By Tara Sidhu
Have you ever walked down a busy street in Toronto and done a double take at a face of a passerby that looked decidedly famous? If this was a recent occurrence, it’s entirely possible that your eyes weren’t deceiving you.
A couple of years ago it would’ve seemed impossible, but the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) came back in full swing for 2022. Stars like Harry Styles, Seth Rogen, and Jennifer Lawrence are just a few that were in attendance this year.
One star in particular though has truly taken the festival by storm.
In the early hours of September 9th, teen and adult fans alike could be seen sitting on folding chairs lined up outside the TIFF Bell Lightbox theater, on the sidewalk of TIFF’s "Festival Street.” But what else would one do when Taylor Swift is in town?
The premiere of Swift’s new 13-minute short film entitled “All too well” sold out almost immediately, but eager fans were still not discouraged. Considering that tickets to bigger events almost always sell out quickly online, TIFF has a “rush” system in place for every event, just in case you weren’t able to snag some in advance. This system operates in person on a first come first serve basis, with a limited number of tickets made available, hence the long line and folding chairs.
Seasoned festival-goers know the rush lines as a quintessential part of a classic pre-pandemic TIFF. Attendees boast about what time they first lined up for a film or event. When it comes to TIFF, the return of the rush line and Festival Street itself have been a very enjoyable examples of our transition back to normalcy.