TORONTO - Since the opening of the TIFF Bell Lightbox last year, organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival have grappled with a minor problem: too many directors want their movies to screen at the gleaming new facility.
"There has been a little minor scramble of getting into Cinema 1 in TIFF Bell Lightbox by a lot of talent," said Noah Cowan, artistic director of the one-year-old complex.
"What we learned last year is that everybody wanted their film here. Even though the cinemas may not be as big as some of our great, big houses ... it's just such a perfect place to see a film."
But of course, organizers of the festival -- which kicks off Thursday -- hope visitors do more than simply watch movies at the Lightbox. And the massive, airy glass complex -- parked amid the kerfuffle of Toronto's entertainment district -- offers no shortage of options for tourists and locals alike.
The first floor contains a serene exhibition space, currently home to an exploration of the career of noted Italian director Federico Fellini. The multi-media exhibit features more than 400 pieces from his career, including photographs, original drawings, cartoons, original film posters, interviews and clips from his films. A new exhibit on screen legend Grace Kelly will launch in November.
A different space contains a free exhibit that celebrates the achievements of Canadian costume designers of sci-fi, horror and fantasy films, and will allow visitors to gawk at the unique creations from films including "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Splice" and the upcoming remake of "The Thing" as it runs through March.
The Lightbox also houses learning studios for students, with free family friendly activities run on weekends. While the Lightbox was celebrating the work of Tim Burton earlier this year, families were invited to craft Burton-inspired creatures, experiment with stop-motion animation and hop into one of the twisted sets of his films using green-screen technology.
Meanwhile, the Lightbox is also home to an extensive film archive -- also free to the public -- which holds 19,000 volumes, 65,000 film production files, more than 100 current magazines, 12,000 DVD, video and laserdisc titles and 6,000 soundtracks, which can be explored onsite.
And the complex's five cinemas were crafted with serious movie-goers in mind. The cinemas use "box within box designs," with specially insulated walls to ensure premium sound quality, while the cushy seats were imported from the same European company that supplies the Cannes Film Festival.
"It's hard to imagine a better screening experience that you can have in the world," Cowan boasts.
And filmmakers have taken notice.
The Lightbox has received plaudits from the likes of Canadian directors Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg, while featuring speaking engagements with such stars as Isabella Rossellini, Norman Jewison and, during last year's festival, even rocker Bruce Springsteen.
But organizers take particular pride in the famous faces who have explored the building during their downtime. Cowan says that Canadian actress Rachel McAdams has been spotted several times exploring the Fellini exhibit, while organizers were stunned to see Oscar-nominated director Guillermo del Toro wandering unannounced through the Lightbox one day recently (afterwards, he apparently raved about the technical quality of the cinema's projections and sound, and later appeared for a speaking engagement at the Lightbox).
"I love the sound in there," said Jewison, the seven-time Academy Award-nominated director of "Moonstruck" and "In the Heat of the Night."
"I've seen a couple films there and I think it's a terrific venue. And I think they took their time when they put it together, when they constructed it and equipped it, because you've got to have a place that's as dark as possible and is as sound proof as possible."
And the Lightbox has managed to cast its spell over foodies as well as food buffs.
The hip first-floor cafe O&B Canteen teems year-round, its hungry denizens munching on pizzas topped with cured calabrese sausage, olives, peppers and oregano or gourmet comfort food like plates of mac & cheese made with garganelli, aged Quebec cheddar and smoked ham.
Upstairs, slightly more upscale resto Luma offers a glorious view of the red-carpet scramble below, as well as movie-themed cocktails (the "Beetlejuiced" includes cucumber, lime, pink peppercorns, soda and gin -- so no good can come of calling its name three times) and hearty mains like a grilled beef rib eye (which runs $36).
And the adjacent BlackBerry Lounge offers a cozy spot to discuss Wim Winders' "Pina" over pints, to name only one film screening at the upcoming fest, which runs until Sept. 18.
"What really feels great is that people are using the building, they're coming in daily, they're having a meal or a coffee or a drink and seeing a movie as well, talking about the movie afterwards," said the festival's co-director Cameron Bailey.
"I feel like our goal in terms of making this a home for cinema, a place where people can come to see films and discuss them and come together around movies -- that's happening."
Of course, such a luxurious layout wasn't cheap.
A decade in the works, the structure cost nearly $200 million, with funding being provided by corporations, including founding sponsor Bell, as well as city, provincial and federal governments, various foundations and private donors. The land, worth more than $22 million, was donated by the famed Reitman family -- led by acclaimed filmmaker Ivan -- and the Daniels Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation.
Throughout the year, the Lightbox's programming tends to feature Canadian pictures prominently alongside restored classics, acclaimed indie pictures and other movies that likely aren't screening at the other multiplexes around town.
And Canadian directors have noticed the boost given to homegrown films.
"Their commitment to making a home for Canadian films where Canadian film would always be in play, all year round ... that's so important for our cinema," said Genie-nominated director Carl Bessai.
"I know there's a lot of controversy about how expensive it was and how long it took to get going, but that place is like a temple for our cinema."
Added director Ingrid Veninger: "(It) makes going to movies feel like an event.... I really sincerely love that place."
It also provides the ever-growing Toronto film festival -- celebrating its 36th year -- with the home it has desperately needed.
This year, the Lightbox will host screenings, press conferences and red-carpet premieres (along with several other venues around the city).
In other words, this will be the Lightbox's time to shine.
"It's just going to be jumping (during the festival)," Bailey said.
"It'll be really alive. We'll be using all five cinemas. We'll be using every space in the building for the festival. The public, the industry, the Canadian filmmakers -- they'll all be in and out of it every day. So we're really excited about that."
