Another edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close. This was my tenth time going to TIFF and it still remains one of my favourite events of the year. Seeing 25 films in 10 days (combined with a number of volunteer shifts) can definitely take a toll on one’s body and I was quite zombified with fatigue by the time the festival ended. That said, I would never try to change anything. There seems to be a theme around the films I see at TIFF every year. Last year, it was all about embracing the documentaries, to the point that I chose one as my favourite film. This year, it was all about the Midnight Madness and Vanguard programmes. Combined, they made up 40% of my TIFF line-up this year and, as it turns out, 3/5 of my Top 5 films from the festival are from those two programmes (including the Top 2). So, without further ado, here is my full TIFF12 Wrap-Up. Enjoy. Top 5 Favourite Films of TIFF12
- Berberian Sound Studio (Vanguard Programme)
- I Declare War (Vanguard Programme)
- Tower (Discovery Programme)
- Frances Ha (Special Presentations Programme)
- The Bay (Midnight Madness Programme)
Top 3 Midnight Madness Films
- The Bay
- The ABCs of Death
- Dredd 3D
Top 3 Vanguard Films
- Berberian Sound Studio
- I Declare War
- Room 237
Top 3 Special Presentations
- Frances Ha
- The Iceman
- The Suicide Shop
Top 3 TIFF Docs
- Storm Surfers 3D
- The Act of Killing
- Reincarnated
Honourable Mention
- Smashed (Contemporary World Cinema Programme)
Top 3 Least Favourite Films
- In the Fog (Contemporary World Cinema Programme)
- Crimes of Mike Recket (Contemporary World Cinema Programme)
- Byzantium (Special Presentations Programme)
(Note: While these are technically my least favourite films, there are none in this list that I absolutely disliked) Films I Wish I Saw
- Seven Psychopaths (Midnight Madness)
- Silver Linings Playbook (Gala Presentations)
- Ghost Graduation (Contemporary World Cinema)
- The Brass Teapot (Discovery)
- Artifact (TIFF Docs)
- Here Comes the Devil (Vanguard)
Favourite Moment
- During the Storm Surfers 3D Q&A when the director decided to call the film’s subjects (in Australia) and only got their answering machines. One of them called back.
- I also enjoyed that this was my most social film festival, with me frequently running into the other Toronto film folk.
Final Number of Films Seen
- 25 (26 if you count pre-fest screening)
Programme Tally
- Special Presentations – 6 (7 if you count pre-fest screening)
- Midnight Madness – 6
- Vanguard – 4
- TIFF Docs – 4
- Contemporary World Cinema – 4
- Discovery – 1
Theatre Tally
- Ryerson Theatre – 8
- Cineplex Yonge and Dundas – 7
- Bloor Hot Docs Cinema – 4
- TIFF Bell Lightbox – 4
- Scotiabank Theatre – 2
TIFF12 Photos
