Tim and I have been super excited for the TIFF to come. Being the big movie buffs that we are I was sure that we were going to know so much about this festival. Clearly we are far from Film geeks compared to the thousands of Torontarians who can quote each Director and the movies they have directed plus all the awards they have won. There were people who had lined up at the stage door with Directors pictures in a laminated folder waiting for the Directors to come out and autograph. We were so out of our league.
I had applied to work at TIFF but as you can imagine it is very competitive and most people get positions including volunteer positions at the beginning of the year. So we were very late in our applications.
I guess we underestimated how big this festival was going to be! I had written down the movies that were of interest a few weeks ago and so we had it in our heads that we would make the most of the festival until we saw the cost. It is very expensive to watch these movies and now we know why.
We decided to go and see a movie called Conviction, which is a true story about a brother and sister who have a rough upbringing in and out of Foster Care and basically only have each other. Then in their adulthood the brother is accused of murdering a lady in the small town in which they live. The Sister believes her brother is innocent and sets about proving his innocence at the cost of her own family situation. It was directed by Tony Goldwyn and has an all star cast of Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Juliet Lewis. All my favourites and Minnie being Tim's little boy crush.
We didn't really expect to see too many celebs faces, we were just excited about the movie. So we arrived early to pick up our tickets and we could barely get through as the placed was mobbed with people and paparazzi. We had to climb past video cameras and reporters and photographers galore. They had a red carpet and it was cordoned off with photographers and press lining one side of the red carpet. It was then that it hit us that we might see some of these stars in the movie.
After we got our tickets we looked across the room and there lining the street opposite the theatre were people with paper and pens in hand ready to get autographs. We went across the road and spoke to some of the people who had Hilary Swank photos in their hand. A lady kindly gave us paper and a pen and told us Hilary would be attending the premier. We couldn't believe it.
It was time for us to go inside the theatre, there was no sign of any famous people yet. Tim wanted to wait to see but the ushers kept pushing us into the theatre. It certainly gave us a true idea of how fame must be so relentless for those who have to put up with this every day of their life. We were ushered to our wheelchair seating and just over to our right, two rows back were reserved seats we wondered who for?
It was like a wedding almost waiting there for the famous people to walk down the isle as if they were a bride. The lights went down and out came the Director who introduced some of the cast. And out came Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Juliet Lewis. We couldn't believe they were there so close to us. They spoke briefly about the film and then introduced the real lady Betty Anne Waters, that the movie was based on. It was pretty incredible not just seeing the Hollywood stars but to actually meet the person whose personality and life was so remarkable that somebody wanted to write about it and then make a movie of it. That has got to make you proud of your achievements, and such an honour for us to be in her company.
Anyway the more formal part of the premier was out of the way, the thank you's and dedications etc. and the stars started to make way to their seats, which were the reserved seats two rows behind us. It was pretty exciting to be that close to them. Then the movie started.
It was such a weird feeling to be sitting in a movie theatre, which put the Regent theatre (or Her Majesty's for the Perth people) to shame, with the stars that you were watching on screen. Tim and I wondered if it was weird for them as well to be sitting in this theatre watching the movie you have just performed in for the first time (for many of them) with a bunch of strangers and a movie that was shot almost two years ago. Such a strange heightened sensation.
Needless to say the movie was amazing and a must see for all those people who love true stories, especially about one person's determination and love. Of course it made it more emotional for the audience to know that real person was sitting in the audience as well. During the movie the audience clapped, cheered and cried and at the end there was a standing ovation.
Then there was a time for Q & A and again we got an up close and personal experience of the stars but also of the woman whom the film was about.
After the premier had ended we went around the back hoping to get an autograph from some of the celebs, well lets just say Tim wanted to meet Minnie, but the crowds were way to thick and we could only see from a distance. Still the premier was enough for us.
We left in high spirits feeling quite amazed at the experience we just had.
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