August 31, 2007

The Waiting is STILL the Hardest Part

I've heard from several victims of the customs debacle, and all of them received their packages yesterday morning. I hope everyone else was so lucky. (J. Robert?)

And so now we're waiting again. Anxiously. Thanks to Gmail voodoo, I know that last year I received my confirmation message from TIFF at 7:46 on Saturday night. Hopefully, in 30 hours or so, we'll all know what films we'll be seeing.

40 comments:

Jeremy Heilman said...

For other out-of-towners, it might be helpful to know that you can view your order once it's been processed through the TIFF website.

To do this, go to the TIFF website, click "Buy Now", click "Check Order Status", log in with your e-mail address and password, then click "View Detail" next to your order ID. A list of your tickets will appear once your order is processed.

This information should also be e-mailed to you, but some years I never receive the e-mail, and this is how I find out about my lottery results.

Good luck, everyone.
Jeremy


Darren said...

Thanks, Jeremy. I'd forgotten about that. But now that you mention it, I seem to recall obsessively checking and checking and checking last year. :)


Shannon the Movie Moxie said...

Wow, excellent news - I had no idea you could check your order online. I will certainly be doing that!

They announce the draw at 1pm today. Good luck everyone!


Unknown said...

What if I didn't order online, but in-person?

I tried to retrive my password from the e-mail address I gave them in-person, but don't have an account online.


Darren said...

Word on the street is that box 66 (of 75) won the lottery.


girish said...

Just heard from TIFF by email. I got all the 40 or so screenings I asked for.


Madeleine Williams said...

girish....Which box # were you in?

Anyone have a clue why there are so many more boxes this year than last? Were there that many more advance orders this year? (How were the lines in comparison?)


girish said...

"Which box # were you in?"

Madeleine, I don't know. The email didn't say. I'm an out-of-towner, and FedExed my order form in to them.

Last year I remember getting my email on Sunday night, a full 24 hours after Darren. And I don't remember getting turned down on any of my requests.


Parabola said...

I heard someone mention there were 76 two years ago ... so maybe last year just used bigger boxes!

I was lucky enough to be in box 71 this year. I received my email just before 8pm and got all 45 of my films.

- Steve


Kenneth R. Morefield said...

Thanks, Jeremy. I did not receive an e-mail, but I checked order status using your procedure and saw my order.

I got all 20 films that I requested.


Jeremy Heilman said...

49/50 here. The only thing I didn't get (Atonement), was replaced with In the Valley of Elah.


Michael Sloan said...

I was in box 30 and I got everything but Jesse James


Unknown said...

I got 6/10 of my first picks.

I was in box 19.

Two of the movies I didn't get were for Visa Screen Room. I didn't get any of my Visa Screening room tickets.

Did anyone get Viso Screening Room tickets from the draw? If so to which movies?


Darren said...

You all are killing me. I still haven't heard a word from TIFF, so I'm already poring over my list, penciling out the films I'd hoped to catch at the Elgin, and looking for replacements.


Shannon the Movie Moxie said...

My order was in box 41, and so far no word. Happy to hear a lot of people got most or all of their picks!


Larry said...

Mine arrived Friday via out-of-town and I'm still waiting too.


Darren said...

I only requested two Visa films, Persepolis and Elizabeth, both of which have American distribution lined up for the fall. So it won't bother me too much if I miss them. But the longer I wait, the more nervous I get about the must-sees on my list, especially the ones that are showing at relatively small theaters at the Varsity.


Anonymous said...

Darren, I've yet to hear from TIFF as well and am also getting a bit nervous. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed, but I'll prepare in case I don't get all the films I requested.


Anonymous said...

I was in Box 20, and got all 20 of my films (10 for me, 10 for my wife). This might be the first time that's happened for several years.


Anonymous said...

Well, just got confirmation -- I bought only one ten-film pass (with the intent of buying additional individual tickets during the festival), and I didn't get two of my first choices: Wavelengths 2 (which I'm bummed about; and because I didn't make a 2nd choice for it, my confirmation just says "Regular Top Up Voucher"); I also didn't get a ticket for "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days". Interestingly enough, the film I expected not to get -- "Elizabeth" -- I ended up getting.

So what are the odds that I still might get into Wavelengths 2? I assume I'll have to rush it, is that right?


Kenneth R. Morefield said...

Darren--
Did you list anywhere the films you requested?

Ken


Anonymous said...

What a nervewracking process. But... I just got confirmation, and got 18 out of 20 (well, 17, but I got my alternate for one I lost). I wasn't expecting to get into either Nightwatching or Lust, Caution, but losing Before the Rains was sort of a surprise.


Larry said...

Just got my confirmation of 26 of 35.

I'm bummed to not be seeing Before The Devil, Son of Rambow, The Orphanage and The Counterfeiters. Oh well, at least they'll all make it to the US.


Anonymous said...

Every year I seem to be on the wrong side of the lottery, but this year was particularly tough. Got shut out of six films:
the Ang Lee (not a huge disappointment as that's opening soon)
Buddha Collapsed out of Shame (a genuine disappointment)
4 Weeks, 3 Months... (not a surprise, given what a small theater, and that's playing Chicago's fest)
Atonement (also not a surprise, but disappointing as I'd hoped to have a few English-language films just for variety's sake)
Jellyfish (a big disappointment, and a problem given that I'm supposed to review it)
Dr. Plonk (a huge disappointment, as it looked like great fun and would therefore be good variety in a schedule of heavy dramas)

Not sure how many I'll try to rush, but at least a few.

Oh well. One of these years I'll get "lucky."


CLS said...

I just got my confirmation about 45 minutes ago. We got 12 out of 15 movies (x2). Didn't get into THE TRACY FRAGMENTS, DR, PLONK, or BREAKFAST WITH SCOT. We're most disappointed about that first one, since we are both big Bruce McDonald fans and except for HIGHWAY 61 I don't think any of his films have ever been released in the US. Still, it's nice to know.


Darren said...

The good news is that I have a ticket for Persepolis and Elizabeth; the horrific, shaking-my-head-in-disbelief, the-gods-must-really-hate-me news is that I've been shut out of the first three Wavelengths. Whoever decided to move Wavelengths to Varsity 7 deserves a swift kick in the ass.

grumble, grumble, grumble


Unknown said...

My email finally arrived just now from my out of town package - 43/48 first choices. Not bad at all, but I'm bummed at being shut out of two wavelengths programs (which seems odd and makes me wonder if I somehow forgot to mark them in my two a.m. schedule-making haze), Dr. Plonk, and the Sunday morning slot at which I was hoping for either the Cronenberg or the Ang Lee. On the plus side, since I didn't get either, I can now rush whichever one we feel most like seeing. It's been a few years since I did a rush line, I think it's about time.


Anonymous said...

Wow, sorry to hear that others also didn't get some of the Wavelengths films. Last year, it was easy getting tickets, even at the last minute.

Darren, I'm glad you got Elizabeth.


Bob Turnbull said...

Got my confirmation today a bit after 2 PM (from box 45). I got 9 of 10 films. My only miss was for the opening night showing of Jar City, but considering some reviews I've now read for it aren't stellar and that I got my backup choice of Dinner With The President: A Nation's Journey and Please Vote For Me, I'm pretty happy.

Darren, sorry you got shut out of those Wavelengths...I know from previous posts you were looking forward to them. Hopefully just being in our fair city will help ease the pain somewhat...B-)


Anonymous said...

Sorry about the Wavelength debacle, Darren. I was nervous about putting those in such a small venue, but I feel particularly badly that you got shut out, given how much you've invested in experimental cinema the last few years. Ironically, one of the second choices I got was Wavelength #6, but that's back at the Jackman.

Bob, maybe we can find each other before/at the Dinner/Vote for Me screening. It sounds like we have similar movie tastes, so it might be fun to compare notes.

And hopefully, I can meet many more of the rest of you I don't know. Of course, I'm looking forward to re-connecting with old acquaintances.


Anonymous said...

FYI, there is no formula for how many orders there are per box. We use the boxes that the programme books are delivered in, and do not count how many envelopes there are per box. Also, FYI, we are just about finished processing, on Box 64...


Darren said...

Thanks for the note, box office man. I've always been curious about the lottery and order processing process. Thanks also to you and everyone else up there for the hard work.


Bob Turnbull said...

>Bob, maybe we can find each other before/at the Dinner/Vote for Me screening.

That would be great J Robert. I had been planning for the earlier Jar City showing anyway, so I'm certainly free. Let's take it to email and figure something out (I'm at "rrturnbull at rogers.com").


Michael Guillen said...

What an agonizing process. Let me understand this correctly: you put yourself through this to get a discount on the price of the ticketing, right? But just because you don't get your preferences doesn't necessarily mean the films are sold out; it's just a random computerization?

I ask because last year I was too late for this whole process and simply went to the festival. Granted, I didn't get a discount on ticketing prices but by taking advantage of Best Bets--which you can sign up for by email--you're notified of which tickets become available for the next morning's box office; tickets that have been emptied back into the system either through press and industry or one thing or another.

Last year I would just show up at the box office each morning at around 8:30 or so and pretty much everything I wanted to see I got to see. So perhaps--if you really really want to see the Wavelength programs--you can buy individual tickets for them. I think you'll have a good chance because I know that--through the P&I screenings list--the Wavelengths programs are divided into two ticket blocks for the same program. For example, I get into a P&I screening of Wavelengths 5 which is--for all effects and purposes--the same screening as the public screening of Wavelengths 5.

That's terribly longwinded; but, what I'm trying to say is if you go to the box office early in the morning on the day of the program you want to see, very likely you can buy a ticket and not have to wait in Rush.


Unknown said...

On the movie listing boards today right next to the pick up station some movies has red sticker tags saying something like "No Sales".

What does that mean exactly? You can't buy them individually ever, other then rushing in to them?


Michael Guillen said...

What that meant last year is that you couldn't buy a ticket for it before the day of the screening. But again, if you check through Best Bets or just go to the box office early in the morning of the day of the screening you want to go to and ask if any tickets have been emptied back into the system, more often than not some have been. Now some folks, admittedly, find it a pain in the ass to get to the box office early each day; but, since I tend to have breakfast downtown anyway, it never bothered me.


Shannon the Movie Moxie said...

After chatting with some folks in line (and I was in line for 5+ hours today), think we solved the mystery of why there were so many boxes this year - with the removal of the 30 coupon book there are probably more 10 ticket book purchased.

My confirmation initially was only for 21/45 tickets, but after all was said and done I left with 45 hard tickets and only 5 substitutions.


Anonymous said...

Shannon, people who bought multiple ten-ticket coupon books (like me) were told to put all their choices into one envelope, so I don't think that accounts for the increase in boxes. I heard that in 2005 there were a similar number to this year, so perhaps last year they just used bigger boxes?


Anonymous said...

Bob,

I sent you an email a couple days ago, but I'm not sure if you got it. If not, I plan on being in the ROM ticket holders line for Dinner/Vote about 8pm. I'll be wearing a bright red shirt with words on the back, "So many subtitles, so little time." Hopefully, I'll be recognizable. See you there.


Bob Turnbull said...

J Robert,

No, I didn't see the email come through, but I'll look for you in line tonight. I'll be the goofy looking guy in shorts and an IBM ball cap.

As an aside, yesterday morning I placed an order for 4 additional individual film tickets online. I didn't hear anything back until this morning when I got full confirmation that all 4 tickets are waiting for me at the box office. They must've been swamped yesterday, but they came through and seem to have processed everything fine.

It was just that waiting part...