Toronto International Film Festival #2: Festival Street and the TIFF Bell Lightbox

It’s official: I am suffering from post-Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) depression. I am hoping that by sharing some of my photos with all of you, I will relive my good memories and that this will help to alleviate my symptoms. 🙂

Festival Street was from September 4th to 7th (the first weekend of TIFF). King Street was closed to traffic from University Ave to Peter St and featured art installations (such as this one – arguably one of the coolest art installations of all time),

 

a stage for musical performances,

an interactive art wall,

a couple of “fashion trucks,”

and patio extensions along Restaurant Row.

There were also “Shed Plays”, which were movie-themed micro-plays courtesy of the Toronto Fringe Festival, a giant chessboard, a brightly painted piano for anyone to play among rows of brightly coloured picnic tables, and the Light Tunnel – “the world’s most soothing red carpet.” It was a red carpet covered in a black dome with soft lighting and new-agey music playing inside.

The best part of Festival Street was something I didn’t get to photograph…it was unannounced…I just came upon it – and I didn’t have my camera with me (damn!)  It was a group of people dressed in gorilla suits doing modern dance (actually, just jumping around mostly) with gigantic bones around the HAL 9000 sculpture. A group of musicians playing some sort of strange modern music for violins and violas was playing live in the background.  Ha! Mind-bendingly awesome – where else can you see that on your way to the office ???

Here is the actual TIFF Bell Lightbox – the heart of the Film Festival:

Your own red carpet and photo op wall await you inside of the lobby.

 

Here is the box office –

 

– and the Official Film Schedule. The red lines denote films that are “offsale” (full). Eeeeeeeeep!

You can still get seats for films that are full by standing in the “rush line.”

 

…some rush lines are so big that they have a continuation further down the block!

 

Even the hallways, lobbies, and concession stands inside the TIFF Bell Lightbox are swanky.

 

The Festival would not be possible without many dedicated volunteers (2800 + this year !)

 

 

While the Film Festival is only 11 days a year, the TIFF Bell Lightbox is open 365 days a year.  This fall, they will be showing this movie there – it happens to be one of my favourite movies of ALL TIME ! ! !

HOLY @#$% I AM SO EXCITED for this one ! ! !

….and once I see another great movie at the Lightbox, I won’t be so sad that Festival is over for another year.

Stay tuned!