While September is usually a reality check reminding me that I pretty soon will have to again say goodbye to the warmth of summer months and embrace the biting cold winter nights (yes, I tend to forget fall, because it feels just a wink away in between), it also means that TIFF is just around the corner!
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a publicly-attended film festival held in Toronto every September, commencing the Thursday night after Labour Day and lasting for only 11 days. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, coming second to Cannes International Film Festival with respect to high-profile celebrities, movies, and market activity. Notable award-winning films which premiered at TIFF include American Beauty, Black Swan, The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire.
In the last couple of years that I was living in Toronto, I got myself into the hype of this star-studded event. I owe this enthusiasm to two buddies whom I went out to TIFF on separate occassions for two consecutive years. I was able to see five international films, and they are as follows:
1. DINIG SANA KITA (IF I KNEW WHAT YOU SAID) - Filipino, 2009
2. RABIA - Spanish-Colombian, 2009
3. HADEWIJCH - French, 2009
4. MEI MEI (LITTLE SISTER) - Chinese, 2010
5. RIO SEX COMEDY - French-Brazilian, 2010 - starring Bill Pullman
There are hundreds of film entries, and with mix reviews and reception from viewers and critics, it can get overwhelming to choose which ones are really worth watching, although I would say that the element of hit-and-miss definitely adds fun to the experience. Tickets are a bit pricey, so you might want to take advantage of films which are less likely to be shown outside the festival. You don't want to be spending a lot for a movie which you can see afterwards in regular theatres at a much lesser price, right? However, if you opt for films led by big Hollywood names like Matt Damon, Demi Moore, George Clooney and David Duchovny, there is always the chance of seeing these celebrities in person after the screening ;) That being said, it's also a good thing to hang around the posh areas of Yorkville or the Entertainment District after watching a film or two because who knows who you might run into. I'm sure you wouldn't mind paparazzi-ing Ryan Reynolds or Rachel McAdams, eh? Also, if you hang around the Yonge-Dundas Square, you can catch reruns of previous TIFF entries for FREE :)
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| with Dinig Sana Kita's lead actress/actor, Zoe Sandejas and Romalito Mallari at AMC Theatres, Yonge-Dundas Square |
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is but one of the many perks of living in Toronto. Among other year-round-things-to-do include Summerlicious, Winterlicious, Taste of the Danforth, Pride, Santa Claus Parade, Caribana, BuskerFest, Nuit Blanche... and those are just a few of what I have been and will be missing since I moved to the States. Bummer!? Oh, well :)
My share for:
your in Canada pala hahaha akala ko dito ka lang sa 'Pinas
ReplyDeletei love movies too and i so like rachel mcadams
hi reese ! yes, i used to live in toronto, now here in the states :)
ReplyDeletethanks again for visiting.
You know, I've never been to Tiff in spite of being a Torontonian for more than two years now. Life's going to get in my way for that this year, but I'll definitely see if I can check it out in 2012. Thanks for mentioning Toronto!! :-D
ReplyDeletei saw posters of "Dinig sana kita" at UPLB last year, wondering then, where to watch it,...was it in UP theaters, jan pala sa CAnada..twoink!
ReplyDeletecrystal, you should include TIFF in your to-do list! :)
ReplyDeletePS, they have been showing it in the philippines. sa mga schools, girl. so check out sa UP, La Salle, etc. i recommend you to see it :)
Do you like it better in Canada or here in the States, just wondering hehehe. I have never been to Canada yet so I dunno how is it like to live there.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos.
One of my Mellow Yellow entries can be found at Spice Up Your Life, come by when you get a chance, thanks!
Do you like it better in Canada or here in the States, just wondering hehehe. I have never been to Canada yet so I dunno how is it like to live there.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos.
One of my Mellow Yellow entries can be found at Spice Up Your Life, come by when you get a chance, thanks!
thanks, chubskulit :) i left a reply in your blog ^^
ReplyDeletesee ya around !
This is a very interesting Fest, KM. Thanks for the feature.
ReplyDeleteJust like Rose a.k.a Chubskulit, I wonder where you like best- Canada or the US. Hehehe. Would appreciate a separate post on that only if you're willing to share some points of comparison between the two countries ;-)
Uy! Your grand homecoming/ vacay is nearing. I am sure excited ka na. Excited narin ako to receive the postcard from you *Smile*
Hugs from me to you!
@ Lainy, I've only been in the States for about nine months, so right now, my loyalty still goes to Toronto :) I miss TO a lot, especially my friends, and the so-many-fun-things I did when I lived there. The public transportation system there is so efficient that I didn't need to drive to go to places. It's a relatively safe city; you just have to know which streets to avoid ;) So yeah, I can say my heart still aches for Toronto but my heart ultimately belongs to Vince, so I chose to part ways with Toronto and move to the States :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blogging idea about comparing Canada vs. United States. It's going to be a challenge to blog about that but I'm putting a pin on that thought for future post, when I accumulate enough years of stay in the US to be fair enough to provide an unbiased review of the two countries :D
Wow, ibang level.. was looking for the films online.. I think I should check them out. was here for TT. See you back.
ReplyDeleteHi Vernz! Check out the TIFF website and see if there are any good Dutch entries ;)
ReplyDeleteWow! one of the many things to see and watch out for. makes me more excited to live in TO. hope our application gets approved... hehehe...was here for TT!
ReplyDeletehi pinx, you're gonna love Toronto :) i hope you get your application approved soon ;)
ReplyDeletemy husband and I are also applying for PR Visa in Canada and hoping to land in Toronto when we get our application's approval... Hopefully...
ReplyDeletewow...never been there..visiting form TT :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely a nice post! I got a lot of friends based in Toronto right now but I don't think they're hyped enough to witness TIFF for reals! I'm sure it is a great event to be able to have our eyes feast on those celebrities! Lol.
ReplyDeleteSo you're based in Chicago now sis? If you live in IL, I am in WI so magkapit-state lang tayo! Lol.
Yeah, I can't say more when you said your heart belongs to Vince, hehehe. Your rightful place should be beside your husband.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a helluva lot of good things about Canada. I have so many friends who chose Canada for migration. Now I've no doubts whatsoever that they've made a good choice. You must have missed TO a lot but since Vince is beside you, I am sure you'll do fine. Iba pa rin talaga pag kasama mo ang mahal mo. Hay! Nalungkot tuloy ako :-(
No rush on the post. I shall be waiting for that till you have accumulated enough reasons to compare the two giant countries.
Hugs!
thanks for sharing...and thanks for dropping by at my travel blog..
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I'd recognize Ryan Reynolds or Rachel McAdams, but I might freak some if it's George Clooney, lol....
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Nostalgia
Thanks for linking this to Nostalgia..
ReplyDeleteVery interesting pictures and event.
ReplyDeleteNostalgic Marveling
thanks for the nostalgia visits :)
ReplyDelete