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Actor Brad Pitt makes his way on the red carpet as he arrives for the screening of 'Burn After Reading' on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Nathan Denette
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Has Toronto's film festival become too elitist?
Updated Sat. Sep. 13 2008 7:42 PM ET
Jered Stuffco, CTV.ca News
While tickets for the hottest movies at the Toronto International Film Fest have been hard to score in years past, some locals say this year's fest is a sell-out in more ways than one.
Big gripes with this year's edition include long lines, a pumped-up corporate presence and preferential treatment for TIFF donors.
"I think this city gives a lot to this festival," film fan Jason Keller told CTV.ca this week.
"I don't know if the average Torontonian is getting enough back,"
That's why Keller, who sees upwards of 80 movies a year in theatres, decided to boycott this year's festival -- even if that meant missing out on screenings like the Coen brothers' "Burn After Reading" and Paul Gross' First World War epic "Passchendaele."
"The stuff that everyone wants to see is too hard to get to," he said.
"If you want to see the new Coen brothers movie, and if you're not a donor or in media or someone important, it's pretty much impossible."
Underscoring complaints of elitism is the Bell Lightbox: a massive, $196 million complex and condo tower planned for downtown Toronto, slated to become the festival's future home.
Festival brass hope the Lightbox, which will feature five theatres, will be ready for the 2010 edition of the fest, but organizers say they still have to raise about $50-million for the ambitious project.
The 'people's fest' no more?
During TIFF's early years in the 1970s and throughout the 1990s, it earned the reputation as the "people's festival" because regular fans could get access to the hottest movies.
But according to film fan and blogger Tim Shore, that moniker is a thing of the past.
"Maybe 15 years ago it was, but it's evolved over the years," he said in a telephone interview on Friday.
This year, for example, the festival jacked-up prices for Visa Screening Room events at the Elgin Theatre to $40, meaning another barrier to fans on a budget.
"That was definitely a downer," said Shore, who writes for blogto.com, a local arts website.
Worse yet, this year's TIFF got off to a bad start when about 200 pass holders were shut out of the opening night's "Passchendaele" showing so donors to the Bell Lightbox project could get in first.
Still, the fest offers plenty of options for film fans on a budget, said Mark Dillon, editor of Playback Magazine, a trade publication devoted to film.
"I don't think their selection of films has declined," he said.
"In defense of TIFF, they have a big, expensive event to put on, and corporate sponsorship is important," he said, noting that TIFF is a non-profit organization putting on a world class festival.
While Dillon said some great Canadian films and smaller budget flicks are often overshadowed by big budget Hollywood features, he noted this year's TIFF is pulling in big stars and big attendance numbers.
"I went to the 'Burn After Reading' gala and it was staggering," he said.
"When Brad Pitt arrived and the flashbulbs went off, it was like Beatlemania."
Comments are now closed for this story
Film festivals have always been very elitist. I doubt that will ever change even though the public pour their hard earned money into the industry that seems to despise the common man. They say they're not interested in the money, only the gold statues they can aspire to win, but they're "richness" puts them in a class of hypocrites who look down their noses at us.
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Of course the film festival has become 'elitist'. This has become all about celebrity and money-in a city that is so poor that it needs to close pools, can't take care of the homeless, can't seem to sort out affordable transit and so much more.
Celebrity, the 'elite left' (including our self-styled-without substance Mayor) is renowned for its navel-gazing, self-centred special status. The film festival is a tribute to all that is so wrong with this crowd.
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Yep! A huge waste of my taxpayers dollars for a select group of elitist ninny's.
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Well if Toronto or TIFF wants an international audience they have to pander to Hollywood. Personally I would rather watch the low budget Canadian and British movies but that's my chioce.
It all depends on what direction TIFF want to take. Glamour & Glitter or Great Canadian content for much less than one hundred million dollars.
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I'm not much of a film fan largely because of the lousy quality of movies been made these days, especially the over-hyped, big studio blockbusters. What happened to the high quality riveting dramas that were once made, like The French Connection, The Deer Hunter and the God Father during the 1970s?
TIFF is a complete waste of time and money. I'd like to know how much public money is being poured into what is becoming an increasingly elitist event?
And, I've never seen anything more pathetic than the star worshipping that goes on by people being corralled behind barricades during premieres. I have a message to these folks. Get a life. Spend time with your family and friends, enjoy a pastime, volunteer, etc.
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I hate the TIFF and the poseurs who invade my Yorkville area. Stay away and leave our neighbourhood alone. We enjoy our friendly year-round tourists & visitors but the TIFF crowd is ridiculous.
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The festival is very elitist. They pull out all the stops for celebrities, but then won't allow fans anywhere near them...it's almost like they enjoy saying "no pictures or autograpghs," and to make people wait behind a barrier or section them off...they are not cattle!
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Why on earth do people flock like sheep to see these so called "stars?" They are merely people who WE PAY collectively, for the purpose of entertaining us. Really the masses should be embarassed!
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Last Sat. night we were walking down Yonge St, when a police convoy blocked the street. Cops wouldn't even let anyone cross the street. Everyone started complaining/honking, thinking is was some 'star' having to get somewhere. Then 3 hearses drove by carrying the latest Afgan military casualties. It certainly put this whole TIFF thing into perspective.
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I went to 3 movies this year it was awesome. To me it just sounds like another Socialist Torontonian looking for their freebie hand out. And we wonder why Toronto struggles to become a world class city with people like this whining we they don't get what they want for free.
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What a waste of money and precious. I agree with Peter from Hamilton - this star worshipping if ludicrous. Why do so many people idolize these stars of Hollywood? Their lives are most often quite far from being considered good role models, yet they are continually adored and pampered by people who should indeed spend time at home investing in their families.
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Well it seems Canada's typical small mindedness has overtaken the response section of this article. If Toronto wants to be a world class city (that's a rhetorical question. The answer is imperatively yes) it must do everything necessary to attract big names, big media, big hype, big parties, big fun, etc....
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Who cares. Movies are a waste of time anyways.
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