I went immediately from the end of TIFF to a four-day work meeting in Gatineau, so my good intentions of catching up with the end-of-festival films went unaddressed. Finally have a moment to start to add to the record of this year.
Since getting back to the "real" (as opposed to "reel") world, I've been asked several times one of the following two questions:
1) What was my favourite film?
2) Was TIFF 2011 better than previous years?
After seeing about 45 films this year, there was no single film that stood above the rest. The year's experience is more like a classic bell curve -- there are a few really good films at one end; a few poor, if not terrible, films at the other and the bulk of the films rest somewhere in the middle. The hope is that more films occupy the first group than the third.
Fortunately, there were only a couple of films ("Goon" comes to mind) which truly underachieved. While not very good, "Killer Elite" and "Hard Core Logo 2" were more of disappointments than outrages -- there was potential, but the end results fell short.
The final impression of TIFF was that it was comparable to previous years. There wasn't a comedy on the level of "The Trip" last year nor was there a film that really pushed like the envelope like films I've seen in the past. That may be a result of the (good or bad) choices I made, but the overall impression was that it was "pretty good".
I'll add a few more entries on some of the other films I saw this year. Stay tuned.
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2011/09/28
2011/09/15
Killer Elite
Based on a true story involving SAS and private sector assassins, "Killer Elite" boasted the talents of Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro and a lot of ammunition and explosives (i.e. this was a guy's film).
The editing and even the title sequence suggested that they wanted to capture some of the magic of the two Bourne films directed by Paul Greengrass. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the facility for shooting action that he has.
While there was nothing overtly wrong about the film, it just became increasingly tedious and predictable as the story wore on.
Something to watch if there's nothing else on TV.
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The editing and even the title sequence suggested that they wanted to capture some of the magic of the two Bourne films directed by Paul Greengrass. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the facility for shooting action that he has.
While there was nothing overtly wrong about the film, it just became increasingly tedious and predictable as the story wore on.
Something to watch if there's nothing else on TV.
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Surviving Progress
"A Short History of Progress" was critically acclaimed piece that had a life as both a Massey Lecture and a best-selling non-fiction book. It's now been adapted as a documentary for the NFB.
The basic premise is that "progress" is not always a positive step and that there exist "progress traps" where a perceived improvement actually makes things worse. Traps may become so serious that they lead to the downfall of a civilization. The types of traps he describes include over-consumption of natural resources, over-population and the excessive concentration of power and wealth in the hands of oligarchs and elites.
It's the last one that becomes the central theme of the film. Although a number of the interviewees come from an environmental / biological perspective (for example, Jane Goodall and David Suzuki), the overwhelming focus was on economic arguments.
For me, this was ultimately disappointing. It felt a bit like a classic "bait-and-switch" tactic -- I was intrigued by the notion of progress traps and wanted more of that beyond a simple definition and ended up with 90 minutes on the description of wealth.
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The basic premise is that "progress" is not always a positive step and that there exist "progress traps" where a perceived improvement actually makes things worse. Traps may become so serious that they lead to the downfall of a civilization. The types of traps he describes include over-consumption of natural resources, over-population and the excessive concentration of power and wealth in the hands of oligarchs and elites.
It's the last one that becomes the central theme of the film. Although a number of the interviewees come from an environmental / biological perspective (for example, Jane Goodall and David Suzuki), the overwhelming focus was on economic arguments.
For me, this was ultimately disappointing. It felt a bit like a classic "bait-and-switch" tactic -- I was intrigued by the notion of progress traps and wanted more of that beyond a simple definition and ended up with 90 minutes on the description of wealth.
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2011/09/13
Samsara
"Samsara" is a documentary by many of the principals who worked on the film "Baraka" from a few years back.
Like its predecessor, it's a collage of imagery from around the world, combining natural wonders and exotic culture (both traditional and modern), set to a world-beat soundtrack, this time composed by Lisa Gerrard and Michael Stern. Advances in technology allowed the film to be shot in 65 mm and projected as a 4K image -- the colour saturation is, as a result, intense.
Due to a late start and a tight schedule this afternoon, I only saw about 3/4 of it. What I did see was a collection of impressive images but without any overall cohesion. It made for a somewhat disconnected experience. As many of the images did not include movement, it felt like flipping through a high-definition National Geographic without words; in effect, it was a coffee table film. I suspect it will do well as a Blu-Ray release or as a demo disk for hi-end TVs.
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Like its predecessor, it's a collage of imagery from around the world, combining natural wonders and exotic culture (both traditional and modern), set to a world-beat soundtrack, this time composed by Lisa Gerrard and Michael Stern. Advances in technology allowed the film to be shot in 65 mm and projected as a 4K image -- the colour saturation is, as a result, intense.
Due to a late start and a tight schedule this afternoon, I only saw about 3/4 of it. What I did see was a collection of impressive images but without any overall cohesion. It made for a somewhat disconnected experience. As many of the images did not include movement, it felt like flipping through a high-definition National Geographic without words; in effect, it was a coffee table film. I suspect it will do well as a Blu-Ray release or as a demo disk for hi-end TVs.
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Heard on the street
I passed a guy on a cell. As I passed by him, I heard him say...
"This has nothing to do with common sense. This is cable!"
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"This has nothing to do with common sense. This is cable!"
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2011/09/12
The Story of Film
Once again, one of the better films this year is a documentary. "The Story of Film" is a 15-hour "odyssey" across the length and breadth of film history.
TIFF is showing the entire piece in chunks during the festival and I saw the first three hours of it Monday morning. Although it's not strictly speaking a chronological history, the segments I saw took the story from the beginning work of Edison and the Lumiere Brothers up to the end of the silent era.
The creator is Mark Cousins, a film professor from Scotland and is based on a book by the same name. His intent is to give credit to the innovative work down across the globe and the portion I saw this morning provided several examples where a new approach in, say, editing, appeared in a country many years before it was adopted by the Hollywood studios.
If the first three hours is any indication, it's an engaging journey through cinema, suitable for the casual film goer as well as the hard-core cinephile. It's hard to say what form it will take, but it could appear as either a series of episodes on TVO or PBS or as a DVD set. During the Q&A, Cousins also spoke about developing material for the web to expand on the examples shown in the film.
Highly recommended.
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TIFF is showing the entire piece in chunks during the festival and I saw the first three hours of it Monday morning. Although it's not strictly speaking a chronological history, the segments I saw took the story from the beginning work of Edison and the Lumiere Brothers up to the end of the silent era.
The creator is Mark Cousins, a film professor from Scotland and is based on a book by the same name. His intent is to give credit to the innovative work down across the globe and the portion I saw this morning provided several examples where a new approach in, say, editing, appeared in a country many years before it was adopted by the Hollywood studios.
If the first three hours is any indication, it's an engaging journey through cinema, suitable for the casual film goer as well as the hard-core cinephile. It's hard to say what form it will take, but it could appear as either a series of episodes on TVO or PBS or as a DVD set. During the Q&A, Cousins also spoke about developing material for the web to expand on the examples shown in the film.
Highly recommended.
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2011/09/11
Monsters Club
A rather odd little film "inspired" by the Unabomber's published manifesto.
A young Japanese man, obsessed by the failure of modern society, sends mail bombs to the heads of various corporations from a remote cabin in the forests of Japan. He discovers that he is not alone and is visited by creatures who challenge his ideas and philosophies.
The film had a bit of a Twilight Zone quality about it but was better at setting up the story than ending it.
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A young Japanese man, obsessed by the failure of modern society, sends mail bombs to the heads of various corporations from a remote cabin in the forests of Japan. He discovers that he is not alone and is visited by creatures who challenge his ideas and philosophies.
The film had a bit of a Twilight Zone quality about it but was better at setting up the story than ending it.
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Wuthering Heights
Normally this would be the kind of period film that might make my long list for TIFF but would very rarely make the final cut.
What made the difference for me was the director. Andrea Arnold had previously shown her films "Red Road" and "Fish Tank" at TIFF and her visceral style of film-making seemed perfect for modern, kitchen sink dramas, but how she would approach the story of Catherine and Heathcliff was a mystery that had to be solved. I should also note that my knowledge of the source material and its many adaptations was slight at best, so it represented an opportunity to see a classic work with open eyes.
The film emphasized the brutal beauty of the Yorkshire moors in a way that mirrored the emotional brutality and cruelty of the story. She applied the same approach to selecting images and editing them into the story that was consistent with her earlier work which worked very effectively with the story of the protagonists. Using mostly non-professional actors, they provided a grittiness that a more seasoned group might have abandoned.
The problem for me was the story as the plot advanced, the actions of the characters made less and less sense. This may have been my issue but In the Q&A following the film, Arnold mentioned that certain things in the novel "confounded" her. I felt the same way when it ended.
That said, my overall impression of the film was positive. I thought she brought a fresh perspective to the story that a more traditional approach would have missed. Worth a look.
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What made the difference for me was the director. Andrea Arnold had previously shown her films "Red Road" and "Fish Tank" at TIFF and her visceral style of film-making seemed perfect for modern, kitchen sink dramas, but how she would approach the story of Catherine and Heathcliff was a mystery that had to be solved. I should also note that my knowledge of the source material and its many adaptations was slight at best, so it represented an opportunity to see a classic work with open eyes.
The film emphasized the brutal beauty of the Yorkshire moors in a way that mirrored the emotional brutality and cruelty of the story. She applied the same approach to selecting images and editing them into the story that was consistent with her earlier work which worked very effectively with the story of the protagonists. Using mostly non-professional actors, they provided a grittiness that a more seasoned group might have abandoned.
The problem for me was the story as the plot advanced, the actions of the characters made less and less sense. This may have been my issue but In the Q&A following the film, Arnold mentioned that certain things in the novel "confounded" her. I felt the same way when it ended.
That said, my overall impression of the film was positive. I thought she brought a fresh perspective to the story that a more traditional approach would have missed. Worth a look.
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2011/09/10
Goon
It's not uncommon for multiple films on the same subject to appear on the schedule at TIFF. We have a couple of these this year -- there are four rock documentaries (on U2, Pearl Jam, Neil Young and Paul McCartney) as well as three or four films about hockey.
"Goon" is one of those four, a comedy about a good-hearted but terribly dim bouncer who finds himself hired as an enforcer to protect a minor league team's flamboyant yet fragile star player.
A film like this should offer great opportunities for character actors to go to town on, but too many of the roles are one-dimensional. Most of the humour comes from the gleefully profane dialogue, but it's really not enough to sustain a feature.
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"Goon" is one of those four, a comedy about a good-hearted but terribly dim bouncer who finds himself hired as an enforcer to protect a minor league team's flamboyant yet fragile star player.
A film like this should offer great opportunities for character actors to go to town on, but too many of the roles are one-dimensional. Most of the humour comes from the gleefully profane dialogue, but it's really not enough to sustain a feature.
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The Hunter
A film that looked more promising in the catalogue than it was in its execution.
Willem Dafoe receives a contract by a mysterious biotech/military company to hunt, kill and collect samples from the last known specimen of a Tasmanian Tiger. Most of the film takes place in the remote Tasmanian jungle.
The film never built any kind of momentum and, as a result, any problems in the screenplay were magnified (and there were a few). An average film at best.
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Willem Dafoe receives a contract by a mysterious biotech/military company to hunt, kill and collect samples from the last known specimen of a Tasmanian Tiger. Most of the film takes place in the remote Tasmanian jungle.
The film never built any kind of momentum and, as a result, any problems in the screenplay were magnified (and there were a few). An average film at best.
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Urbanized
2011 has started with an emphasis on documentaries and Friday afternoon brought another terrific one to the table.
"Urbanized", directed by Greg Hustwit, is a survey of current thinking on urban planning and design around the globe. Given that it is estimated that 75% of the world's population will reside in urban environments by 2050, it's a very timely film on an important subject.
The examples provided span every continent except for Australia and Antarctica, highlighting cities ranging in size from 200,000 up to 36 million (the latter is Mumbai, whose slums have a population the size of New York City).
For the most part, it was a terrific film, offering some examples of some of the forward thinking at play in cities like New York, Capetown and Bogota (the mayor of Bogota talked at length about their approach to public transit and cycling infrastructure to which the audience responded enthusiastically). The tone was mostly positive, although they did touch on some of the "mistakes" of urban planning (for example, the stunning architecture of Brasilia was contrasted with its terrible transportation infrastructure). One of the striking visuals was an elevated train ride through downtown Detroit. Detroit's population has plummeted over the past few years and it is some time in the sequence before you see a single person on foot -- it's a modern ghost town.
The only flat point of the film involved a transportation project called Stuttgart 21 that involved pitched confrontations between the city government, developers and citizens over a transit project. It was the one time when it felt like there wasn't enough context to the story to understand the visuals.
In the Q&A that followed the film, the director was well aware of the controversies on urban issues at play in Toronto. Both his responses as well as the examples provided in the film demonstrated the degree to which our mayor is completely out of touch on current thinking.
Highly recommended.
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"Urbanized", directed by Greg Hustwit, is a survey of current thinking on urban planning and design around the globe. Given that it is estimated that 75% of the world's population will reside in urban environments by 2050, it's a very timely film on an important subject.
The examples provided span every continent except for Australia and Antarctica, highlighting cities ranging in size from 200,000 up to 36 million (the latter is Mumbai, whose slums have a population the size of New York City).
For the most part, it was a terrific film, offering some examples of some of the forward thinking at play in cities like New York, Capetown and Bogota (the mayor of Bogota talked at length about their approach to public transit and cycling infrastructure to which the audience responded enthusiastically). The tone was mostly positive, although they did touch on some of the "mistakes" of urban planning (for example, the stunning architecture of Brasilia was contrasted with its terrible transportation infrastructure). One of the striking visuals was an elevated train ride through downtown Detroit. Detroit's population has plummeted over the past few years and it is some time in the sequence before you see a single person on foot -- it's a modern ghost town.
The only flat point of the film involved a transportation project called Stuttgart 21 that involved pitched confrontations between the city government, developers and citizens over a transit project. It was the one time when it felt like there wasn't enough context to the story to understand the visuals.
In the Q&A that followed the film, the director was well aware of the controversies on urban issues at play in Toronto. Both his responses as well as the examples provided in the film demonstrated the degree to which our mayor is completely out of touch on current thinking.
Highly recommended.
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2011/09/09
This is Not a Film
The story behind the film…
Jafar Panahi is a renowned Iranian director who has frequently irked the government in Iran. For his “crimes”, he has been banned by the government from making a film for 20 years and, during the time period of this film, he was also facing a possible prison sentence of upwards of six years.
Last year, a colleague (Mojtaba Mirtahmasb) came to his apartment and Panahi described the film that he would have made if he was able, reading sections from a produced screenplay, mapping out how the film would be set and illustrating some of the themes using sections of his previous films, which he projected on his flat screen TV. The resulting film was shot on digital video as well as with an iPhone and was eventually smuggled out of Iran on a USB stick baked in a loaf of bread. The film, co-directed by the two men, was shown at Cannes and, subsequently, Mirtahmasb was also placed under similar restrictions by the Iranian government.
TIFF is making available the film as a free screening this week, a political as well as a cultural act. While the final product is very rough, there are many echoes between Panahi’s situation, the plot of the proposed film (which is a story of a young girl being prevented by going to university by being kept under house arrest by her family) and ambient sound from the street outside his building which apparently includes gun fire and, at the end, fireworks. It was quite compelling.
2011/09/08
Pina
A beautiful start to TIFF '11, Pina creates a portrait through four of her dance pieces combined with short clips of her dancers describing their experiences working with her.
The 3-D was fairly unobtrusive although it sometimes reinforced the spatial relationships between the dancers, at other times it simply added a hyper-real quality to the film. It'd be interesting to see how this would work in 2-D. This was only the third digital 3-D film I've seen and, unfortunately, I still find the combination of my progressive lenses and the 3-D glasses a bad combination -- towards the end I was starting to experience the headaches I'd had in "Avatar" and "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". Either the technology will have to improve or I do.
The film boasted a wonderful score as well as some striking locations from the Wuppertal area where Bausch's dance company makes its home.
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The 3-D was fairly unobtrusive although it sometimes reinforced the spatial relationships between the dancers, at other times it simply added a hyper-real quality to the film. It'd be interesting to see how this would work in 2-D. This was only the third digital 3-D film I've seen and, unfortunately, I still find the combination of my progressive lenses and the 3-D glasses a bad combination -- towards the end I was starting to experience the headaches I'd had in "Avatar" and "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". Either the technology will have to improve or I do.
The film boasted a wonderful score as well as some striking locations from the Wuppertal area where Bausch's dance company makes its home.
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Show Time!
The opening film this year is "Pina", directed by Wim Wenders, a tribute to the legendary German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. And it's in 3-D!
In line at the Lightbox right now, waiting for the theatre to open. It's the first time this year that the crowds have really come together in any significant way. Lots of buzz right now and enthusiasm.
While I was standing here, Roger Ebert walked by, as the crowd left from the real first film of the festival, a 5-hour German film called "Dreileben" (actually a trilogy of inter-connected films). It sounded interesting, although I couldn't make it fit in the schedule.
A block away, the crowds are starting to come together for the opening gala, a rock documentary on U2. That will be loud.
With TIFF 2011, the festival has almost completely severed its ties to the Bloor-Yorkville area (only one theatre is in use up there this year). The Entertainment District and Yonge between Gerrard and Queen are now the focal points.
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2011/08/23
And so it begins
The catalogue for TIFF 2011 (#36) was released this morning. A beautiful late summer day in Toronto -- cool in the morning, no humidity and lots of sun. Perfect for planning 10 days in darkened rooms, (hopefully) lit only by the light of film projectors and not by assorted iPhones, iPods, iPads, BBs and the like.
I've got about a quarter of the schedule in place right now. Will drop off my picks by the weekend and put my faith in hands of the box office staff. The fun begins on Sept. 8.
I've got about a quarter of the schedule in place right now. Will drop off my picks by the weekend and put my faith in hands of the box office staff. The fun begins on Sept. 8.
2010/09/27
Two Questions
Inevitably, post-TIFF conversations involve being asked two questions:
- What did you see? (this blog is primarily an attempt to provide an answer to this question)
- Who did you see? (although given my interests, providing a list of who I saw would produce little in the way of recognition and many more questions. The biggest "star" I saw this year was probably Steve Coogan).
I was thinking about the latter on the weekend while reading the obituary of the actor Jackie Burroughs, who died earlier this month. Aside from appearing in a number of films that made an appearance at TIFF, Burroughs was a near constant presence in lines and theatres for many years.
In my early pilgrimages to the festival, it wasn't unusual to see several Canadian celebrities lining up to see films. Besides Burroughs, I remember seeing Geddy Lee and Bruce McCulloch at TIFF screenings.
That seems to happen a lot less now, although for what reason(s) I have no idea.
- What did you see? (this blog is primarily an attempt to provide an answer to this question)
- Who did you see? (although given my interests, providing a list of who I saw would produce little in the way of recognition and many more questions. The biggest "star" I saw this year was probably Steve Coogan).
I was thinking about the latter on the weekend while reading the obituary of the actor Jackie Burroughs, who died earlier this month. Aside from appearing in a number of films that made an appearance at TIFF, Burroughs was a near constant presence in lines and theatres for many years.
In my early pilgrimages to the festival, it wasn't unusual to see several Canadian celebrities lining up to see films. Besides Burroughs, I remember seeing Geddy Lee and Bruce McCulloch at TIFF screenings.
That seems to happen a lot less now, although for what reason(s) I have no idea.
2010/09/20
Back to Porridge*
TIFF 2010 ended yesterday with a full slate of screenings (this is something they used to do in the "old days", although at that time, the last day's schedule was released on the final "official" day of the festival. The idea was that the last Sunday represented a collection of fan favourites). For me, it was a day for resetting myself and getting ready for the return to work.
Sunday was also the day when various awards were handed out at a end-of-TIFF luncheon. The People's Choice award for feature was "The King's Speech"; as in most years, I did not have this on my list of films, so I can offer no comment, nor did I hear any comments about it in the lines).
The best documentary was "Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie" and the People's Choice in the Midnight Madness program was "Stake Land". I was three-for-three, not having seen any of them.
However, I did see "Incendies", which was given the award for Best Canadian film, an excellent choice and easily the best of the few Canadian films that I did see.
The last couple of days of the festival were full of a number of interesting films, including two of the best that I saw this year. Over the next few days, I'll provide a few comments on some of the more notable films.
(* a favourite expression of my father's, meaning the special time has ended and it's back to the daily grind)
Sunday was also the day when various awards were handed out at a end-of-TIFF luncheon. The People's Choice award for feature was "The King's Speech"; as in most years, I did not have this on my list of films, so I can offer no comment, nor did I hear any comments about it in the lines).
The best documentary was "Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie" and the People's Choice in the Midnight Madness program was "Stake Land". I was three-for-three, not having seen any of them.
However, I did see "Incendies", which was given the award for Best Canadian film, an excellent choice and easily the best of the few Canadian films that I did see.
The last couple of days of the festival were full of a number of interesting films, including two of the best that I saw this year. Over the next few days, I'll provide a few comments on some of the more notable films.
(* a favourite expression of my father's, meaning the special time has ended and it's back to the daily grind)
2010/09/18
Rare Exports
A unique Christmas story from Finland, less Miracle in 34th Street than Lord of the Rings.
In the lead-up to Christmas, a mining expedition in Lapland determines that a mountain is actually a large burial mound. Their attempt to extract an object from the mound creates havoc on the nearby village and especially the children.
Although it has an engaging performance from a young actor, this is not a film for young children. That said, it was good fun for the audience.
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In the lead-up to Christmas, a mining expedition in Lapland determines that a mountain is actually a large burial mound. Their attempt to extract an object from the mound creates havoc on the nearby village and especially the children.
Although it has an engaging performance from a young actor, this is not a film for young children. That said, it was good fun for the audience.
--------------------------
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2010/09/17
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Werner Herzog has produced a number of excellent documentaries over the years (his doc on Antarctica, "Encounters at the End of the World", was a highlight for me at TIFF from a couple of years ago).
His latest is a voyage into the Chauvet caves in France, a treasure trove of cave art from 30,000 years ago). The trip into the caves is enhanced by the use of 3D camera equipment.
The use of 3D accentuates the confines of the cave and its features -- the stalagtites and stalagmites; the ridges formed by the accretion of calcite on the cave floor -- as well as how the artists placed their work to take best advantage of the contours of the cave walls. Parts of it work very well to provide the immersive experience sought by many directors of 3D films.
The narration is provided by Herzog along with commentary from a number of the research scientists who work on and in the caves.
I was fortunate and was able to get a seat dead centre in the theatre, which should have been in the "sweet spot" for viewing.
Unfortunately, I had the same experience that I had with Avatar -- at its best, 3D is a novel viewing experience but the combination of the 3D glasses and my own induced a pretty nasty headache by the end of the film. It appears that barring any improvement in the technology (or my brain chemistry (:->)), I will be sticking with 2D.
That said, the documentary is recommended -- worth a look in 3D is available, but I think it would still be entertaining with only two dimensions.
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His latest is a voyage into the Chauvet caves in France, a treasure trove of cave art from 30,000 years ago). The trip into the caves is enhanced by the use of 3D camera equipment.
The use of 3D accentuates the confines of the cave and its features -- the stalagtites and stalagmites; the ridges formed by the accretion of calcite on the cave floor -- as well as how the artists placed their work to take best advantage of the contours of the cave walls. Parts of it work very well to provide the immersive experience sought by many directors of 3D films.
The narration is provided by Herzog along with commentary from a number of the research scientists who work on and in the caves.
I was fortunate and was able to get a seat dead centre in the theatre, which should have been in the "sweet spot" for viewing.
Unfortunately, I had the same experience that I had with Avatar -- at its best, 3D is a novel viewing experience but the combination of the 3D glasses and my own induced a pretty nasty headache by the end of the film. It appears that barring any improvement in the technology (or my brain chemistry (:->)), I will be sticking with 2D.
That said, the documentary is recommended -- worth a look in 3D is available, but I think it would still be entertaining with only two dimensions.
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Monsters
It's striking, though, when the subject matter requires the significant use of special effects. "Monsters" by Gareth Edwards is an example of such a film.
The premise is quite simple. Six years after a space probe containing evidence of extra-terrestrial life crash lands in Central America, the northern half of Mexico is a quarantined "infected zone". Two Americans must cross the zone to get home.
Using a mostly non-professional cast and an economical use of effects, the story focuses on the couple rather than unleashing the weaponry. Interestingly enough, the film breaks one of the cardinal rules of monster movies by showing the creature in the opening scenes of the film.
The film has a Canadian release date (Nov 5), so it will get a chance to be seen by a wider audience.
One other side note - while we were waiting outside the Ryerson theatre, a couple of people cam round and handed out T-shirts to the people in line. It's been a while since I've been at a TIFF where "stuff" ha been handed out. A pleasany surprise (especially since it provided an extra layer on a cool and breezy evening!)
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