The Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival is a public film festival that takes place every September in Toronto. Since the mid-70s this festival has simultaneously focused on the best international cinema has to offer and the best of what's being made here at home; on discovering new talent and promoting new works from filmmaking masters; on giving a venue to artistic experiments and providing buzz-creating premieres to mainstream crowd-pleasers; and most importantly on giving the people who make films a chance to do business while giving the people who love films a chance to be in on the action.

The 2009 Toronto International Film Festival is running from Thursday September 10th to Saturday September 19th.

How to Find the Films YOU Want to Watch at TIFF 2009

Along with the festival comes endless buzz about the must-see films of the year. But the real beauty of the festival is the wide variety of films available, many of which will slip under the mainstream radar. Keep an eye not only on the buzz, but on your favourite programmes, genres - or what just happens to have tickets available today.
• TIFF 2009 Programmes, Buzz and Best Bets
• TIFF 2009 Horror Lineup from About.com: Horror and Suspense Movies

How to Buy Tickets

Individual tickets are go on sale on September 4th at 7am. If you have a a VISA credit card you can buy TIFF tickets online or by phone (416-968-FILM or toll free at 1-877-968-FILM). If you order in one of these ways you'll then be able to pick up your tickets from any Festival Box Office or from the theatre where you're seeing the first movie in your order.

Otherwise you'll have to visit one of the TIFF Box Offices in person if you'd like to buy in advance - you can use cash, debit or VISA. Same day tickets sometimes become available and can be purchased in the aforementioned ways or at the theatre where the screening is taking place. If same day tickets are unavailable, you can stand in the Rush Line at the theatre in case there are empty seats a few minutes before the show is set to start.
• Where are the TIFF Box Offices?

Festival Village

To be clear, although all of the official TIFF brochures refer to "festival village", this is a BIA-style designation that simply refers to the whole area in which the festival events take place, not an actual neighbourhood in Toronto. The TIFF Festival Village is in the downtown core and includes areas in Yorkville, the Financial District, the Entertainment District/Mirvish Village and the Garden District.
• Find Your TIFF Theatre
• Where are the TIFF Box Offices?
• Free TIFF Events at Yonge-Dundas Square
• Top 9 Restaurants During TIFF from About.com: Canada Travel

The Cadillac People's Choice Award

Every year festival attendees are asked to vote for their favourite film out of everything they've seen. Past winners have included Slumdog Millionaire, Hotel Rwanda, Eastern Promises and Tsotsi. This year TIFF will be offering a free screening of the winning film at the Elgin Theatre on the last night of the festival, Saturday September 19th. Details have yet to be released, but last year tickets were given out on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 7pm for the 9pm show.

The Toronto International Film Festival Group Year Round

You'd think running TIFF would be enough work, but the organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival run numerous events all year, including the Sprockets Film Festival for Children in April, the Reel Talk Sunday morning screening and discussion series and Cinematheque Ontario. To learn more about the Toronto International Film Festival Group, visit www.tiffg.ca

TIFF 2009 Official site: http://tiff.net