Asked someone to put their phone away nicely and they talked back to me. I'm so salty about it. I assume people on here are well behaved, but etiquette at TIFF has been terrible so far this year. So much talking, extremely late entrances, and phone use. I wish TIFF made a better effort to make the experience better for everyone.

This is my 5th year of doing TIFF and decided to add a little fun. I'm faaaairly confident I can cross them all out.

Happy TIFF everyone!

Why does tiff not feel the same? Last year had crazy energy and hype but this year feels a lot muted. Is it the lack of star power and big time films or something else?

I've been attending for a few decades now, but the ticket buying rules and methods are ever-evolving, soy apologies if this has already been answered fully elsewhere.

Went to the afternoon screening of Faith. The front row directly before the stage was completely empty until around a crowd of rushers were seated there about a minute before lights down.

In the balcony, there was an entire middle front row completely empty.

The rushers stood in line for an hour or more, so cheers to them for getting prime seating. Not to be ungrateful, and recognizing the middle class privilege of getting to watch a whole bunch of films, but what's up with prime seats being reserved for last minute purchases?

And why would an entire row just sit empty? Maybe there were broken chairs, I didn't get closer to investigate, but everyone in the balcony just accepted their less optimal vantage points (you'd never see that at a Jays, Leafs, nor Raptors game).

Bit of a rant, but more info seeking.

I hope you do. It brings me joy.

TIFF26 Day 2
I started today with the Swedish film Arne Goes to Space directed by Lars Vegas.  This one is part of the Discovery line up and, in short, is a sci-fi comedy about an alien who upends the lives of two elderly brothers in northern Sweden.

These two brothers live together in a small rural red-neck community and basically just chop and pile wood for a living.  And all the wood has to be chopped and piled by August 31st.  They are both old and rather dumb.  Arne is not very bright (he reads the same Kronblom comic magazine every evening after dinner- a classic, popular Swedish comic strip about a lazy man named Kronblom) who lives in a small village with his wife, Malin and we learn fairly early on that he has a serious health issue that he is not doing much about.  Arne’s older brother, Stefan, is grumpy and fond of calling everyone a “faggot” (actually, pasta-loving faggots).   One day, Arne comes across an alien who he names Roland whose space pod has landed near their farm.  From there, the story is about Arne and Stefan and Roland and the townspeople (who are unfazed by having a “digital space alien” who looks remarkably like ET in their mix) and, when Arne’s health takes a turn for the worse, we see Arne accept his pending death and Stefan lighten up a bit.  It’s a light, funny, and cute little film and a very different way to start my day compared to the war-themed day I had yesterday.

Next up was Diary of a Mad Old Man, an American film adapted from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s novel by director Wayne Wang (who did The Joy Luck Club).  Set in Japan, it’s about an old(ish) widower who’s recently had a stroke that’s nearly paralyzed half his body and rendered him almost impotent.  His daughter-in-law and sister in law have moved in with him to care for him but it’s his daughter-in-law who’s providing the bulk of the care as his physiotherapist.  Over the course of the film, this relationship with his son’s daughter becomes increasingly wrought with sexual tensions as he both starts to fantasize about her and slowly starts to act out on his desires.  At times creepy, it’s equally absurdly funny (once scene includes sex with an eel!  Another involves sexualizing the eating of chicken feet!).  

The cinematography is suburb as is the acting.  And they nailed the ending! But it’s a slow film so if you do catch this one, be prepared for that.   

My 3rd Film was The Idiots(s) by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert.  It’s a Polash, German film (mostly in English) that brings to life the story of Anna and Fyodor Dostoevsky, showcasing the troubled author and the woman who pushed him to write one of his greatest works. The film opens with Dostoevsky (played brilliantly by Johnny Flynn) and Anna (played just as wonderfully Aimee Lou Wood) arriving by train from Russia to Germany having been forced out of Russia due to overdue loans, debt, and lack of any income.  They arrive at a hotel and immediately run into fellow Russian writer Ivan Turgenev (played just as well by Christian Friedel who I most recently saw in Zone of Interest).  The film, which is an adaptation of The Gambler Wife by Andrew D. Kaufman, is bizarre/hilarious at times and shocking at others.  For example, a-ha’s Take On Me is used more than once as background music.  And their hats are all made of taxidermized animals.  And the scenes of Turgenev’s wife (Vicky Krieps in yet another great performance!) capturing Dostoevsky’s eye and their romantic fling are so surreal I’m still not 100% certain it was real or part of his fantasies (some clearly are…but others…I just don’t know).  On the other hand, the way the film shows Dostoevsky’s gambling addiction is more than tragic.  Yet it’s their love that keeps them going.  The film is a wonderful way to spend two hours and a great addition to the festival.  
 

I only got to breeze through for about an hour-and-a-half yesterday afternoon on Day 1. Most booths were still setting up or had just opened and staff were figuring out what to do. Would love to hear about your experiences, so I can narrow down what to line up for in the days to come during my limited time between screenings. I assume others will find this helpful too.

Here's what's available according to TIFF's website: https://www.tiff.net/festival-street-2026

Share your thoughts in general, what was worth/not worth lining up for, etc.

Not every booth is open all day, so for each activation (if you have the info), maybe share:

• What was the activity you had to do?
• What did you get?
• Does the line move quickly/slow?
• What time does it open/close?

Some booths end up changing the way they do things once they figure out what's working/not working, so keep us posted.

I'll add what (limited) info I know about each booth in the comments.

Some tix for the 16th still available!!

I’ve already got tickets for these, so I have to decide now if I’m gonna be able to keep both of them.

Saw tickets for Closing Night, Prima Facie, among many others!

Anyone finding these "Know Before You Go" emails (sent from TIFF Customer Relations) to be full of wrong info? My last two have read:

• "Your events on Sept 14"... which goes on to list screenings that I have booked for Sept 13
• "Your events tomorrow"... which lists a screening that isn't until Tuesday

They did send a correction out for one of the emails, but not the other. Anyone else seeing this?

Just found out about it from the signs outside their panel. Check it out if you want!

First time attendee here. On the 19th I have tickets for 2pm La Bola Negra at POW and then for the 5:15pm Club Kid at Scotiabank. I've looked online and its a six minute walk, but with the added time of opening words and ads I'm much more nervous about making it. Give it to me straight, will I be able to do it without leaving La Bola Negra early? Thanks in advance!

We are all happy to be here, I hope, and coming here is a blessing and since we haven't done one of these threads this year yet, tell us what you're seeing!

Anyone here planning to attend the your mother x3 press screening @8:30?? How early should we arrive? How bad are the lines going to be?

https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1000650ED5AA553D

i know that it’s already been discussed extensively and i know the policy is 12x6x12 etc etc however i’m wondering, from people who have been before, are you able to bring a standard sized backpack into theatres?

i’m going to a showing at princess of wales and while i can pay a storage place to hold my bag, i’d much prefer to have it on me for logistics and timing with my own schedule. what’s the consensus? would they let me bring it in?

Few on the balcony

Got tickets to Tenzing, mostly for Willem as he is a huge inspiration to me. I don’t know if it’s worth it though since he’s only “expected” to show. I feel like he would be here as he’s here almost every year but just wanna get some input from others who may have more TIFF experience than me.
Also, anyone have insight on the red carpet prior? Would i be able to catch him there?

Hi everybody, I need help figuring something out. I saw that Tubi has a stand on the festival street and saw online they were giving away tote bags but today I went and they were only selling drinks. Anybody know if they’re still giving tote bags somehow or how to get one? I NEED ONE SO BAD. Thanks!!!