To Tide You Over Till September - Canada's Top 10
I didn't get to take advantage of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. I had moved to the city just weeks before, didn't have a ten-ticket or greater pass, and had not realized the enormity of the event until the top shows were sold out. Over the entire event I got to see one film - Tony Goldwyn & Paul Haggis' The Last Kiss - although attempts to traverse Bloor Street led to bypassing mobs hoping to get a glance at celebrities outside the Intercontinental Hotel and velvet ropes blocking off access for us common folk to get into the upscale Yorkville-area shops.
While I look forward to the 2007 Festival, reports from Park City, Utah's Sundance Film Festival have left me itching for some quality cinema. I don't care about all of the swag that these actors get to pick up, or the invite-only parties - I just want to see a bunch of films. The Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG), however, is catering to me quite well. While I did not get to see Gary Burns' "Radiant City" when it played at the Bader in September, I will have my opportunity to view his mocumentary on January 29 at the Art Gallery of Ontario with Burns (who also directed waydowntown) and co-director Jim Brown in attendance. The following night will be spent at a panel on documentary films featuring these two gentlemen as well as Manufactured Landscapes director Jennifer Baichwal.
You may be wondering, how have I been afforded such a luxury to see films that I missed out on nearly five months ago. Here's the beauty: every year the Toronto International Film Festival Group, as part of its year-round programming, hosts Canada's Top 10, showcasing the nation's films at its best. In addition to screening these films - which made splashes at September's festival - TIFFG will be hosting three panels with the filmmakers themselves. And, while the screenings in September ran at about $20 per ticket, you can attend any of these events for just over $8 a pop.
While Canada's Top 10 doesn't have the grandeur and celebrity buzz surrounding the Toronto International Film Festival, one thing is certain - this event will tide me over until September.
Canada's Top 10 features screenings of some of the nation's best films of 2006 from Friday January 26 - Sunday February 4. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: http://www.topten.ca
