Toronto International Film Festival 2011

After an exciting 11-days of star sightings, reviewing films and filing to deadlines - the hustle and bustle of the 36th Toronto International Film Festival has come to an end.

Covering TIFF this year has been a whirlwind for many of us who took part in the festival, whether we attended for the love of film or to cover the festival as members of the media. There were films to watch every day, gala presentations to attend, press conferences to cover, interviews with the stars and the numerous TIFF parties that went on until the wee hours of the night.

Unforgettable moments will definitely include the rush of getting a spot on the red carpet, waiting with camera in hand all to grab that perfect shot of the many celebrities who came through Toronto for the film festival.

Toronto was booming with music, festivities and celebrations - all for the love of cinema.

This year, TIFF brought 268 features and 68 shorts to the big screen, an eclectic mix of well-versed, well-created and well-executed cinema.

Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Festival says TIFF is all about transforming the way people view the world of cinema.

“So we had the big ones that people were expecting to be good like Moneyball, The Descendants, Drive, Ides of March and The Artist, but we also had all kinds that were just discovered by our audience,” says Bailey.

“What I like, is that we have a big enough range that there’s always going to be something for every movie goer.”

Some of this year’s highlights include one of my personal favourites Moneyball, a baseball film starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, about the challenges of a team trying to make it with not a lot of money to help them obtain the key players they need to be successful. George Clooney’s the Ides of March, which stars Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, was another fan fav this year and one many critics also gave a thumbs up. This film toys with the possibilities of what may really be happening behind the closed doors in politics.

Joel Schumacher’s Trespass is a gripping film about a home invasion that unravels revealing a complicated thriller, starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. Madonna’s W.E. was another film this year that audiences will either love or hate. Fascinated with the story of King Edward VIII and his romance with the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, the Material Girl wanted to tell this story in her own version by giving it a modern-day feel.

Other big name films to catch once they are released on the big screen nationwide are Ralph Fiennes’ thrilling Coriolanus, 50/50 starring Seth Rogen, and Drive starring Gosling (The Ides of March), already playing in theaters.

Luc Besson’s The Lady is also a highly recommended film. It’s an inspiring story about a real woman, Aung San Suu Kyi (or Daw Suu), who’s love and passion for her country has helped determine that anyone, man or woman, with faith, strength and willpower can eventually change the way the world works.

Also worthy of taking a look at include: Hysteria with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, Steve McQueen’s Shame, Axel Petersen’s for Avalon (Sweden) who received the International Critics Prize, Discovery Programme, and of course Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? which picked up the Cadillac People’s Choice Award.

And that’s a wrap - that is, until next year’s festival gets underway.