TIFF 2006 – Here We Go Around Again

Well, the last time I was at TIFF was 2004. Highlights included seeing The Company, House of Flying Daggers (where the audience laughed at the endingitis, nonetheless it looked gorgeous), going to the Holt Renfrew party with Heather Graham, Nisha Ganatra (we had just wrapped “Cake”) and Paul Haggis whereupon we were escorted into an escalating number of V’s in front of IP until we ended up in a room with Patrice Goodman, the fake JT Leroy (I KNEW it was a woman) and Michelle Trachtenberg. It was also the only room where smoking seemed permitted which was especially odd since it was the only room with hardwood floors and fur coats lining the walls.

I was at Polly Shannon’s bday last week and was probing for clues on hot tickets this year. The schedule not having yet been released, I came out of there with McKellar’s “Monkey Warfare,” “Fido” and the film my friend worked on: “Citizen Duane.”

When I checked my favorite community site that night (full disclosure: I am affiliated with it); http://freedom.constantchange.com, Redlynx, one of our users from Russia, posted about “More4” – the film about the fictional assassination of Bush in 2007. Hot topic indeed. Well the festival is at its best when it is provocative.

Some of my favorite films from past years (ie. things that still linger in the mind years after): “Vibrator” from Japan, “9/11”, Michael Winterbottom’s salacious “9 Songs”, “Haute Tension” , “Ghost In The Shell 2”, “Meet The Feebles”.

Other highlights include seeing Terry Gilliam do a master session with Mark McKinney, the St. Ralph party, waving at Sarah Polley (bless) every couple of days as we pass each other on opposite escalators going wherever, and running into Roma Khanna anywhere.

I look forward to new adventures. Hoping you rocked the house again Piers.