TIFF Web site down for many determined ticket purchasers

Many eager cinephiles spent this morning yelling at their computers when they attempted to purchase tickets for TIFF screenings and found that the festival’s Web site was down. The single tickets went on sale this morning, which led to heavy traffic and the spotty availability of tiff.net throughout the day. @TIFF_NET tweeted at approximately 7:30 a.m., “We hear your concerns. The technical team is working hard to fix ASAP. Customer volume is significant at the moment. Thx for your patience” and then, an hour later, TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey tweeted, "Our team is working hard on it. Major demand.” According to another tweeter, @fyang, hammering the refresh button will make orders go through, but the TIFF interactive team is still working on fixing the problem. Calls to the festival’s head office were not returned.

UPDATE at 2:12 p.m.: The TIFF Web site is still down for many visitors, but Vice-President of Communications Jennifer Bell tells us that internal and external personnel to TIFF are currently working as fast as they can to get the site working again. “It is an overwhelming demand today compared to last year,” Bell says, adding that 10,000 users logged into the site simultaneously at 7 a.m. this morning. “That is unprecedented for us.” Let’s hope this phenomenon is a harbinger of a successful TIFF packed with excited cinefiles, and not a harbinger of massive lines and frustrated audiences.