Thursday September 8th, 2010. 4:20 p.m.
CRUCIAL BLOG Entry # 67
WELCOME to the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival! It's Time to TIFF! www.tiff.net
The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off its stellar 35th year anniversary tonight, September 8th, 2010, with the Gala Screening of SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL; a fitting way to start the biggest (and some say best) Film Festival in the world with a musical ode to our much beloved national sport -- sorry lacrosse, but hockey runs mad in our blood, our consciousness and our souls. Just think Gold Medal Hockey Game in Vancouver this past February: Hockey Glory & polarizing moments in Canadian history.
The red carpets have been dusted-off and rolled out and the parade of Stars emerging in Toronto has already begun. Javier Bardem, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Affleck, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Edward Norton are all here to reap FREE SWAG, FREE BOOZE & FREE PRAISE. There are far too many Stars to name them all that will be descending on Toronto in the next 10 days. The only person missing is Mel Gibson.
TIFF 2010 consists of over 100 Films, 300 000 tickets, line-ups around the block, some bars & restaurants open until 4 a.m. (as they ALWAYS SHOULD BE). The electric energy in Toronto over the next 10 days is palpable and it is the best 10 days of the year HANDS-DOWN.
This year we have the christening of the brand spanking new BELL LIGHTBOX and a real shift from the heart of Toronto's Film Festival from Yorkville to King & John, much in thanks to the Reitman family who donated the land that their father had bought and had previously been a modest car wash before being erected as a 40 story monolith of art, film, culture, food, drinks & substance this year. TIFF certainly has a new home and it will be very CRUCIAL element for this Festival when they move in permanently in 2011. The paint is still drying on the building and screws being put in.
What has attributed to this Festival of Festivals such large success? September is perfect for film. The weather is turning, there is a whole new market leading up to Christmas and 2011 with great films about to be released and where else can you create BUZZ but from the largest, most well attended Film Festival in the world. Some say that if SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE did not play here two years ago, that multiple Academy Award winning film might not have even been distributed and released in North America and the Producers were contemplating releasing it straight to DVD.
Time to enjoy & celebrate innovative cinema, and good times. See you over the course of the next 10 days!
Keep It Crucial & enjoy your TIFF if you're here in Toronto!
Paul Benoit
Other Crucial Links for TIFF 2010:
www.tiff.net
www.nowtoronto.com
www.thestar.com
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