9-19-2004
Well, that’s a wrap. The 29th annual Toronto Film Festival is over, and
I’m recuperating from 10 days of non-stop movies by sitting in my
apartment, doing nothing and trying to reintroduce normal, non-fast
food into my diet (so far, it’s touch and go). Earlier today, TIFF
handed out its awards, and here are the winners:
People’s Choice Award: Hotel Rwanda
FIPRESCI Prize: In My Father’s Den (New Zealand/UK)
Best Canadian Feature: It’s All Gone Pete Tong (special citation to ScaredSacred)
Best Canadian First Feature: La Peau Blanche
Discovery Award: Omagh (Ireland/UK)
Some of those trophies seem a tad unusual. Hotel Rwanda breaks
the tradition of lighter fare winning the audience’s heart. And I’m not
sure how It’s All Gone, Pete Tong can win any kind of award for
Canadian film, since it’s a Canada-UK co-production from a British
production company, shot in Spain with an almost entirely British cast.
Anyway…
Since anyone reading this diary can kind of glean which films I loved
(Les Choristes, The Woodsman, Tarnation, Z Channel) and which
ones I didn’t (A Dirty Shame, Innocence, Jiminy Glick in
Lalawood), here are some of my non-movie awards:
Best Fest Venue: It’s a tough call, but I think the Varsity has
to win. Fairly new, stadium seating, decent washrooms, concession
stands, food allowed. Or The Elgin, which is gorgeous and huge, but is
often cursed with overly reserved seating.
Worst Fest Venue: The Paramount. Yes, it’s shiny and new, but
it’s also a pain to get to, has a horrific amusement-park feel, and it
had consistent problems actually showing movies properly. In
addition to the sound and projection problems I experienced during
three different movies, I heard from other folks that they witnessed
screw-ups with films that they saw there. Dear TIFF organizers: spring
for some proper training or hire more experienced staffers!
Comfiest Seats: The Isabel Bader Theatre, which is actually a
lecture hall at the University of Toronto. Seats are springy,
well-spaced and, more importantly, clean. Plus, they have those handy
fold-away desktops on each seat, which are ideal for covert dining.
Seats that Cause ESA (Extremely Sore Ass): The Ryerson, which is
actually a lecture hall at Ryerson University. Seats are old, tattered,
worn, crammed close, held together with duct tape (seriously!) and
seemingly devoid of butt cushioning.
Best Washrooms (because you know this is key for women): Again,
The Bader – spacious, plentiful and nicely in proportion to the size of
the venue .
Worst Washrooms: The Ryerson, where hundreds of women are
expected to share four toilets. FOUR. (And we also have to share them
with the student body of the school.)
Most Obnoxious Film Festival Personality: Oooh, a toss-up
between Dora the Dope and French director Lucile Hadzihalilovic. I hope
neither one returns in 2005.
Most Endearing Film Festival Personality: The woman who sat next
to me during Summer Storm and innocently offered me some of her
almonds, which she’d brought from home in a baggie. Her friend, who was
sitting beside her, then quickly laughed and scoffed at the gesture,
saying to my almond-wielding seat neighbor, “Would YOU accept almonds
from a total stranger? Especially if they were in a Ziploc bag?!” It
was kind of cute. (I didn’t take any nuts, btw.)
Best Q&A Moderator: The delightful Katrin Bowen and Michèle
Maheux, who always rock, were noticeably absent onstage this year, so
I’ll have to give it to Jane Schoettle, who does a good job of
repeating the question being asked so everyone can hear it.
Worst Q&A Moderator: Press-conference moderator Henri Béhar
aside (because he will ALWAYS win worst moderator of all time), there
are plenty of folks who shouldn’t be allowed to field questions.
They’re all newbies, and I can’t remember any of their names, but they
know who they are. (Find a Toastmasters near you and sign up, I say!)
Best TIFF-time Investment: A TTC metropass, which allows for
unlimited travel on the transit system. SO worth the money.
Worst TIFF-time Investment: Hey, woman with the miner’s light on
your head, I’m looking at you.
Things I Will Always Remember from TIFF 2004: Finding the
“secret” washrooms at the Ryerson (hee!), not finding Roger Ebert
(*sob*), running into people who actually read this diary (!)
and discovering that, if I sprint, I can make it from the Paramount to
the Ryerson in 20 minutes.
Things from TIFF 2004 That I Wish to Banish From My Memory
Forever: Dora, Mouthy Martha and the rest of their ilk. On second
thought, who am I kidding? Recounting their moronic behavior is too
much fun.
And that’s that.
I wound up seeing 33 films during the festival, and another dozen
before it started, which brings my TIFF movie count up to a record 45
(!) this year. I watched movies featuring children, teens, adults,
seniors, lovers, friends, enemies, whales, sharks, dancers, actors,
singers, musicians, gang members, killers, pedophiles, visionaries,
victims, frauds, basketball players, reporters, celebrities, drug
users, drug dealers, political activists, lawyers, police officers,
prisoners, teachers, students, siblings, parents, grandparents,
soldiers and a guy freaking out in a bus station.
The movies were set in the past and the present, and dealt with
everything from apartheid to the Z Channel.
And even though I complain about all the TIFF-related nonsense, the
useless volunteers, the technical difficulties during screenings, the
silly behavior of audience members or the freakin’ bees that take over
the city this time every year, you KNOW I’ll be right back in line with
a huge smile on my face come next September.
See you then!
:-)
Vickie
