Thread by @globeandmail

After a mainly virtual festival last year, #TIFF21 returns in a hybrid form – no parties and lots of digital screening opportunities, on the one hand; live screenings and some real red carpets, on the other.

tgam.ca/tiff-screenings

But with the event’s opening only one day away, it’s still unclear if TIFF-goers are embracing the format.

tgam.ca/tiff-screenings

“This year, being hybrid, will it really feel like TIFF?” says hairdresser Candy Sharma.

That question is rippling through potential TIFF audiences, whether they are made up of celebrity-spotters and movie buffs or professional film buyers and critics.

tgam.ca/tiff-screenings

“It’s a mixed bag; a lot of people are wait and see. The Delta variant has scuttled plans,” said Hussain Amarshi, president of the Toronto art-house distributor Mongrel Media.

tgam.ca/tiff-screenings

This year, staff are back while the festival will offer 132 features and about half as many screenings as 2019, both in-person and digital.

tgam.ca/tiff-screenings

Digital screenings are sold through single tickets and a limited number of packages, and take place at set times – just like in-person shows, with ticket-buyers given a four-hour window to complete their viewing.

tgam.ca/tiff-screenings

#TIFF21 will run from Sept. 9 to 18. But before you choose what to watch, see what our critics thought of the films.

tgam.ca/tiffreviews