Essential guide to the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival

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Lovers of movies and the arts of Oakville, of Ontario, and across all of Canada and the world: get excited. Today is the start of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF 2023.

This year's festival runs 11 days, from today, Sept. 7 to next Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. There are literal hundreds of events open to the public, including movies, concerts, street fairs, and many of them are surprisingly accessible. Dozens are even free!

TIFF is one of the biggest cultural events in the Greater Toronto Area every year. While there may not be many international talent in attendance, that doesn't mean it'll be any less exciting for local audiences - including those from the suburbs, like us in Oakville.

The 2023 festival will host hundreds of thousands of local attendees. Unlike the last three years, most to all of the digital programming (where you can watch films at home) has been suspended. It was controversially popular throughout the headwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the digital program may return someday, it won't be part of this year's festival.

In the meantime, there are still lots of ways film and art lovers from Oakville can attend events this year. (And it's a great way to ease the waiting until next summer's OFFA festival here at home!)

Want to participate? Oakville News has you covered, navigating the different kinds of events and more than 230 titles programmed this year. Even if you've never been before or watched a movie from TIFF, it's a lot of fun - and there's lots of ways to do it.

Here's our now annual guide to all the excitement for the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival:

1. How to watch movies in person

This the way a majority of attendees will see their films this year; there are hundreds of public screenings at five different venues:

  • TIFF Bell Lightbox (on King Street)
  • Princess of Wales Theatre (called the Visa Screening Room)
  • Roy Thomson Hall
  • Royal Alexandra Theatre
  • Scotiabank Cinema

For all the movies playing at these venues, ticket prices range based on seat, your age, whether the event is a world premiere, and how large the theatre is. As a broad rule, general admission events are $13-36 each, assigned seating is $26-36, and gala events range from $39-88 per seat.

Rush tickets are also available at every show from $25-45 each, available at each theatre in case there are no-shows. Like most live entertainment, masks and proof of vaccination are no longer required to attend, but masking is still being recommended (and will be practiced by some attendees.)

Tickets are available online here. TIFF has also released a helpful video for anyone wanting to see a show this week:

For a list of reviews on most of the films at this year's festival, see all of our critic (Tyler Collins)'s TIFF reviews online here. Here are some of Tyler's picks, all with tickets still available:

  • The Burial (Special Presentations)
  • Defiant (TIFF Docs)
  • Dumb Money (Galas)
  • Fair Play (Galas)
  • Hate to Love: Nickelback (Galas)
  • Hell of a Summer (Midnight Madness)
  • The Holdovers (Special Presentations)
  • Homecoming (TIFF Docs)
  • Irina's Vow (Centrepiece)
  • Mr. Dressup (TIFF Docs)
  • Menus Plaisirs Les Troisgros (TIFF Docs)
  • Next Goal Wins (Special Presentations)
  • NYAD (Galas)
  • Pain Hustlers (Special Presentations)
  • Sing Sing (Special Presentations)
  • Sorry / Not Sorry (TIFF Docs)
  • Widow Cliquot (Discovery)
  • Woman of the Hour (Special Presentations)

2. How to attend one of the festival events

One of the best parts to the full TIFF returning in 2023 is the return of festival events! Not only is King Street closed to traffic and open for pedestrians inclusive Sept. 7-10, but there are lots of free events and screenings throughout the city and, of course, the infamous "TIFF Parties."

There are dozens of free movies screening all week, both in cinemas and in David Peacaut Square, showing classics like Addams Family Values, Clueless, Rocky, Contact and Michael Keaton introducing his original Batman.

New this year is a festival arts market open this weekend on Simcoe Street. There are also free concerts in the park at the Festival Street Stage, including one on Friday with Canadian band Nickelback (also featured in a documentary this year.) All of these event listing are online here.

Have you ever wanted to attend a party? You still can! While many events are closed to filmmakers and are ultra-exclusive, there are lots of parties that are also open to the general public and have tickets on sale.

Whether you decide to see one movie or one hundred, there's no bad way to enjoy the live and virtual offerings of the festival. It's a great celebration of art and culture in the Greater Toronto Area, and we hope you make some time in the next week and a half to be part of it!

A full guide with detailed information about venues, prices, schedules, tech support and film availability is on TIFF's thorough and extensive website here.