Seating capacity at press and industry screenings has been a touchy issue for the Toronto film festival in recent years, as the festival’s increasing profile has shut out unlucky journalists and industry players from films.
U.S. film critic Roger Ebert had a self-described “hissy fit” a few years back after being refused entry to a film, and a similar incident played out this weekend at a late-night screening for French sci-fi flick “Chrysalis”.
With higher-profile films playing in the 100-plus capacity theaters, the movie was relegated to a 30-odd seat screening room, prompting tension as the theater quickly filled with sleepy-eyed reporters and industry-types. It was packed when one woman was barred from bypassing the line to get seats for her entourage. “They are buyers!” she shouted to a startled festival staffer as she tried to drag the companions in. “Two people are going to have to leave!”
She was informed politely that the Toronto festival operates on a strict first-come first-served policy, and that she should have arrived earlier to ensure seating.
The scene played out again at the same film only moments later when a self-described “guest of the producer” tried to jump line. He complained, “is it because I’m young and not a V.I.P?” And again, the volunteer at the door repeated the policy.
The thing is, nobody really needed to worry because a few minutes into the screening, a few people cleared their seats and the line began to move again.
Movie critic Roger Ebert gives the thumbs-up as he arrives at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood in this June 23, 2005 file photo.REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
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I’ve already blogged the following on my own blog, but if industry and news media think they’ve got troubles getting into films, they should try getting around on regular tickets.
I bought a 10-pack of tickets and the procedure for buying them occurred in stages and involved about two-hours of waiting time in queues.
Although I have tickets, it is still necessary to queue up outside the various theatres for at least 45 minutes before each film to get a good seat and prevent the festival from reselling the ticket.
On Saturday, I saw “Chacun son cinema”, three-minute long films directed by 35 directors, and “No Country for Old Men”, directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, at the Elgin Theatre on Yonge Street.
The line up for “Chacun son cinema” was uneventful. I heard later in the day that the film wasn’t very well attended so the balcony in the 1,200-seat theatre wasn’t opened to the public.
There was chaos in the queue before the screening of “No Country for Old Men”. I got into line about 45 minutes before the 6 p.m. start time. About 15 minutes later I noticed another queue forming alongside mine. I asked a film festival volunteer why there were two queues. He said the second queue was for people with special tickets and platinum or gold Visa cards.
About 10 minutes after that, I spoke to another film festival volunteer and discovered that it wasn’t for people with special tickets, but that it was for people with platinum or gold Visa cards.
It wasn’t fair that the rules weren’t made clear from the outset by festival staffers or volunteers.
Some people in the queue were able to benefit by trading places with those who had been told that the line-up privileges were for people with any kind of Visa card. However, it also meant that some people got booted from spots that were quite far up in the line because they didn’t have a proper card.
On Sunday, I attended a 2:30 p.m. screening of “Shake Hands With the Devil”, directed by Roger Spottiswoode, at the Elgin Theatre with a friend. We were told that the platinum and gold Visa card advance entry privileges do not apply for films that begin before 6 p.m.
After the screening I buttonholed the front-of-house manager to discuss the procedure for platinum and gold Visa card holders. It turns out that those in possession of the cards are allowed to enter the theatre up to an hour and a half ahead of time. They are entitled to use a lounge where they are given complimentary “things” including Lindt chocolates, she said, and then they are escorted into the theatre by front-of-house staff before anyone else so they can choose their seats.
It would have been nice to know all this at an earlier stage in the game.
After the films, getting out of these theatres presents yet another challenge: It is even more difficult to get out than it is to get in.
After seeing “Eastern Promises” at the Ryerson University Theatre, I wanted to take the usual shortcut across the Ryerson campus through Kerr Hall Quadrangle after leaving the screening because I was headed to points southwest of the theatre.
However, in order to do so, I had to hastily and stealthily remove several crowd-control fences and squeeze between large oil drum-like containers to make my escape. I think I made a gracious, if illicit, departure from Ryerson considering the circumstances and didn’t notice any angry staffers in pursuit.
I had been caught the previous evening trying (oh horrors) to get out the “in” door at the Elgin Theatre and was chastised by the front-of-house staff even though others were exiting through the same door. “They are mostly staff,” I was told.
- Posted by Julie