Here are some tips and tricks for an optimal TIFF experience, speaking from the perspective of a multi-year TIFF attendee:
Plan your schedule using TIFFR
TIFFR.com is a great website for organizing the shortlist of movies you’re interested in as well as what your schedule will look like. It usually is available a day or two after the full schedule drops on the official TIFF website. Link is here.
Figure out when you’ll be attending the festival
The time during which you’ll be attending the festival will affect your festival experience as well as what film screenings you may be able to attend. The first weekend is generally reserved for the big red carpet premieres with all the celebrities coming in as well as when Festival Street will be the most busy with all the outdoor vendors. Later on in the festival there will be less celebrity appearances and red carpets, less festivities going on outdoors, but more of an opportunity to watch as many films as you’d like without having to pay the premium prices that would normally be reserved for the premiere screenings.
Therefore, prioritize accordingly how you want your experience to be. Do you want to see the stars and attend all the big movie premieres as well as experience the most ‘festive’ experience TIFF has to offer? Maybe go for the first weekend. Do you not care about any of those things and just want to see more movies? Perhaps consider prioritizing the latter half of the festival.
Off-sale Never Means “Sold-Out”
People complain every year about TIFF never having tickets available for the most popular films. The lower your membership tier is – down to if you have no membership at all – the more this will be the case for you. But you should not give up – tickets open up all the time once the public sale starts, up to the morning of the screening. So always check back – you may be surprised at what you can get with enough diligence and patience.
But of course, always have a few backup options in case you end up not getting your first choices.
Explore Beyond the Big Premieres
While the Gala screenings and red carpet premieres draw the most attention, TIFF’s strength lies in its diverse programming. There also are the Platform, Discovery and Wavelengths categories for example which showcase lots of new films from international and emerging talent. Wavelengths does showcase more experimental, avant-garde films compared to the other two list categories, and that may not appeal to everybody. But even those films will most likely provide a much different movie-going experience should you be open and receptive to them. Many of these screenings especially within those categories often have more availability and might suprirse you with that hidden gem find you wouldn’t expect otherwise.
Plan enough time for Q&As and in between screenings
Many premiere screenings will have Q&A sessions with directors, writers, actors and other crew members involved in the production after the screening. All screenings are usually accompanied by a brief introduction before the film starts. The TIFF schedule on their website even accounts for this extra time, adding in an additional 30 minutes for every screening for this introduction and Q&A – this will vary by screening, but the Q&A is almost a guarantee to occur for the first screening of any given film. If I plan on doing multiple films in one day, I generally like to leave around 50 minutes at minimum in between each film screening to allow time not just for the Q&A for the previous screening, but to walk from one venue to the other venue for my next film. Or if I need a lunch or dinner break, that can take even longer. Anything less risks potentially either leaving the Q&A early or forego it altogether, or becoming potentially late for the next screening. But of course, this is dependent on whether or not the screening has a high chance of having a Q&A (or whether or not you care about staying for the Q&A at all) – if it’s the third or fourth screening or so of a film late into the season, perhaps there may not be one, and you can schedule a smaller interval in-between screenings accordingly without fear you’ll be rushing or missing out on something.
Something of note is to account for travel time when you may have to go through the crowds congregating around a red carpet premiere – those will likely slow you down. Prepare in advance.
Get to Venues Early, Not On Time
Arriving early ensures you get into the screening to begin with. TIFF’s suggestion is to arrive no later than 15 minutes before the screening starts – although in most cases the volunteers and staff will be lenient if you arrive maybe 5 or 10 minutes early. But arriving on time or even just a minute late does risk you being denied entry and losing your hard-earned seat, depending on the popularity of the film screening and the rush line. Early is better.
Expect to spend hours if you plan to wait in the rush line
General rule of thumb is for the most popular films – the latest Palme D’Or winner for example, or the most hyped about and widely raved films at the festival – expect to spend many, many hours waiting in the rush line. You want to be as close to the front of the line as possible – being first in line is the most optimal spot to be. Your chances of being let into the screening declines the further down the line you are, and there is a risk that you may have spent all that time only to come away with nothing. So come prepared, bring a book, bring a friend or two who might also be interested and could keep you company, or in the worst case scenario you can always chat up the people next to you in the line. I’ve found most people are willing to spark conversation – after all, they’re in the same boat as you.
Balance Your Schedule
It’s tempting to book as many films as possible, but festival fatigue is real. Make sure to leave room for breaks, meals, and downtime. You could book 5 films in one day – but also ask yourself if this is something you’re capable of doing. Most people will not be able to handle that kind of schedule. (Personally, my limit is 3 films per day.) Your health is important at the end of the day. And sometimes giving yourself a break festival district, grabbing a bite in between screenings, and soaking in the energy of downtown Toronto.
Roy Thomson Hall is generally the only venue that does not allow bags or backpacks at all.
Self-explanatory. TIFF’s bag policy is generally dependent by venue – most venues are not very strict, and at worst you may have to undergo a bag check. But oftentimes they will allow it in – provided you don’t bring in anything suspicious, obviously.
