By Elizabeth Beddall
En route to meet the Toronto International Film Festival’s Senior Manager of Print Traffic, my cab driver inquires for the second time, “Are you sure you’ve got the right address?”
With a half-smile I imply that yes, I do. But I’ve certainly got my doubts. To describe my and Alyson Carty’s rendezvous point as “shady” would be giving the decaying, ghost-town intersection a dash too much credit. But thankfully, after a series of redirected phone calls, a cheery Carty materializes at the foot of a nearby doorway.
“I’m not going to pretend like I have any idea what goes on in there,” I confess as I’m ushered inside. She grins knowingly because, as I come to learn, not many people do.
At first glance Carty’s workplace seems pretty lacklustre, but one quick look to the left and I am instantly intrigued. In the room in front of me, a group of young “worker bees” are gathered around two or three enormous platters (those big wheel-like contraptions used to dispense film reels like Scotch Tape). Carty explains that these individuals are responsible for inspecting each reel as it comes in for the Festival – ensuring it’s intact, without a scratch and prepped for a date with the projection booth. It is with their coveted nod of approval that these precious platters (often weighing in at 75 pounds) are hand-delivered to their destinations, just as the theatre lights are dimmed.
As I make my way around the compound, I learn that in the “hive” of film revision, Carty holds the position of queen bee. It is she who, along with her print traffic team, stays in constant contact with each of the films’ production companies and begs them to get their reels to her on time.
“The Festival is known for its premieres,” says Carty, “So many of these filmmakers are putting final touches on their work just days before they’re to be screened. Naturally, this can make for some hectic times around here.”
At this point I share my thoughts about the Festival’s closing night, when I imagine her staff bursting into tears of joyous relief, their jobs over for another year.
“Not exactly,” she explains. “Most filmmakers want their reels returned immediately after the Festival, so the weeks following are some of the most stressful we experience.”
With this I am forced to face a harsh truth: I still have a lot learn about this industry.
But standing at the veritable launching point of the entire Festival, I pat my weary back and remind myself that I couldn’t ask for a better introduction.
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