TIFF attendees and insiders share their most memorable festival moments
TIFF is a hotbed for experiences both great (a surprise celeb encounter) and not-so-great (being snubbed after an hours-long wait). Sometimes, hard work (read: pressuring friends in the biz to score you tickets to a star-studded premiere) rewards you with an unforgettable experience. Other times, you’re left waiting in a dark theatre while Michael Moore tries to fix the projector. Here, TIFF-goers both seasoned and new, some fans and some who work to make the annual festival happen, share their best (and worst) memories.
Name: Sal Patel Age: 29 Profession: Board and executive relations “I was hanging out backstage on opening night, sitting next to Deepa Mehta, and she told me, ‘I should have put you in Beeba Boys!'”
Name: Melissa Starker Age: 47 Profession: Writer “My worst TIFF moment was when we went to the Borat screening and the projector broke. I can vividly recall Michael Moore running up to the booth trying to fix it. No one got to see the movie.”
Name: Tom Teodorczuk Age: 37 Profession: Writer “I got in a mini argument with Kate Mara about soccer. She supports Arsenal, you see, which is my team’s main rival. So I asked her why she likes them, and she said, ‘I don’t have to tell you why.’”
Name: David Davidson Age: 27 Profession: Student “I’m the biggest Jean-Marc Vallée fan. My friend got me tickets to the screening for Demolition, and I got to sit right next to Jake Gyllenhaal and the whole cast. Plus, the movie was great!”
Name: Ryan MacDuff Age: 22 Profession: Freelancer “My most memorable TIFF moment? Drinking with Christopher Doyle, my favourite cinematographer. Oh, also being chastized by Claire Denis, my favourite director.”
Name: Laura Ospina Age: 24 Profession: Student “I just got here, and it’s my first TIFF. But I already saw Sarah Silverman walking down the street, which was amazing. I love her honest humour.”
Name: Loxley Francis Age: 34 Profession: Youth worker “I work with kids with mental health issues, and they love coming to TIFF. Yesterday, one of the girls got to take a selfie with Donald Sutherland, and she was so excited. She said, “President Snow just took a picture with me!'”
Name: Breanna Harvey Age: 24 Profession: Dance instructor “I loved seeing Legend yesterday. I’m really into mobster movies and gangster flicks—plus the fact that Tom Hardy played two characters seamlessly was mind-blowing.”
