By Chris Berube, citizen contributor

The circus surrounding Joaquin Phoenix has become a dominant part of the conversation so far at TIFF 2010, and an especially bizarre incident Friday night has only served to deepen the interest.

The hope was that I'm Still Here, a "documentary" about Phoenix directed by his brother-in-law Casey Affleck, would help settle the debate as to whether or not the star's very public career implosion (which concluded with an uncomfortable interview with David Letterman in February 2009) was a large, Andy Kaufman-esque performance piece, an unprecedented public meltdown, or a little of each. Affleck told reporters at the Venice Film Festival earlier this week that "there is no hoax," though critical reaction is still divided as to the film's veracity. Some, including Roger Ebert, have come down on the side of the film being "real," while most others, including David Edelstein of New York Magazine and The L.A. Times's Kenneth Turan, are contending that it is the final chapter in an elaborate, unfunny ploy.  

Those hoping for clarification from the filmmaker and star this week were told by the movie's PR firm they would be out of luck, as neither Phoenix nor Affleck were going to be attending the festival or doing any more press in support of the film. However, the Toronto Star reported Friday that, according to his publicists, Affleck has changed his mind in light of debate over the validity of the film.

The problem is, given the air of confusion already surrounding I'm Still Here, it's hard to take anyone representing it seriously, and it's safe to assume anything they say is potentially just another part of an already complicated stunt.

Which is why, at the film's premier at TIFF on Friday, a couple of counter-hoaxers were able to steal the media's attention. Cryptic press releases leaked out during the day, suggesting alternately that the real Phoenix was going to make a surprise appearance at the film's premier, and that a Joaquin Phoenix impostor was "on the loose" in Toronto, making red carpet appearances on the star's behalf. One such press release, written by some group called Nuclear Lounge Media, said Affleck and his team were aware of this con artist and would make a statement to the press Friday evening on a street outside the entrance of the Varsity theatre.

Almost every major media outlet turned out. What came next can only be described as another strange twist: a limousine rolled up, containing a man in an obviously fake bushy beard and the actor's now trademark sunglasses, surrounded by women in similarly mangy faux Phoenix wigs. At the "press conference" on behalf of Casey Affleck, the director and his production team were nowhere to be found. Reporters were instead greeted by comedian Diamond Darryl K, who proceeded to lecture everyone on how he was the "real" Joaquin Phoenix, arguing that "I'm real, and he's the impostor!"

With these distinct Phoenix personalities now mirroring the two sides to the actor's career as well as the two very different interpretations of I'm Still Here, journalists who turned up for the event were then left to wonder: was this yet another part the film's marketing campaign?

Looking into it, the counter-hoax seems to have been set up by some combination of Darryl K -- who has been posting videos of himself on YouTube in a Phoenix wig running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art and bothering random passersby since earlier this summer -- and recently launched comedy website Propogator.tv, whose Twitter feed throughout the day alluded to rumours of a "fake Joaquin." The film's distributor Magnolia Pictures and public relations reps were unavailable for comment late Friday night when all of this developed.

For those who've seen the film, post your comments below. Jo-Pho -- hoax or not? And does it even matter? Was the counter-hoax funny or a bad attempt to cash in on somebody else's PR? And why is the media still so caught up in this?

- With files from Stephenson Price, citizen contributor

You can follow Chris throughout #TIFF10 on Twitter at @chrisberube and Stephenson at @pricemeister