The Chinese film Aftershocks was one of CBC's Eli Glasner's favourite TIFF highlights this year. (TIFF)

By Eli Glasner, CBC News
 
1. Roger and Me

I skipped out on a delayed screening of Danny Boyle's 127 Hours to go meet an idol of mine, Roger Ebert.

Ebert has been silenced by his battle with thyroid cancer, but he's taken to Twitter in a massive way. Which made it fitting that Ebert hosted the first annual Tweet-Off at the TIFF filmmaker's lounge.

At the event, Ebert was the ringmaster while a host of Twitter wits including actor Rainn Wilson and critic David Poland tried to out-smarm each other.

It was fun, but the highlight was meeting and shaking the hand of Roger Ebert, a man whose honest approach to film criticism is a source of inspiration in the age of Rottentomatoes.com. 

One of citizen contributor Anastasia Tubanos's favourite TIFF highlights was chatting up celebs like Zach Braff. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

By Anastasia Tubanos, citizen contributor

Another year and another TIFF has gone by, but not without some behind-the-scenes adventures. Whether it was perusing through a gifting suite like a celebrity, chatting to guests on the red carpet or getting the lowdown from industry professionals on how friendly TIFF is to emerging filmmakers, being a citizen blogger for the CBC has given me the opportunity to explore several different angles outside of watching and reviewing movies, which have all been eye-opening in their own ways.

Ben Affleck signs autographs at the TIFF screening of The Town. Citizen contributor Sachin Seth says that watching the red carpet action was an amazing experience. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

By Sachin Seth, citizen contributor

1. The Bell Lightbox opening. This was fantastic. There were dozens of people dressed up as movie characters, a great lineup of music, free cupcakes, restaurants were dolling out their food at discounts street-side and I even saw a whole pig roasting in one of the tents.

Kids got their faces pained, got pictures with Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz and got to play inside a bouncing castle.

Everyone looked like they were having a fantastic time, and the opening of the Lightbox further cemented this film festival as world-class.

2. The Town red carpet. Waiting with the scores of people who had come out to see Jon Hamm, Ben Affleck, Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall and Jennifer Garner before the The Town premiere was an amazing experience.

I've never seen that many people screaming, yelling and climbing lightposts and garbage cans just to catch of glimpse of someone.

The people at the back of the line got shunned, until Garner came all the way to the end of the line and signed autographs and reminded everyone that the stars of her husband's (Affleck's) film, even though they couldn't sign for everyone, were appreciative that so many had come.

That made a lot of people's night.

Seeing Black Swan with an audience was one of citizen contributor Chris Berube's favourite TIFF moments. (TIFF)

By Chris Berube, citizen contributor

Following a week of intense TIFFing, I feel thoroughly exhausted, to say the least. Of course, I haven't been working in a coal mine or manually plowing snow during this time. Being worn out from attending a film festival is, all in all, a pretty good problem to have.

That being said, hopefully my dispatches from the trenches of TIFF 2010 have given you the impression of the hectic pace this festival demands of anyone trying to "keep up."

I think the festival mood was somewhat dampened by the relative dearth of high profile quality films this year -- The AV Club's Scott Tobias called it "the worst crop at TIFF" in his 11 years of attendance -- but there was still plenty for those willing to look hard enough, running from the sublime (the very moving settler story Meek's Cutoff) to the ridiculous (Thai film Uncle Boonmee, which prominently features a man-sized ape with lasers for eyes -- don't ask).
Here are my personal highlights!

Visiting the new Bell Lightbox was a major highlight of this year's festival for citizen contributor Roger Rousseau. (Submitted by Roger Rousseau)

By Roger Rousseau, citizen contributor

1. The opening of the Bell Lightbox. I had planned on spending about an hour there on opening day, but I ended up being there for about three. It's not really that there was alot to see, but that there was such a joyful atmosphere --  I didn't want to leave. It's a great facility and I look forward to spending more time there.

2. The "TIFF for Free" screening of Outrageous!: I had never heard of this film until this year's TIFF. In addition to being a very good film, it was like a time capsule for late- 1970s Toronto. And, it offers a glimpse at the roots of gay pride in Toronto. The producer was also one of the founders of TIFF and was on hand to present the film. I don't know why they made this a free screening. Yes, it was made in 1977, but they still could have programmed it into the festival, made a big deal about it and people would have come to see it.

3. The Q&A after the second screening of Trigger. It was a very emotional moment and the focus of my final blog post.

The flatbed-truck rock show promoting Fubar 2 was one of Sachin Hingoo's personal highlights at this year's festival. (Submitted by Sachin Hingoo)

NOTE: This entry was submitted Sept.19.

By Sachin Hingoo, citizen contributor

As TIFF winds down for another year, I find myself a little sad. I saw some truly phenomenal films this year, among them: Miral, Trigger, Rare Exports, I Saw the Devil, 127 Hours, Super, Stake Land and The Illusionist. I was able to experience some of the craziest events (the flatbed-truck rock band for Fubar 2 comes to mind), and going back to my daily routine on Monday seems tough. I never got to see Black Swan, Confessions, or Cold Fish, but just being able to hear about them in advance of their wide release is almost enough.  I'll definitely be looking out for them this year.

This year was also the launch of Bell Lightbox, which I don't feel like a shill describing as an amazing love letter to the moving picture. From the exhibits (HAL from 2001! Props from Videodrome!) to seeing my first screening there (the incredible 3D film from Werner Herzog, Cave of Forgotten Dreams), I can honestly say that almost everything I love about TIFF is housed in that building. Do check it out if you get a chance.

So tonight everything wraps up with the volunteer/staff party, held yearly at a non-publicized location and open to, as the name suggests, staff and volunteers of the film fest. It's always a good time, and provides an opportunity to catch up with volunteers who you met way back on that first Thursday of TIFF and maybe only worked with once or twice. It's the perfect way to cap off another awesome 10 days of total immersion in film.  

Citizen contributor Stephenson Price takes a photo of Daydream Nation actress Katie Boland as she gets her hair done. (Submitted by Stephenson Price)

By Stephenson Price, citizen contributor

Thanks to a head-first immersion in cinematic fury, this TIFF newbie's first festival experience went off without a hitch (it went off without much sleep too, but after consulting with my fellow CBC TIFF contributors, that was apparently to be expected.)

From seeing the inner workings of the festival programming, chatting up fans and volunteers, and following along with celebs -- meeting a few notable ones along the way
--  I'd say my first TIFF was a fairly good overview of what I can expect in my future exploits as a filmgoing festival aficionado: though maybe next year I'll get around to seeing at least one film.

The screening of comedy Fubar 2 was one of Sachin Hingoo's favourite TIFF moments. (Submitted by Sachin Hingoo)

By Sachin Hingoo, citizen contributor

1. The Fubar 2 screening at Midnight Madness. One of the most raucous, amazing screenings I've ever seen at Midnight Madness or the festival in general, starting with the outrageous rock display on the red carpet, to half the audience dressed up as hosers (and shot-gunning tall cans in line), to the most exciting Q&A in Midnight Madness history, this was one of the highlights of the festival for me.

2. The Bell Lightbox. Like a wonderful love letter to film, the Lightbox opened its doors (of course, not without a few hiccups) to the public and, I hope, will introduce more of Toronto to the world of TIFF and film in general. Awesome exhibits like HAL from 2001 and the upcoming Tim Burton show look to provide some of the most fascinating experiences to film fans and cement Toronto's place as a city for world-class cinema.

3. A fitting farewell to a Toronto legend, Tracy Wright. The two films starring the late Tracy Wright were some of the very best and saddest moments of TIFF 2010 for me.  Both films present the incredible presence and range of this amazing actress, and barely a dry eye could be found during the Q&As for both. Don McKellar's tearful postscript to Trigger and Daniel Cockburn's equally moving talk after You Are Here were the most memorable moments one could ask for, and are something that any Toronto film fan will remember for a long time. RIP, Ms. Wright.

Paul Laverty, Ken Loach, and Michael Moore have a discussion at this year's TIFF. (Submitted by Jonathan Doyle).

By Jonathan Doyle, citizen contributor

When all was said and done, I made it to 37 screenings at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. It turned out to be an incredibly rewarding 11 days of filmgoing -- and little else. In trying to put together a list of highlights, all that really comes to mind are the endless series of subway rides, lines, programmer introductions and terrific movies. However, there were a few moments that stood out.

Actor Colin Firth arrives for the TIFF premiere of The King's Speech. The film was one of Christine Estima's favourite festival highlights. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

By Christine Estima, citizen contributor

1. Attending the gala presentation screening for Route Irish at the Elgin theatre. As the lights dimmed and the anti-piracy message came across the silver screen, the audience of approximately 1,200 people growled, "Arrrrrrrr!" (Pirates, get it?)

2. Attending the press and industry screening of The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. The packed cinema of 500+ national and international media, floored by the near-flawless feature, erupted into a vociferous applause at the end. This is media, people. We're never impressed by anything!

3. The Tweets! Twitter was buzzing and bouncing every day with celeb photos, party invites, exclusive videos and news updates that were posted faster than the actual news sources could jump on them. #TIFF10 was a trending topic in Canada everyday. I got to exchange stories, converse with and meet so many amazing people because of that simple social media device. 140 characters FTW! (P.S., you can follow me on Twitter at @ChristineEstima)