Toronto International Film Festival Kicks Off With More In-Person Screenings | The Canadian News

TORONTO – The Toronto International Film Festival begins today with an emphasis on the big screen and great precautions against a pandemic.

This year’s 10-day hybrid event will offer screenings in more indoor venues than last year’s smallest showcase, which was held largely online as COVID-19 escalated.

Venues such as the Princess of Wales Theater and Roy Thomson Hall will operate at half capacity and will forgo express ticket sales, indoor line-ups and food and beverage sales.

Anyone entering TIFF venues must wear masks, socially distance themselves, and show proof that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or proof that they have tested negative for the virus within the previous 48 hours.

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The red carpet galas and press conferences, which were absent last year, will also return with international stars, but without the usual crowds.

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“Dear Evan Hansen” is the opening night movie and writer / director Stephen Chbosky, actor Ben Platt and other talents of the musical feature film are scheduled to be in town.

Other stars appearing at the 46th TIFF include Jessica Chastain, Benedict Cumberbatch and Dionne Warwick, who will bring films and be honored on the awards closing night broadcast Sept. 18 on CTV.

This year’s festival has more than 100 films, up from 60 shows last year, and plans special in-person screenings across the country on September 13. The films will also be shown in drive-ins, open-air cinemas and online.

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TIFF to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test for staff and audience

Organizers say they are “incredibly concerned” about the highly contagious Delta variant, but feel they are taking all necessary steps to provide a safe environment.

TIFF co-director Joana Vicente says organizers wanted to build on what they did last year and “welcome audiences to the great theater experience in the biggest venues.”

As last year’s festival demonstrated, “cinema helps people get through something like a global pandemic,” says TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey.

“Seeing audiences in drive-ins, hearing from them online how meaningful it was to them to see new movies, to take them from their immediate circumstances to maybe another part of the world or someone else’s story, that was really valuable.” Bailey said in a recent interview.

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And that continues to this day. COVID is still affecting the lives of many people and I believe that we all need some way to transport ourselves beyond what we face on a daily basis. And movies do that, sometimes better than anything else. So we keep doing it, and we’re doing it as broadly as possible. “

© 2021 The Canadian Press



Reference-globalnews.ca

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