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Front Page, Industry News
Lightbox opens door with massive block party
Monday September 13th 2010Let there be light!
The TIFF Bell Lightbox officially opened its doors today and you could’ve sworn George Clooney or Matt Damon were inside with all the people lined up to get in.
But this crowd wasn’t here to see stars — they just wanted a chance to finally check out the new home of the Toronto International Film Festival.
To coincide with the launch, a giant street party was held on King Street, complete with food, entertainment and performances by Fefe Dobson and K’naan.
As we waited for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to begin, I noticed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman inspecting the “ribbon” made of film. His father Ivan Reitman, also an Oscar-nominated director, was nearby, capturing the fanfare with his iPhone.
Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF, finally did the honours with a giant pair of scissors and everyone (including all the media) rushed in as fast as they could.
“You’ve sweated for it, you’ve put all your energies in it, you’ve raised money for it, you’ve imagined what it was going to look like … and (now) 10 years later to see people actually coming in the building and looking at what we’ve done, it sends shivers down my spine,” Handling told me once we were inside.
It was also an emotional moment for Ivan Reitman. His family donated $22 million to fund the project and the block where the Lightbox sits was officially named Reitman Square, in honour of his parents, earlier this week.
“This whole week has been emotional. I’ve actually started crying a number of times,” says Reitman. “This has been a long dream and I’m so happy for the Reitman family to remember Leslie and Clara, our parents.”
Reitman thinks the Lightbox will generate interest in film 365 days a year, not just for the 11 days of the film festival.
“The Toronto International Film Festival (is) now among the top ranks of all film festivals. I think the building is a stronger cultural institution for us here. It gives filmmakers here in the city a real focus to go to learn (and) be inspired.”
As I walked around the new space, I noticed crowds of people milling in and out of the five cinemas, examining the film artifacts in the Essential Cinema exhibition, sampling the popcorn, and taking in everything the building had to offer.
For Rita Picchiello, the Lightbox will allow her to experience TIFF in a way she has never been able to before.
“I think this is the only place where we can really be inside the film festival and participating rather than hoping to get a glance of a star outside and be disappointed. This is really close to the ambience.”
“It’s like a museum in a sense,” noted another visitor, Barbara Sklar. “You can see movies from all different genres and all different eras, black and white, colour, anything you want. It’s like Heaven for movie lovers.”
Source: CTV News
Front Page, Industry News
Lightbox opens door with massive block party
Monday September 13th 2010Let there be light!
The TIFF Bell Lightbox officially opened its doors today and you could’ve sworn George Clooney or Matt Damon were inside with all the people lined up to get in.
But this crowd wasn’t here to see stars — they just wanted a chance to finally check out the new home of the Toronto International Film Festival.
To coincide with the launch, a giant street party was held on King Street, complete with food, entertainment and performances by Fefe Dobson and K’naan.
As we waited for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to begin, I noticed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman inspecting the “ribbon” made of film. His father Ivan Reitman, also an Oscar-nominated director, was nearby, capturing the fanfare with his iPhone.
Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF, finally did the honours with a giant pair of scissors and everyone (including all the media) rushed in as fast as they could.
“You’ve sweated for it, you’ve put all your energies in it, you’ve raised money for it, you’ve imagined what it was going to look like … and (now) 10 years later to see people actually coming in the building and looking at what we’ve done, it sends shivers down my spine,” Handling told me once we were inside.
It was also an emotional moment for Ivan Reitman. His family donated $22 million to fund the project and the block where the Lightbox sits was officially named Reitman Square, in honour of his parents, earlier this week.
“This whole week has been emotional. I’ve actually started crying a number of times,” says Reitman. “This has been a long dream and I’m so happy for the Reitman family to remember Leslie and Clara, our parents.”
Reitman thinks the Lightbox will generate interest in film 365 days a year, not just for the 11 days of the film festival.
“The Toronto International Film Festival (is) now among the top ranks of all film festivals. I think the building is a stronger cultural institution for us here. It gives filmmakers here in the city a real focus to go to learn (and) be inspired.”
As I walked around the new space, I noticed crowds of people milling in and out of the five cinemas, examining the film artifacts in the Essential Cinema exhibition, sampling the popcorn, and taking in everything the building had to offer.
For Rita Picchiello, the Lightbox will allow her to experience TIFF in a way she has never been able to before.
“I think this is the only place where we can really be inside the film festival and participating rather than hoping to get a glance of a star outside and be disappointed. This is really close to the ambience.”
“It’s like a museum in a sense,” noted another visitor, Barbara Sklar. “You can see movies from all different genres and all different eras, black and white, colour, anything you want. It’s like Heaven for movie lovers.”
Source: CTV News
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Front Page, Industry News
Lightbox opens door with massive block party
Monday September 13th 2010Let there be light!
The TIFF Bell Lightbox officially opened its doors today and you could’ve sworn George Clooney or Matt Damon were inside with all the people lined up to get in.
But this crowd wasn’t here to see stars — they just wanted a chance to finally check out the new home of the Toronto International Film Festival.
To coincide with the launch, a giant street party was held on King Street, complete with food, entertainment and performances by Fefe Dobson and K’naan.
As we waited for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to begin, I noticed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman inspecting the “ribbon” made of film. His father Ivan Reitman, also an Oscar-nominated director, was nearby, capturing the fanfare with his iPhone.
Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF, finally did the honours with a giant pair of scissors and everyone (including all the media) rushed in as fast as they could.
“You’ve sweated for it, you’ve put all your energies in it, you’ve raised money for it, you’ve imagined what it was going to look like … and (now) 10 years later to see people actually coming in the building and looking at what we’ve done, it sends shivers down my spine,” Handling told me once we were inside.
It was also an emotional moment for Ivan Reitman. His family donated $22 million to fund the project and the block where the Lightbox sits was officially named Reitman Square, in honour of his parents, earlier this week.
“This whole week has been emotional. I’ve actually started crying a number of times,” says Reitman. “This has been a long dream and I’m so happy for the Reitman family to remember Leslie and Clara, our parents.”
Reitman thinks the Lightbox will generate interest in film 365 days a year, not just for the 11 days of the film festival.
“The Toronto International Film Festival (is) now among the top ranks of all film festivals. I think the building is a stronger cultural institution for us here. It gives filmmakers here in the city a real focus to go to learn (and) be inspired.”
As I walked around the new space, I noticed crowds of people milling in and out of the five cinemas, examining the film artifacts in the Essential Cinema exhibition, sampling the popcorn, and taking in everything the building had to offer.
For Rita Picchiello, the Lightbox will allow her to experience TIFF in a way she has never been able to before.
“I think this is the only place where we can really be inside the film festival and participating rather than hoping to get a glance of a star outside and be disappointed. This is really close to the ambience.”
“It’s like a museum in a sense,” noted another visitor, Barbara Sklar. “You can see movies from all different genres and all different eras, black and white, colour, anything you want. It’s like Heaven for movie lovers.”
Source: CTV News
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