Toronto, 9/4.

"The Toronto International Film Festival, which opened its 33rd edition on Thursday, is many things to the 100,000 or so cinephiles who each year make it the premier movie bash in North America," writes Richard Corliss for Time. "TIFF, as it's known, is a gourmand's glut of international product, a one-stop shop for documentaries, a gallery for experimental films. To sustain the pride of the locals, there's also a barrage of Canadian movies.... For slim, tanned Hollywoodians, and the press who stream into Ontario from three continents, TIFF is seen as the launching pad for films that have eyes on the Academy Awards. So do the movies' largest luminaries."

Lots of mini-sites to explore: The Globe and Mail, indieWIRE, Toronto Life, the Toronto Sun, the Toronto Star and Variety.

Cinematical opens its coverage with a clip from Picasso & Braque Got to the Movies, produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese. More TIFF tags, already buzzing: the SpoutBlog and Twitch.

They're there and blogging: Jim Emerson (scanners), Scott Foundas (LA Weekly), Ben Kenigsberg (Time Out Chicago), Eric Kohn (Jaman), Lou Lumenick (New York Post), James McNally (Toronto Screen Shots), the Playlist, David Poland (Movie City News), Anne Thompson (Variety) and Jeffrey Wells (Hollywood Elsewhere).

More: 1st Thursday and TIFFReviews.

Etan Vlessing introduces the Hollywood Reporter's special report.

Why has Paris Hilton cracked down on Paris, Not France, Adria Petty's doc attempting to "explore the Paris phenomenon and how it defines this moment in culture," forcing the festival to limit screenings to just one? Karina Longworth looks into it at the SpoutBlog.

A special issue of Now.

Peter Knegt oversees indieWIRE's "Insiders Guide" to "Eating, Drinking and Shopping in Toronto."

Posted by dwhudson at September 4, 2008 2:57 PM