TIFF ticket prices climb. . . but the escalator is fixed
TIFF’s new “dynamic” pricing system, which raises the cost of certain hot tickets up to a high of $58 each once all fees are added in, is also raising hackles.
“I’m not sure it’s worth it, really,” fan Amaan Ismail, 31, said of the high-end price point.
“It becomes inaccessible for regular Torontonians, for regular people who want to see these movies. And it kind of defeats the purpose of what the original intent of the festival was.”
The change means that some tickets could potentially cost as much as $58 if they’re for pricier $49 “premium” screenings, after the maximum $7 surcharge and a $2 processing fee are added.
A spokeswoman said the starting $25 price of a regular ticket remains the same as last year and “the bulk” of tickets for each screening will be sold at that rate.
“We believe these changes reflect current standards in the marketplace,” Jennifer Bell, TIFF’s vicepresident of marketing, communications, digital media and creative, said in a statement. “Prices will increase with demand only when the screening is near-capacity.” The Canadian Press
Return to your sloth-like states: Everyone with aching knees from the Scotiabank Theatre’s broken-escalator fiasco can breathe a sigh of relief: It’s fixed. Film critics and industry players known to survive on caffeine for 10 days straight were beside themselves earlier in the festival upon discovering that the sky-high moving staircase had stopped moving in an upward direction. By Sunday, film buffs were once again taking the slow train to the sky.
The Italian job: The Venice Film Festival wrapped up on the weekend with nods to some names TIFF goers will find familiar (all are screening to Toronto audiences). The Woman Who Left by Filipino director Lav Diaz won the Golden Lion prize for best picture; The Untamed tied for Silver Lion. Emma Stone took best actress for La La Land and Noah Oppenheim’s screenplay for Jackie also won.
Hoop dreams: It’s not all bigscreen action. Take the TV commercial shoot set up to capture an impossible shot on Adelaide St. W. Sunday at 9 a.m. An anonymous basketball star was shooting from a platform near the top of one highrise tower to a hoop suspended on the side of the building next door: an 18-metre shot. Basketballs rained down as sidewalk traffic was halted for a few minutes. The spot is for an unknown product and will air later this fall. Linda Barnard