It’s the first time in 11 days.
TIFF12 had taken a hold of my life, as it had for the past 10 years or so...
Every year is the same.
For 11 days in September I live off Starbucks, get 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night, and eat absolutely horribly (popcorn, street meat, fast-food burgers...oh my!).
And every year it is absolutely worth it!
I love how full the streets of Toronto are.
I love the endless amounts of tourists in the city.
I love the amazing vibe Toronto gets.
TIFF is simply amazing for the city.
On Day 11 of TIFF12 I walked in the middle of Queen St West, just because I could. The streets are empty on Sunday mornings and I was out there early...due to the 9:15am screening of Disconnect.
And closing TIFF for me this year was Zaytoun. And anyone who knows me knows my connection to the middle east. So Zaytoun was going to be special to me no matter what! First of all Stephen Dorff aged quite well...he makes a perfectly handsome Israeli soldier. His Hebrew is okay...but I will overlook it! :) Zaytoun is about an Israeli soldier and how a very unlikely young Palestinian boy helps him to safety. Forget about politics. This is about the friendship that grows between the two.
OH! And treat of all treats! Even on the last day of TIFF we were given the opportunity to have a Q&A session with Zaytoun’s Oscar winning producer Gareth Unwin! AWESOME!
Fun facts: Zaytoun means olives in Arabic. Zayteem means olives in Hebrew. Zaytoun won 2nd runner-up for the People's Choice Awards at TIFF12 (that means...GO SEE IT!!!)
Tomorrow life goes back to normal...I welcome it. Back to hot yoga, long walks and cuddles with my pup, dinner with friends and time with the fam... (OH and I should probably detox from all the horrible food and drinks I've consumed!)
Til next year TIFF! (And in the meantime, I will begin my search for all the amazing films I didn’t have time to see...Laurence Anyways, Silver Linings Playbooks, Bad25, Antiviral, etc. etc.)
And the final TIFF12 ranking according to me:
1. The Gatekeepers - documentary about Israel’s internal intelligence agency, just absolutely incredible
2. White Elephant (Elefante Blanco) – a very powerful film about two priests in the slums of Buenos Aires
3. Zaytoun - stop focusing on politics. This film is about the friendship that builds between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian boy.
4. Imagine - a beautiful film set in Lisbon about a school for blind children and their very unconventional teacher
5. 7 Boxes (Siete Cajas) - a super fun film from Paraguay about a teen who must guard 7 boxes with his life!
6. Twice Born (Venuto Al Mundo) - Penelope Cruz relives her past in Sarajevo. Heavy and amazing.
7. The Paperboy - Deep south 1969 America. Murder and sexual tension, weird combo, but it works.
8. Disconnect - A “Crash” like film that reminds us even through our “connections” we aren’t really connected emotionally at all.
9. First Comes Love - documentary about a 41 year old woman who decides to have a child on her own
10. Bright Day – Finding yourself in India
11. Le Capital - an French “Hollywood” type film with a dramatic lead played by a stand up comic! (after finding that out, totally made it for me!)
12. Viola - A masterful combination of 7 Shakespearean plays, all with the most beautiful Argentinian Spanish
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