One of them is like the festival package, but instead of 50 films, I think it is for 25-30 films. It’s still for 1 person though, so if you want to combine tickets with someone, the 10 pack is the only way to go still.
The big question will be if the ELGIN is off-limits for coupon holders. That’ll piss a number of folks off that like to take in a few of the higher-profile (but non GALA) Special Presentations.
I also asked that today, just to get another opinion, and the rep said “it hasn’t been confirmed, but there is a very good chance that that will be the case”. So I have had 2 people tell me that it was all but confirmed…..that is a real bummer, b/c part of the fun is getting to see some stars up close.
I am not going to spend $40 a ticket for no Q&A;afterwards. That is just ridiculous, and I’m sure it may cut down attendance for the “star seekers”....I don’t blame them either.
The TIFF Trailer Park is under way again ... collecting trailers for as many TIFF films as I can find, have them nicely sorted in their own dedicated player this year. See the main page for details ...
Yes. My “oh crap” moment was about the Elgin. I emailed TIFF—no response. They did respond when I advised them that some MAC applications does not work when ordering tickets—they sure responded fast on that one (I received 2 emails and thanked me).
I have fond memories (7 years) of seeing movies at the Elgin. I guess they feel they can fill the Elgin for 40 bucks a person. I think I will enjoy a lot of smaller films this year.
I am looking forward to Blindness (although mix reviews at Canne). I am also looking forward to some Korean and Japanese films and just for the fun of it, some Midnight Madness stuff.
They will fill the Elgin b/c now they will be giving the sponsors alot of the tickets like they do at RTH. I’m the same way with the Elgin. It was where I saw my 1st screening at TIFF, and where I discovered Chan Wook Park….thanks to Twitch! I love the look of the theater, but it’s not the best for movies to be honest. It will be missed, but that just leaves more time for smaller venues that usually have Q&A;‘s, and offer a better viewing experience.
Has anyone tried the online Out of Town system yet?
