TIFF Bell Lightbox Opens Its Doors On September 12 With A Free Block Party
Toronto – This summer’s coolest party requires no ticket. Piers Handling, Director & CEO, TIFF and Noah Cowan, Artistic Director, TIFF Bell Lightbox, invite everyone to a free block party to celebrate the opening of TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 12, 2010. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., TIFF offers an exciting array of programming for all ages in the heart of the entertainment district, right on King Street (between John and Peter streets). A fantastic concert line-up includes some of the biggest names in indie rock, pop and hip-hop, plus a very special surprise guest to be announced on September 11. In addition there will be fun family activities, delicious food from local King Street restaurants, free cupcakes supplied by Madeleines, Cherry Pie and Ice Cream, and a movie star look-alike contest.
Following the official ribbon cutting on September 12, TIFF will offer free admission to the building, welcoming visitors to enjoy the spectacular design of Canada’s newest cultural destination and experience a diverse selection of screenings, film-based artworks from major international artists and filmmakers, and the Essential Cinema exhibition, which features iconic objects and photographs from the history of cinema.
“For the past 35 years, the public has been our organization’s greatest champion and that support has propelled TIFF to becoming a significant player in the international film scene.” said Handling. “The opening of TIFF Bell Lightbox marks the next chapter in the history of this organization and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate this moment than with the public. This block party is our gift to Toronto.”
“TIFF Bell Lightbox will be the place to celebrate the past, present and future of cinema. It will provide both long-time supporters and those new to TIFF with an opportunity to access our programming year-round,” said Cowan. “It’s going to be an exciting day and we can’t wait to open our doors to the public.”
TIFF Bell Lightbox Block Party
Offering fun, food and entertainment, the Block Party will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along King Street (between John and Peter streets). This free signature event is hosted by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus from The National Theatre of the World, a fresh, progressive theatre company known for creating captivating live theatre through the art of improvisation.
Schedule and Event Descriptions
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Family Fun Zone – Celebrate one of the Essential 100 films, The Wizard of Oz, as TIFF recreates the movie’s magic with fun family activities. Take a stroll down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City bouncy castle to jump way above the chimney tops. Be sure to stop along the way for face painting by the Lollipop Guild and step behind the wizard’s curtain and have it captured at a photo booth. Visit the craft table to make a Wizard of Oz prop - a witch’s wand, or perhaps a badge of courage - and be sure to check out The Twisted Ones as they get creative with balloons. It’s rumoured that Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow will be attending the party plus a few magician friends from Magicana.
11:05 – 11:30 am
Los Angeles funk/rock band 100 Monkeys kicks off the TIFF Bell Lightbox celebration.
noon – 12:20 pm
Join TIFF for the ribbon-cutting ceremony with the special guests and dignitaries in attendance. Marking the official opening of TIFF Bell Lightbox, the building will be open to the public with free admission.
12:20 – 2:00 pm
Polaris Music Prize Showcase: Three Canadian bands shortlisted for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize perform, Montreal’s Karkwa, Toronto’s The Sadies and Radio Radio from Atlantic Canada. The Polaris Music Prize is a $20,000 prize for the Canadian album of the year, as determined by music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers around the country. The Polaris gala and award presentation on Monday, September 20 will be broadcast on SIRIUS Satellite Radio 86, CBC Radio 3 and on MuchMusic.com. It will also air on MuchMusic on September 25 at 9pm EST.
12:45 – 1:15 pm
Movie Star Look-Alike Contest: Channel your inner film star for the chance to win a fantastic Tim Burton ticket package. The best impersonators at the party will be featured on the stage and judged by audience applause. The contest will be hosted by Donnarama, Canada’s premier Barbra Streisand impersonator. Check out TIFF’s Essential 100 list for inspiration at tiff.net/essential.
2:15 – 2:45 pm
Toronto’s own pop darling Fefe Dobson takes the stage to perform songs from her upcoming album, Joy.
3:00 – 3:45 pm
Special Guest: Don’t miss a surprise musical performance from one of Canada’s hottest global superstars introduced by CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos.
Time TBD
A special performance by Toronto’s Joy of Dance Studio.
Inside TIFF Bell Lightbox
12:20 pm – 4 pm * unless otherwise noted
Cinema 1: Celebrating TIFF’s 35th anniversary, TIFF@35, directed and produced by Barry Avrich, features the history of Festival trailers, red carpet footage and images from the past 35 years. Also screening is Starting Over: The Legacy of Leslie and Clara Reitman, a film paying tribute to the parents of Ivan, Agi and Susan. This film was commissioned by TIFF and directed and produced by Nobu Adilman.
Cinema 2: Screening on a loop, Preludes consists of ten original short films by pre-eminent Canadian filmmakers that were originally commissioned for the Festival’s 25th anniversary.
Cinema 3: A cinematic trailer produced by Stephen Garrett incorporating images from all films on the Essential 100 list.
Cinema 4: 8½ Screens, a special new commission from Atom Egoyan, reverses the relationship between projector, audience and screen by remixing the famous projection room sequence in Federico Fellini’s 8½.
Cinema 5: E-100 by James Andean and François Xavier Saint-Pierre is a sound installation in which key samples of film dialogue culled from the films on the Essential 100 list are heard both clearly and obliquely in conjunction with a randomizer algorithm patched to various instrumental samples.
In NYman with a Movie Camera, Michael Nyman revisits one of the high-points of his career: the composition of his now-famous score for Dziga Vertov's Man With a Movie Camera substituting new images, shot-for-shot, for Vertov’s own, and then reapplying his score. * This event starts at 8 pm.
Atrium: What’s Your Essential 100?, an interactive installation that invites visitors to text in their favourite films from the Essential 100 list and see a dynamic visualization of images projected above the box office.
Starting Over: The Legacy of Leslie and Clara Reitman a film paying tribute to the parents of Ivan, Agi and Susan. This film was commissioned by TIFF and directed and produced by Nobu Adilman
Home is a short film commissioned by TIFF and the King and John Festival Corporation as part of the HOME heritage programme.
Gallery: The Essential Cinema exhibition of objects, posters, photographs, artworks by major international artists and other iconic items from the Essential 100 films, and TIFF commissions including Guy Maddin’s Hauntings I, eleven projections that recreate fragments of lost or unrealized film masterpieces.
Gallery Annex: Douglas Gordon’s 24 Hour Psycho Back and Forth and To and Fro, consisting of two side-by-side projections of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Both projections are slowed down to a duration of twenty-four hours, one playing forwards and the other in reverse so that they meet at one point.
RBC Learning Centre: Features two pieces by Ming Wong, the first inspired by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love and the second by Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
Canadian Film Gallery: Three elements: a TIFF@35 poster exhibition, the Project Grizzly bear suit and a Brian Linehan tribute.
About TIFF Bell Lightbox
TIFF Bell Lightbox, a breathtaking five-storey complex located in downtown Toronto, provides a permanent home for film lovers to celebrate cinema from around the world and propels TIFF forward as an international leader in film culture. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s fluid structure encourages exploration, movement and play. The campaign to build TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by lead sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the King and John Festival Corporation – consisting of the Reitman family and the Daniels Corporation – RBC as major sponsor and official bank, major sponsor BlackBerry, Visah†, the Copyright Collective of Canada, the Slaight Family Foundation, The Daniels Corporation, NBC Universal Canada, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, the Harbinger Foundation, Mackenzie Financial, CIBC and BMO. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals and corporations have also contributed to the campaign. For more information on the TIFF Bell Lightbox campaign, visit tiff.net/tiffbelllightbox.ca.
About TIFF
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. TIFF generates an annual economic impact of $170 million CAD and currently employs more than 100 full-time staff and 500 part-time and seasonal staff, and counts upon the largesse of over 2,000 volunteers year-round.
TIFF is generously supported by lead sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC and Blackberry, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto.
Essential Cinema is generously supported by presenting sponsor RBC Visa Infinite Avion, presenting partner the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund. With Special Thanks to the official media sponsor The Globe and Mail and the Hal Jackman Foundation for supporting Essential Cinema.
Future Projections is supported by the Ontario Arts Council.
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Please note that media planning to cover the September 12 block party must RSVP at [email protected].
For information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email [email protected].