TORONTO — Ingrid Veninger is a Canadian filmmaker, actress and film festival veteran. She co-wrote and produced 2008's "Nurse.Fighter.Boy" and her new film "MODRA" is debuting at this year's TIFF.

In this column for CTV.ca, she shares what it's like to be smack in the middle of the festival whirlwind, hanging out with the likes of Steve Martin and Janeane Garofolo, being sprinkled with 'pixie dust' by Lily Tomlin, and even being envied by the incomporable Abbie Hoffman.

To arrive at TIFF and me, today -- I have to go back a little bit…

For my 18th birthday, Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) bought me two Gala tickets to see Lily Tomlin and Steve Martin in "All of Me." The year was 1984.

I went with my friend Megan Follows. Megan had worked with Steve Martin on a TV series called "Domestic Life," which Steve executive produced. After the screening, Mr. Martin invited us to a Roots party. You know Roots -- Michael Budman and Don Green's retail empire? The original store was at the corner of my street -- Pears Avenue and Avenue Road.

Roots was famous for their parties and on this occasion Lily Tomlin was telling us that being actors was a "privilege" and that we should protect our "instrument." And as she said "instrument," she swept her hands over the top of my head and down to my toes; it was like I was sprinkled with pixie dust.

Then, an L.A. studio executive, who never told me his name, said I looked like Fellini's muse, Giulietta Masina. That casual remark had me screen every Fellini film that I could get my hands on, and became my gateway to European cinema.

But the coolest of all was perched on a bar stool: Abbie Hoffman. Abbie Hoffman! And he talked to me. He liked that I lived around the corner and that I had lived there since I was 8. He envied my "home base." Now, whenever I walk down my street -- because I still live in the same house on Pears Avenue -- I often think of Abbie, and Lily, and Giulietta Masina.

In 1998, the experience came full circle. I was acting in a movie called: STEAL THIS MOVIE!. Abbie Hoffman was played by Vincent D'Onofrio. Anita was played by Janeane Garofalo. Other cast members included: Kevin Corrigan, Donal Logue (at TIFF this year!), Troy Garity (son of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden) and Kevin Pollak. Making the film was amazing, and my friendship with Janeane during TIFF opened a world of the festival that I still dream about. It was a high-voltage indie American wave.

Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Will Ferrell were all pals of Janeane and hence I was invited to their parties and it was Incredible… everyone was so exciting (expect for Jeremy Piven -- he was rude) and I remember thinking TIFF is epic.

There are hundreds of levels to the festival: the public level, and the industry level, and press junket level and each of those levels includes other levels that involve the Canadian industry and American industry, but also the whole rest of the world -- the International industry of Koreans and Russians and Germans and Australians and on and on and on… It's epic. And it's inspiring.

Between 1990 and 2010, I have attended TIFF with two short films and nine features as an actor, writer, producer or director. In 2008, I was lucky to have 2 features World Premiere in the Canada First! Programme.

They were: NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY, I was co-writer and producer, and ONLY (which starred my son, Jacob Switzer), I was co-writer/producer/director. MODRA is my 11th film at TIFF. It stars my daughter, Hallie Switzer. It's my debut feature as sole writer/producer/director. Eleven is my favorite number. TIFF runs for 11 days. I don't know what it all means, but I am going to enjoy every single minute of this 2010 festival in honour of art and cinema and community.

If you see anybody around Bell Lightbox or Yonge/Dundas Square dressed in a Slovak folklore costume handing out MODRA postcards, that's likely my mother or my aunt or cousin who are flying in from Slovakia for the world premiere of MODRA. Say hello! Take a postcard and come and see MODRA. It's a historical event, in a historical year at one of the greatest festivals in the world.

Enjoy every minute.