TIFF: A Visitor's Guide

A Visitor's Guide Photo Essay

Manori Ravindran

A line for single tickets to TIFF snakes around the block. The line began forming at 5 a.m. This photo was taken at approximately noon.

A premium screening of Conviction (2010) at the Elgin Theatre. During the festival, regular tickets cost $19.69. Premium screenings – such as this one – cost $38.27.

Fans and paparazzi photograph the stars of Conviction (2010) at the Elgin’s back door following the screening.

Source: Kristy Myshaniuk

A crowd gathers outside the Elgin Theatre for the premiere of a Woody Allen film. Fans arrived on scene three hours ahead of time to wait for the director.

Woody Allen presents the cast of his film You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010) at a premium screening. The director left the theatre immediately after introducing the film.

The TIFF Bell Lightbox is unveiled in September 2010. The structure cost $196 million to build.

Located in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district, the Lightbox is flanked by musical theatres and restaurants. Roy Thompson Hall is also within walking distance.

The Lightbox takes up an entire city block, which was named “Reitman Square” after the Reitman family, well-known for their cinematic pursuits.

The Reitman family (the younger Reitman, Jason, directed Juno [2007] and Up in the Air [2009]) donated the $22 million plot of real estate needed to erect the TIFF Bell Lightbox

There are five cinemas, two gallery spaces, a bar, restaurant and gift shop.

The projection room, located in a red structure along the ceiling, demands visitors’ attention the moment they enter the Lightbox.

A Tim Burton exhibit came to the Lightbox in November 2010, after showing at New York’s Museum of Modern Art for several months. The director was present to unveil the exhibit.

The Lightbox runs various film events such as “Canada’s Top Ten,” which featured the ten best Canadian shorts and features of 2010. Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies (2010) was screened.

In 2009, TIFF earned $8,120,10 in revenue and received $14,269,269 from sponsors, donations and government grants. A regular ticket costs $12.00. Premium screenings cost $18.75.