A TIFF in review 2025
AccessTO was once again invited to attend TIFF this past September. Once again this is a post in review. There is so much coverage that goes out live for many outlets that I decide there is no need to compete with them during the festival.
The TIFF website has quite extensive information about their policies and accessibility features of the venues that are used during the festival found here Accessibility at TIFF. This remains a wonderful resource and I’m so glad it is exists.
The information provided on each venue is quite good and gives you a quick reference with details like where to locate wheelchair accessible seating and washrooms. Unfortunately, some information like door width measurements is missing. This could be key information for some individuals, for example the door to the ‘accessible’ washroom at the Royal Alexandra Theater is very narrow and will not work for everyone.
You can also use the accessibility drop down menu on the listing of films being shown to pick a feature that you require. This will show a list of screenings where those features are available.
Most of the screenings I saw this year were at the TIFF Lightbox or Scotia Bank theaters. Once inside these locations accessibility for me in my manual wheelchair was generally quite good. This year I found that the gender markers on the washrooms on the second floor have been removed and all more welcoming to all. This shows to me that TIFF as an organization is really trying.
This year I noticed several volunteers who specifically had blue shirts who seemed to be around to help with anyone accessibility or accommodation needs. It was really nice to see them making a point of showing their support and making it a welcoming environment.
I write this each year, but the sidewalk along both sides of John Street between King and Adelaide Streets remains in terrible condition. Not only is it very narrow, but it’s broken up and uneven in a lot of areas. This makes navigating it honestly dangerous at times. This issue lies with the City of Toronto, though given the massive redevelopment happening in the area the sidewalk itself will remain a low priority until future developments are completed I believe.
TIFF is a wonderful festival that ends up being a highlight of the year for me. It’s unfortunate that there are physical barriers in the urban landscape that cause access issues around their venues. Though some of these issues are outside of the control of the TIFF organizers, I believe they should use their influence to push the city to fix these issues to improve access to their event.
So what did I personally see at TIFF this year. My intent was to see movies that might focus on the disability community or feature cast members with disabilities. Again, this is not the main focus of TIFF and there were not many to be found. However, I’ll give you my top picks to watch out as they come out to wider audiences.
Erupcja
Set in Poland, Erupcja follows two women as they complicate their romantic lives. Nel lives in Warsaw where she works at a flower shop. When her childhood friend Bethany comes to visit with a new boyfriend, a volcano erupts.
I personally really enjoyed this one. Being a big fan of Charli xcx I was excited to see her in this film about a queer romance. The theme of this movie can be summed up as relationships are complicated which is very true.
Tuner
A talented piano tuner’s meticulous skills for tuning pianos lead him to discover an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down.
This movie gets a little more intense in both violence and emotion than I was expecting based on how fun and light the first part is. Overall a good watch with some really excellent sound design too.
Fuze
Central London is thrown into panic by the discovery of an unexploded WW2 bomb on a construction site. Amidst the chaos of a widespread evacuation, a gang of criminals begins an audacious heist.
I love a heist thriller so I enjoyed this film. This one too get a bit more intense then I was expecting at first but I think it works over all. With the exception of the last 5 - 10 minuets that tried to give some more context to the movie and was completely unnecessary I think.
- Juliet