The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has ever been a cinephile’s dream. It creates a creative and lively environment for fans to have face time with their favorite stars. This year, more than ever, festival-goers are starting to feel the pinch. This once-fun red carpet experience has gone all corporate and stiff on us. Sandi Leung, a local school teacher and long time TIFF fan, describes her first experience at the 2015 festival. During the primetime campaign, she was emboldened to take selfies and grab AstroTurf with stars like Eddie Redmayne and Kevin Bacon.
In recent years, the TIFF red carpet has been significantly different. Fenced off central areas along the diverse, over-the-top-prolific, star-spangled routes have further closed down access for awaiting fans. In response to the increasing apprehension of festival-goers, TIFF created fan zones. These zones are located at prominent venues such as Roy Thomson Hall, Princess of Wales Theatre, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre. These zones address the illusion of accessibility while corporate sponsorship continues to choke the life out of our spaces.
Local transit advocate Sandi Leung, who commutes every day from Markham, Ontario, for the duration of the festival, opened the discussion about these changes. For Stockton herself, the new online system is making waves in her small office. It allows fans to reserve their places without having to stay up all night or skip work or school. She acknowledges the increasing challenges.
“You’ve got to kind of leverage those spots more because it’s not like you can rely on the red carpets anymore,” – Sandi Leung.
Serena Tung is a twenty-year veteran of TIFF. Along her travels, she’s encountered celebrities including Daniel Craig and Jennifer Lopez and expresses the same excitement about the festival. She reflected on the sometimes-rocky and always-changing logistics of the festival.
“Every year it changes, and every year it’s a cluster,” – Serena Tung.
This year’s festival is shaping up to be the best one yet! Looking forward to those world premieres, such as Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of “Frankenstein” and the next chapter of the “Knives Out” trilogy. It will play host to a few A-list stars, including Hollywood’s most bankable action stars, Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson. Now, fans have to traverse a more confusing ecosystem to be part of these occasions.
Those coveted lower-level spots on the red carpet are now reserved for Avion Rewards Elite members first. In the process, many longtime fans are made to feel excluded and pushed aside. Leung pointed out that those who camp out for hours may still face challenges in getting close to their favorite stars.
“When people camp out there morning to night and they’re at the barricade, you never get up close,” – Sandi Leung.
The festival’s recent move to make Ticketmaster the exclusive entry method for the festival has exacerbated criticism. Every day at noon, these free passes are released causing a daily scramble and/or stampede among fans. As former fellow Serena Tung pointed out, she would regularly come in early just to make sure that she was seated in the front row.
“For me taking selfies, I want to be on the front row, so I would line up one hour, maybe two hours ahead of time to ensure I get a good spot,” – Serena Tung.
In light of recent events, including two Hollywood strikes and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, TIFF has had to adapt significantly. The festival is now playing in a world where fewer stars will be as a result of these unfortunate circumstances.
As Shannon Cole of TIFF distillation behind their mission of making the fan experience better. Their commitment never wavers to creating experiences for fans to engage with celebrities as they arrive on the red carpet.
“It’s not only about giving access to interact with stars walking the red carpet but to build an elevated hospitality experience for them while doing so,” – Shannon Cole.
Yet even with these positive developments, many TIFF’ers believe that the character of the festival is shifting. Paul Moore, one of the planning and organizing team members for the festival, made an important point about how nostalgia can obscure our view of present-day truths.
“Anyone who’s nostalgically complaining about TIFF not being like the old days also needs to recognize, for better or for worse, that the financial situation is not like the olden days either,” – Paul Moore.
From the looks of things this year, corporate sponsors are rolling in. Rogers, back again as TIFF’s presenting sponsor for the second year running, and Peroni, this year’s brand taking the Italian beer’s footprint red carpet-ward.
As TIFF changes with the times, people like Leung and Tung remain optimistic about what’s possible. They are confident that their love for movies and celebrity sightings will continue even with the transformation. As they look forward to this year’s festivities, they navigate a landscape that demands adaptability and resilience from both fans and organizers alike.
