Toronto: North America's Movie Mecca. Kids Eat Free!

TIFF [1999]

At TIFF 99

Yes, despite what the literature may have said, TIFF 99 "officially" concluded with a jet-powered mutant turtle making matchsticks of Kyoto train station.

As incongruous as that may seem, it's precisely this dual nature of the TIFF that's the key to its longevity and increasing international notoriety. Considered by Variety to be second only to Cannes, and recently rated number one in the Los Angeles Times, the TIFF has remained very much a venue for fans (those strange creatures who'll stand in line from the crack of dawn for tickets and who will dutifully use the suggested yellow and green highlighter pens in their selection books) as well as industry movers and shakers.

While P.R. and sales remain the event's raison d'être, the programmers seek to represent a variety of countries, newcomers and veterans, and an eclectic mix of obscure and commercial entries. There are no special committees, and the most cherished "prize" awarded to a film is chosen by public ballot. Who needs a Glendale "test screening" audience when you've got the city of Toronto? You'll never find more cooperative audiences. We clap at everything, stay for the entire length of the Q & A's, and rarely yell "Focus!" when the projection is bad. I've waited for a nighttime sequence before walking out of a bad movie, so as not to insult the director.

So why do the LA unions hate us so much?

Midnight Madness, September Sanity

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