There are a number of ways to enjoy films from around the world and rub elbows with the stars during this eight day festival.
Whether planning in advance or attending a film on the spur-of-the-moment, there are several ways to purchase tickets and enjoy the Toronto International Film Festival. Regular screenings are held in movie theatres around the city, while the more upscale premieres are held at special theatres and restricted to premium ticket holders for an additional price. Both regular and premium tickets are available for purchase by the general public in advance or during the festival.
For the consummate cinemaphile, the best way to attend is involves advance preparation. The most economical way to attend multiple screenings is by purchasing an advances coupon pack or festival pass, with additional discounts given if you are a senior or student.
Toronto Film Festival Advance Ticket Order Procedure
Ticket packages for the festival become available for purchase in July. Ticket holders who have purchased a ticket package are eligible to participate in the advance ticket draw. After collecting the advance ticket package, the ticket holder follows the guidelines outlined in the ordering booklet and film schedule, selecting films which are of interest, ensuring that their start and end times do not conflict with each other.
The ticket holder chooses one film per ticket based on their package and includes alternate choices should their first picks not be available. Once selections are made, the completed ticket packages are placed in numbered boxes which are then drawn based on a lottery system with orders processed in numerical fashion. These advance ticket packages are available in a variety of forms, for locals and international consumers alike.
TIFF Ticket Packages
There are several regular ticket packages to choose from which allow for a placement in the advanced ticket draw. Note that each package only allows for one ticket per film unless otherwise specified.
Regular Screenings:
Festival Package and Festival Lite Package:
Contains one ticket to up to 50 regular screenings of your choice, while Lite Package is good for up to 30 film screenings.
Daytime Package and Daytime Lite Package:
Good for films that start before 5:01pm, the Daytime Packages contain one ticket per regular screening for up to 25 films, or 15 films in the Lie Package.
Family Package
While all regular screenings are restricted to audiences 18 years of age and older, there are several family-oriented screenings that are accessible to children. Package includes two adult and two children’s tickets to 2 of the kid-friendly Sprokets program.
10 Ticket Package
The most flexible ticket package of the festival, the 10 Ticket Package allows for 1 ticket per film to a maximum of 4 tickets per film, providing the opportunity for the tickets to be divided anyway the ticket holder pleases for regular film screenings.
For festival goers who are unsure of what films to see or for those who do not have the time required to create a personal schedule, there are several specialty packages. These specialty packages provide tickets for regular film screenings as chosen by the festival programmers. Packages also cater to specific interests, such as the Midnight Madness Program which features horror and sci-fi films, the Wavelengths Program for avant-garde films, and ones tailored to world cinema.
Premium TIFF Ticket Packages
The premium packages are a combination of the above packages. Each contains one ticket to the premium screenings at either Roy Thompson Hall or the VISA Screening Room that are not available to regular screening package ticket holders. Purchased in advance, the ticket holder does not have the ability to choose the films, but is subject to the films screening nightly at 6pm or 9pm.
Individual Tickets for the Toronto Film Festival
For those not interested in advance ticket packages or for those who wish to attend one or two films, tickets can be purchased in person, by telephone, or online after the advance order procedure has been completed before the festival begins.
Premium tickets to galas and the VISA Screening Room are available for a higher price than the regular screening tickets which can also be purchased individually. These tickets are available up until the day before the scheduled screening.
Same-Day Availability and Rush Tickets
Tickets for previously sold out screenings may be available on the day of the screening and are available based on a first come, first serve basis.
While there are no refunds, the TIFF box office will also accept trade-ins on tickets which allows for an exchange of tickets based on availability.
TIFF offers a wide range of programming in contemporary cinema from around the world, special presentations and retrospectives of cinema greats, family friendly movies, and short and avant-garde films.
Rachel West - Rachel resides in Toronto, Ontario and works as an Online Merchandiser for Entertainment, writing about the latest DVDs and CDs for a high ...
