There are three basic considerations when deciding how much time is needed from the moment one film ends until your next screening begins. The first I discussed yesterday -- the Q&A. Allow for anywhere from ten minutes to a half hour for that. Average is 15-20 minutes. The second consideration is travel time. I'll cover that in this entry.

Note that this isn't intended as a comprehensive guide to transportation for every logistical possibility -- truthfully, a good map and knowledge of the city transit system and garage locations will suffice. But there are some generalizations which can be made regarding travel among the various venues, and this is solely based on my own experiences.

1) Now that the post-screening excitement is over (assuming you stayed for the Q&A), you've hopefully met and chatted with the filmmakers and actors, and taken care of whatever urgent business you need to take care of before exiting the theater, it's time to get to your next screening. In the best case scenario, of course, you don't actually have to "go" anywhere. It is quite possible to stay in one location for an entire day of screenings. Heck, there are folks who do that for the whole festival. Several years ago I met a group of mature couples who plan their week not around what films to see but around which venue to call home for the duration. They chose the Scotiabank at Richmond and John Streets, which has a lovely lobby with a food court and even a small cafe with hot drinks and tables. Due to its spacious interior, provided one has tickets (the rush lines still need to be out on the street), there is no need to leave the building from, if one desires, 9:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night. The fact is, the festival lineup is so dang good that it's almost guaranteed you're going to have a grand old time regardless of what you see. Other venues lend themselves to this as well.


2) Besides the proscenium arch theatres and auditoriums we discussed in the previous post, the festival primarily utilizes three multiplex cinemas, each dedicating multiple screens to TIFF for the week: the aforementioned Scotiabank (4 screens), Varsity (8 screens), and the new AMC (8 screens), which opened last year. The Cumberland (4 screens) is only used on the last two days of the festival. Most festivalgoers will spend the bulk of their time at the Scotiabank, Varsity, and AMC.


3) The AMC in Toronto Life Square, at the bustling intersection of Yonge and Dundas, is situated within a large multi-level mall although lines last year were held outside the building and escorted up a multitude of escalators prior to the start of each film. Those attending successive screenings there faced a dilemma. It's a bit frustrating to walk out of a theater knowing your next film starts in just a few minutes in the exact same house and have to leave the building and get in the back of a line winding around the block. So some filmgoers found a place to chill in the food court and carefully observed the lines as they headed up the several flights of escalators. The festival instituted various methods of combating this as time went on but I'll leave it at that. I certainly don't condone cutting in front of people who've been waiting outside on the street for an hour but I feel their pain. I'm told this year will have a new arrangement.


4) The Varsity is part of the Manulife Centre, a large shopping mall on Bloor Street with plenty to see and do between screenings. However, the theatre lobby itself is almost nonexistent so lines typically wind down emergency staircases and outside the building, and the rush lines of folks hoping for last-minute tickets are outside as well (there's usually a single long rush line which is used for all screenings).


5) The layout of the festival's primary venues is fairly simple and convenient. Several blocks east of the Scotiabank, the Visa Screening Room (which is actually the magnificent, historic Elgin Theatre) and the equally majestic Winter Garden Theatre are located in the same building on Yonge Street. Several blocks north is the AMC at Yonge and Dundas, and the Ryerson is situated a couple of blocks up from there. So the Scotiabank, Visa, Winter Garden, AMC, and Ryerson roughly form an L-shape which is walkable although one can reach the subway within a few blocks of each. So some plan their schedule around those venues. The only theatres which are situated further uptown and are best reached by subway are the Varsity, Cumberland, and Bader, all on or near Bloor Street to the north.


6) All venues are located within a few blocks of a subway stop on the downtown U-shaped route. Tokens cost $2.75 a ride for adults or $2.25 each if bought in packs of 5 or 10. A weekly pass can also be purchased for $32.25 but, unfortunately, the "week" runs from Monday-Friday so the festival straddles two "pass weeks." Not very convenient for most people, so I recommend purchasing the packs. Stations sell them at booths and and various other locations. Machines dispense single tokens and sets of 4 or 8. There are also Day Passes and other good deals. Seniors, students, and children pay discounted fares (see the TTC site).


7) There are buses, streetcars (trolleys), and taxicabs, and for those with their own vehicles there are convenient garages and metered spots on streets, but I won't go into detail regarding those modes of transportation. I've tried all the above and recommend foot and rail. If you've used the Queen Street trolley in the past, be aware that it's under construction with huge delays. If you do have a car, in the past the festival has sold a ticket with in-and-out privileges for the garage at the Manulife Centre for $100. Because the subway is a block away I recommend parking there in the morning and leaving it for the day.


8) There are lots of great maps out there. This one clearly shows the subway stops on the system and where all but one of the theaters are located. The new AMC is right at the Yonge and Dundas subway stop. And what is labeled the Paramount is now the Scotiabank. The author has posted an updated map but I personally think the older one is easier to read. The map is fairly straightforward but there are some tricks. For example, the best way to get from Scotiabank to Ryerson (or vice-versa) might be to walk a couple of blocks east on Richmond to the Osgoode station, then take the train south where it loops around and comes up to the Dundas station. Ryerson is a couple of blocks up from there. Bloor (for the Varsity) is two stops up from Dundas. It cuts out several long blocks of walking, which may be especially welcome in heat or rain.


9) A note about walking, especially for Americans. Toronto is north of the border but it's not the Arctic Circle. The weather in early September can be downright steamy. My first year I didn't bring a pair of shorts and lived to regret it. It can also be quite wet, as the city sits on the shore of Lake Ontario which provides a source of moisture to the occasional storms above. There's always a brisk business in umbrella sales.


10) Finally, travel time can take anywhere from ten minutes (Ryerson to AMC, for example) to a half hour (Scotiabank to Varsity at rush hour). Average is 15-20 minutes. The trains are rarely crowded but allow for extra travel time at rush hours. Again, this isn't meant to cover every possibility. These are just some of my personal recommendations based on several years of TIFF experience.


The third and final aspect to consider in booking your screenings is what happens when you arrive at your next venue. It's a time-honored tradition, and one which may prove quite valuable as the festival goes on -- waiting in line. I'll cover that in my next post.