TIFF 101

So it has been so busy, what with my second year of school starting and volunteering for the Toronto International Film Festival, that I haven’t even been able to post about it all!

So last year in my Public Relations class, my prof mentioned how important volunteering is for us newcomers. Of course finding a job in PR would prove difficult with my lack of experience, so volunteering was my best bet at getting my foot through the door. I instantly thought of TIFF and followed its progress for 2008, anxiously waiting when they would be looking for volunteers.

Two information meetings later, I was working my first shift at the Varsity Theatre (first year volunteers are limited to one venue only) on the first day of the festival, September 4th. Although I didn’t really get to see any big-time celebrities, Varsity Theatre is known as the “Press & Industry” venue, so there were definitely a lot of critics who would only need to watch ten minutes of a film to decide if it was worthy of more than one star.

My tasks as a volunteer ranged from line control, providing information at the front desk, and various theatre entry positions. I must admit, when it got slow and I was sitting outside of a theatre doing nothing for a good thirty minutes, it was pretty dull. Although everything flowed quite smoothly and it was interesting watching it all play out from an insider’s position.

What I was really craving, after three days of volunteering and racking up free vouchers, was to actually sit down and experience viewing a festival film. I got my chance on Friday night when my friend and went to watch Sexykiller at Ryerson Theatre. It was part of Midnight Madness, so the energy was high and the theatre was packed.

The director, Miguel Martí, and the “Sexykiller” herself, Macarena Gómez, were both there to introduce the film. It was exciting knowing I was watching a World Primiers of a film, and the crowd continued to cheer loudly well into the credits.

The film was Spanish (with English subtitles of course), and centered on a college student named Barbara who happens to enjoy killing people in her spare time. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when the film began, but soon I was completely enjoying the action comedy. There were plenty of laughs out loud parts; some even rendering applause from the audience.

Unfortunely, I wasn’t able to catch the last ten minutes or so due to the subway shutting down at 2:00am, but from what I saw, it was a great film. It was definitely a good way to end the festival for me, and even though I wasn’t able to watch all the films that looked interesting, I was able to view one that won’t be in theatres in the upcoming weeks.