With 328 films from around the world being screened over a 10-day run, navigating the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival may seem like a task worthy of its own award category. But armed with our guide you'll be on the VIP list, schmoozing like a seasoned Hollywood pro in no time.

The first step is just getting to the red carpet. Landing passes to the screenings may not be as hard as landing a movie deal, but it does require the same dogged tenacity.

Festival passes and advance ticket books for screenings are already sold out, but even if you don't have passes or coupon books by now, that doesn't mean you'll be shut out of the screenings.

"The chances of getting tickets to see the movies you want are still incredible," says Dan Butkovich, manager of customer service and event ticketing for the festival.

And that's not just tickets to the festival's more obscure, lower-profile features either. "Whether it's a film that they've never heard of before or something they are dying to see, the chances are really good that there's going to be tickets available," Butkovich says.

Among the offerings still available (as of September 1) are tickets to the gala premieres of The Five Children and It, Shark Tale, The Motorcycle Diaries, Downfall, Stage Beauty and An Italian Romance. And even if the film you most want to see isn't on that list, you've still got a shot.

As of September 8th, advance single tickets will go onsale at the year-round box office, located at the Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance), and at the festival box office at College Park, 444 Yonge Street (Market Level).

As well, for the first time ever, festival organizers are offering up advance tickets online. "It's yet another way of us trying to get people out of lineups and into films," says Butkovich.

Even if you don't have the foresight to make it by the advance ticket office (or you're still trying to decide what to see), you've still got a great chance of making it into pictures – at least as a member of the audience. Thousands of same-day seats to screenings that aren't sold out are available at theatre box offices and at the Manulife box office starting an hour before the first screening of the day.

As well, five minutes before screenings are set to begin, box offices also sell off any empty seats left inside the theatre. There's no need to camp out the night before to access last minute tickets, but festival officials recommend getting to the theatre an hour before show time.

And don't be discouraged if there's already a line snaking around the block filled with other people hoping luck into these so-called rush seats. Just take TIFF's "rush claim to fame" as an inspiration for playing the waiting game. Organizers are fond of recounting the gala screening of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, where more than 100 people got in with rush tickets.

Butkovich's golden rule when it comes to rush seats is to always check in with the festival staff.

"Find somebody that's working there and ask them what space you are in line, how many people are in front of you what are the chances, that kind of stuff," he recommends.

"The line might go around the corner at the Varsity (Theatre), let's say, but that's because there are eight cinemas at the Varsity and there's one line up for all eight cinemas. There might be 100 people in front of you but only two people going to the same movie that you're going to."

And use your time in line to become a real festival insider. "People all around you are talking about the other films that they've seen and stuff that they loved, stuff that they didn't love, and it's a really good way to get a good feel for the buzz of the festival," Butkovich says.

Even if rush seats aren't your route in, just remember to think like a movie producer and not to give up before you exhaust all your resources. For example, among the less conventional ways of getting in the door, a search of the online auction site eBay.com turned up gala passes to screenings of Ray and House of Flying Daggers.

Now that you've got your hands on passes or if you're thinking about trying your luck for last minute seats, the next dilemma is what to see. Screenings range from big-name Hollywood productions that are months away from hitting the multiplexes to small-scale foreign and independent works that would otherwise be inaccessible to the average moviegoer. The choices can be overwhelming, but festival organizers have tried to make your selection easier, sorting the hundreds of films into specialized programs. Butkovich urges festival-goers to be open to smaller, less-hyped movies.

"Take a chance," he says. "Our programmers have been around the world for the last 360 days or so just programming incredible films from the four corners of the world and they're all here in Toronto for 10 days.

"Just come, and be challenged, be daring."

If you're more interested in seeing the stars off-screen than on, just remember it's all about location, location, location. Celebs who are in town to promote their latest work usually attend their own premieres (sometimes along with other famous faces), so make sure to consult the official screening schedule to find out which movie is playing where. And don't forget that the times listed on the schedule are for the actual screenings - stars walk the red carpet as early as half an hour before.

Another sure bet is to plant yourself in the lobby of one of the hotels hosting the film festival or where stars are known to stay -- including the Four Seasons, Park Hyatt and Windsor Arms.

Yorkville-area boutiques and restaurants also get their share of high profile traffic during the fest.

Just don't forget your camera.