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Toronto International Film Festival opens its new theater complex September 12
posted by
CSWalczak
on
September 15, 2010 at 7:35 am
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA — Film lovers here will be celebrating the opening of the Bell Lightbox, the sparkling new headquarters of the the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The complex includes five cinemas that have capacities ranging from 80 to 550 seats; one screening room will have 70mm capability. In addition, the film center will have areas for seminars, galleries, a reference library, and administrative offices, and, later, a rooftop space. The opening on September 12 is highlighted by an open house and a “Wizard of Oz”-themed street festival.
There is more in Variety and information about the opening events is here.
Comments (1)
I’ll be here on Saturday for After Shock – but I was at the opening block party they ran on the 12th – the facility is a beatiful temple of cinema: the first floor contains the Essential Cinema exhibit, gift shop, box office and bistro. The second floor has a lounge/sit down restaurant and theaters 1-3, the third floor has theaters 4-5 which are currently showing instillation works – 4 has Atom Egoyan’s 8 ½ Screens (scenes from 8 ½ are projected onto screens draped over the seats, viewed from the front of the theatre), and a piece by Guy Maddin. Also on this floor are studios/classrooms.
The sad thing is I’m pretty sure (maybe AFI…but I’m pretty sure) we have nothing quite like this is the USA. Then again this is probably the reason why tickets are so darn expensive for TIFF and getting more expensive every year. It’s exciting though that TIFF will bring first run art films that would have never played at the Carleton or Cumberland to town along side their Cinematheque Ontario screenings – although I’m not sold on that being the right neighborhood for it – it’s a shame that the festival is moving away from uptown. Then again the parties in Yorkville will still continue and that neighborhood which we walked around in before the Easy A premiere at Isabelle Badder was packed with black SUVs and limos.