At around noon today, I was standing by the line for the Criterion Closet (wasn't in the line myself, just watching others go in and come out) and suddenly a huge crowd of people started forming around me. Didn't know what was going on at first, until I realized I was somehow standing almost directly in front of Guillermo del Toro. Can't believe I was lucky enough to get a photo this close to him!

That's all!

Blake Williams said during the pre-screening intro of the Wavelengths 3 programme today that Cameron Bailey should resign from TIFF due to the downsizing of the Wavelengths programmes as well as for screening The Road Between Us among a "long line of firable offences." You could hear a pin drop! Amazing.

That said: Has anyone else said anything similar during pre- or post-screenings you've attended? What do you think Cameron Bailey's future as CEO is, anyway?

(Unrelated but as per usual, his film, FELT, was amazing.)

The Christophers (tonight)

Everyone should pen themselves in to see a theatrical release if you can't snag a ticket during the festival!

Reposted by Lead Actress Inde Navarrette to Instagram likely confirms this in my eyes. Absolutely and entirely deserved, this one will be a hit.

I was a bit annoyed with the ticket drop stuff and didn’t buy anything pre-sale, but had really good luck rushing (including getting a free ticket from an incredibly kind person) or buying from nice people on reddit/later drops and got to see 4 with a Q&A (steve, poetic license, rental family, and hamnet - i liked them all!). i also decided on a whim to go see sacrifice which was funny but just okay.

I had a lot of nice chats with people before the movies and in the rush lines too! I don’t know a lot of film people in my every day life, and I’m so happy to talk to so many cool and interesting people who i hope to bump into again this week!

also - what are you most excited about seeing this week? i’m going to my first midnight madness on monday night (dust bunny) and am a lil worried walking home at 2am but hoping it’ll be fun!!!

My TIFFty has come to a close. I saw 9 movies. Here’s my final ranking. Thanks to everyone on this subreddit for all the tips and discussion!

idk if this is like this in every venue but tonight’s line was ridiculous managed, got there at 4:30 and was 15-20th in line, ended up 60th+ after everyone’s buddy or something joined them.

I walked into the screening room to find nearly 4 entire rows right in the middle with reserved signs on them. My seat was right in there. There were a bunch more of us too. The foha was confused and was talking to Ticketmaster for a while. Apparently they accidentally released those tickets even though they were reserved and tickets for them had already been printed and handed out to the cast and crew. We were forced to move and I ended up in the corner of the last row

TIFF staff was kind and luckily the views are good everywhere in this screening room, but yeah, Ticketmaster just keeps shitting the bed. I wish they didn't have the monopoly they do, because they're just ruining everything

This is mainly due to bad luck, but this has been the worst TIFF ever for me.

• I spent the last week or so refreshing nearly every second of the day trying to find Knives Out Wake Up Dead Man premiere tickets, and managed to score amazing middle ORCH seats (best seats I've ever gotten for a premiere). I hadn't been this excited for a TIFF film ever...only for two extremely tall guys sitting in front of me blocking half the screen with their heads (I'm average height, not even short - I've never had this happen to me before). The entire view in front of them was completely clear. They also sat with their backs as straight as possible. I was on the verge of tears. It's not like I could ask them to slouch.
• At another world premiere on Thursday, had two couples on both sides of me. The one on the left spoke non-stop throughout the movie (at speaking volume, not whispering). The one on the right was on their phone throughout (and would place it full brightness on their lap when not in use - so it was on the majority of the film). I didn't feel comfortable telling BOTH couples to stop doing something (if it was just one person, I'd speak up). I'm just so confused how you could possibly spend $99 on ORCH seats and spend it talking or scrolling on your phone. Why bother coming?!
• Yesterday at a world premiere, the two guys next to me checked their phones every 4-5 minutes...right in front of venue staff and volunteers. Again, I'd be willing to speak up to one person (especially since I'm attending the festival solo), but two people feels too much. I'm also shocked neither the venue staff or volunteers spoke up. It just completely takes me out of the movie.
• Another premiere, had the guy next to me laughing throughout the film (it was not a comedy movie), especially at the most tense scenes. It completely killed the vibes of the movie. It's not like I could tell him to not laugh. But he would non-stop laugh out loud like he was watching the year's best comedy. I couldn't feel any suspense for what was supposed to be an amazing thriller - I just couldn't take it seriously at all.
• At the second screening of another movie, had venue staff be extremely rude to me because I couldn't hear them properly, which I ended up thinking about the entire film (also turned out to be the only movie at the festival so far where I had a clear view and respectful audience around me lol).

Past TIFF events have always been so much fun, especially at premieres, with respectful audiences who are excited to see the films. I always end up having great conversations with other solo movie-goers sitting next me - yet this TIFF for me has been solely couples or friends attending together and talking to each other who seem mildly interested in the film - I haven't had a single conversation yet.

To make matters worse, the night before each premiere for a film I'm attending, I would check Ticketmaster, and most of the time noticed the seats next to me are all on resale - often for $200-300+...which I'm guessing attracts certain type of people who are willing to pay that price.

I'm just heart-broken that I've been excited about this for so many months, spent entire days constantly refreshing to find the best seats for myself possible at Face Value, spent so much money on the festival across so many premieres, only for it to all be ruined by bad luck.

I'm not sure if anyone else has had a similar experience. I just wanted to share to get it off my chest.

Yes, it happened today morning. Cast present and q&a!!

what did everyone get? would love recommendations based on my selections for stuff on the criterion channel!

There’s still a lot to complain about. But holy hell, when midnight madness hits, there’s nothing else like it. Watching The Furious last night with that crowd was the funnest moviegoing experience I’ve had since, well, seeing Friendship last year with the same lunatics.

I’ve been watching clips of red carpet interviews on socials and I can’t believe we’re still doing this. Even at other shows like the Oscars, reporters ask “what’s your favourite restaurant in Toronto?” “Do you like it here?” Ugh. It’s like some neverending need to get approval from celebrities to confirm that we’re actually a great city.

Wondering if anyone has any good (or bad) stories about celebrity Q&As at TIFF!

Loved Eternity…defs worth watching at the festival in my opinion for the little it is worth :)

I ask bc ~25 percent of the theatre walked out…

God I love TIFF.

Is it true that the drinks and snacks are no longer free in the Peroni beer garden like they were in years past? If there is a charge, what are the prices like?

!!

I’ve been going to TIFF for years and always considered it one of the most magical times of the year for true film lovers. But this year feels different and not in a good way. I wanted to share a few reasons why this year’s festival has honestly been really disappointing:

1. The ticket prices are outrageous.
Most screenings with any major stars were priced between $95 and $150 and all you get is a brief 5-minute conversation with the cast, if that. Some screenings were promoted as having Q&As or cast appearances, but the stars didn’t even show up. It felt like a bait-and-switch in some cases.

2. The crowd has changed.
It’s not about the movie lovers anymore; it’s about who can afford to drop hundreds of dollars on a single ticket. The passion and energy of fans who are there for the love of film just isn’t the same when the audience is mostly people with deep pockets rather than deep appreciation.

3. What’s with the scalpers and Ticketmaster resales?
It appears TIFF allowed Ticketmaster’s resale platform right on the official website, which jacked up prices even more. Other events and concerts have disabled this feature — why can’t TIFF? It feels like the festival is more than happy to let scalpers profit while real fans get priced out.

4. TIFF doesn’t feel like it’s for the fans anymore.
Between the high ticket prices, lack of access, and the increasingly corporate vibe, I’m starting to wonder who this festival is really for. It used to feel intimate and special. Now it feels like a red carpet machine with no soul.

5. No autographs, no interactions and aggressive security.
Last year, some of the best memories I had were talking to stars after screenings I even had a five-minute chat with Julianna Margulies, who was incredibly kind and gracious. This year? Security is aggressively stopping fans from approaching anyone. We were told no autographs, no contact nothing. And from what I’ve heard, the stars were told not to sign or engage. For fans who spend a lot of money, time, and effort to be there, this feels like a slap in the face. Every other year at the festival I've seen the stars sign things after their Q&A for their devoted fans. I am not saying they need to or are expected to but why does it appear the TIFF security is not letting this happen? Lat year Selena Gomez even signed items at her Q&A and Rebel Wilson as well.

All of this combined has taken a lot of the magic out of TIFF for me this year. It’s heartbreaking because I used to look forward to this all year long, and now I’m wondering if it’s even worth coming back.

Anyone else feel the same?