New Train of Thought
The Toronto Urban Film Festival ditches the red carpet for the Red Rocket By Jason Anderson
Track star: 2007 TUFF winner Dundas n' Bathurst
In the world directly below the glitz and glamour of TIFF, movie fans can indulge in a different kind of cinematic celebration: for eight days, the Toronto Urban Film Festival is presenting minute-long silent flicks on the TTC’s network of 260 subway platform screens. Both a civic-minded public art project and a forum for indie creations, the year-old event showcases entries by everyone from video artists to iMovie-armed amateurs, each responding to TUFF’s call for works that convey Torontonians’ experiences with and perceptions of the city. The 60-odd films will be shown to a million people a day, and considered for prizes—a trip to Aruba or a Sony HD camcorder, say— by a jury that includes urban designer Robert Ouellette and comedian Mark McKinney. As festival curator and executive director Sharon Switzer puts it, “You don’t have to stand in line and you don’t have to take off work.” Now that truly is the better way.
The Toronto Urban Film Festival takes place on subway platforms across the GTA, Sept. 5 to 12. 416-646-2744, www.torontourbanfilmfestival.com.
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