Photo Courtesy / Jessica Lee

TIFF’s new home is here: the Bell Lightbox, a five-story complex located at the intersection of King St. and John St. Noah Cowan, artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, tells us what’s so special about this new complex.

“There’s so much. We are assembling some shows for our gallery—Tim Burton launches in late November, which has been such a huge international blockbuster,” said Cowan. “We also have some small but special learning facilities that should bring a whole new generation of film lovers into the mix.”

The TIFF Bell Lightbox houses five public cinemas. Cowan is full of praise about their visual and sound qualities.

“They are truly state-of-the-art. The cinemas are done with a ‘box-within-a-box’ design that eliminates all low-frequency rumble and outside sound interference. The complex is stocked with all-new projectors, including 70mm, and we are using an advanced DCP system on the digital side so we should be able to blow peoples’ minds,” he explains. “The cinemas are also really comfy – lots of space, leg-room and cushioning.  The cinemas feel much bigger than their seat counts suggest.”

Aside from a three-storey public atrium and five public cinemas, this building houses two galleries, three learning studios, a bistro, a restaurant, a lounge, a centre for students and scholars, and an enhanced film reference library.

Essential Cinema, the first exhibit to be held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, is free to the public and open from September 12 to October 23.  This exhibit is inspired by 100 films selected by TIFF experts and audience members, and brings together a collection of iconic images, original screenplays, storyboards, costumes, and other memorabilia, as well as four newly commissioned media artworks and eleven moving-image projects.

“It’s hard to pick favourites because the exhibition is so immersive,” said Cowan. “It should make you feel like you are swimming through the history and culture of cinema. I think people will have a pretty fun and interesting time in our principal gallery space, that’s where the artifacts are: iconic costumes, DeNiro’s taxi license, rare movie cameras and amazing unique photographs and posters.”

TIFF’s new home, which opens on September 12, is expected to host some 4,000 events over the next year, and its opening is expected to be a key moment in Toronto’s cultural history.  The opening show has a free exhibition programming. From September 9 to 19, the Institute for Contemporary Culture at the ROM will host an exhibition here, entitled the Soft Rains#6: Suburban Horror (Part 1) on Level 1 of the ROM.

“There is so much happening,” Cowan continued. “Major concerts with silent films that stretch from international classical stars to some pretty cool rock personalities. It will be one busy fall at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The exhibition is free, we have free activities on Scotiabank Nuit Blanche and Culture Days and more.”