Thousands of movie-goers saw 335 offerings from dozens of countries at the Toronto International Film Festival, the world's second most important after Cannes. However many of the movies hit a major glitch. Made before the financial meltdown when money was easier to come by, they are now having a tough time getting distribution and are facing going direct to DVD, television or to websites for downloading.
Bidding Wars
"Creation", the first night gala, for instance only inked a deal just before the festival opened on September 10. Tom Bernard of Sony Pictures Classics told the Globe and Mail's Johanna Schneller that there would not be any bidding wars this time around because buyers will be cautious. "You don't want to make mistakes in this market". Despite this, distributors were on the look out for the next Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) breakout movie. Last year it was "Slumdog Milionnaire". There were plenty of deals struck before the festival closed on September 19 but many film makers remain condemned to ride the festival circuit until they find one.
Good for Toronto's Coffers
The film festival is good for Toronto's coffers. Hotels and restaurants do lucrative business by offering longer opening hours, service geared to the schedules of rushed film goers and secretive deal makers needing places where they won't be overheard. However, the major parties that have always provided plenty of buzz and cash were not as thick on the ground as they had been in previous years and restaurants and caterers stood at the ready throughout the ten days, hoping for last-minute bookings. Planners explained that parties were more intimate this year and ended earlier. For instance, Edward Rogers, CEO of Rogers Communications, hosted a get together in his Toronto home. Matt Damon came and the gathering raised cash for Rogers' and Damon's charity "One X One".
TIFF Glitz
It's unlikely the general public noticed any difference in the TIFF glitz. It was too busy enjoying the expanded program of free movies such as "The Night of the Living Dead" in the city's downtown Dundas Square and looking out for visiting celebrities in Yorkville, the neighborhood of expensive boutiques, hotels and restaurants they frequent. However this may be the last year Yorkville enjoys its preeminence because the festival is slated to move to its new downtown venue near Queen and King Streets. There the merchants are rubbing their hands gleefully in expectation.
Of the 3,000 industry professionals at TIFF, 500 were actors, directors, writers and producers and so forth. These included such festival favorites as George Clooney as well as Viggo Mortensen, Colin Firth, Nicholas Cage, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Penelope Cruz and Michael Douglas. Directors included Portugal's Manoel de Oliviera and the ubiquitous Joel and Ethan Coen.
Older People and Minorities
There was a noticeable effort on the part of TIFF to reach out to more local filmgoers perhaps to replace the armies of Americans who have traditionally made an annual pilgrimage but who gave it a miss this year because of the financial situation. Advertisements have featured more older people and visible minorities and a free book listing all the movies and the times they were to be shown were available in places such as the Toronto Public Library.
Most Torontonians who look forward to the annual TIFF madness hope the film industry's troubles will not cloud its future and that all the films being shown will find distributors.
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