Tonight, I begin going to films. Before this, however, a few words on the very experience of the “Toronto” International Film Festival. While I’ve never been to another film festival, I gather they are quite different experiences.

One thing that makes Toronto unique is the size of the city. Metropolitan Toronto has over 3 million people. The Greater Toronto Area has over 5 million. The festival-goer truly is in a huge metropolis. Yet the entire festival takes place in the downtown core – where no more than 200,000 people might live (and that figure is really high-balling it). So it’s completely possible – if not probable – to be in the city and not have anything to do with the festivities. Could any of this be said about Cannes?

At the same time, however, does that core ever come alive. The excitement, the joy and the love of movies is so obviously apparent where festival-goers are, from the lineups to the ‘festival’ restaurants, from to the media to the cigarette-smoking lot outside hotels.

Take, for instance, Cumberland Street, which is a tiny boulevard only two blocks long. It is nevertheless complete with a hotel, four festival screens and many of the most trendy restaurants. If you happen to be there during the festival, it's impossible not to feel you truly are in 'Hollywood North'.

Another thing that distinguishes Toronto from the major European festivals is that crowds that are less than gracious are almost non-existent. Last year, for instance, I was in the dreadful “Elizabethtown” while the audience was laughing and clapping. On the one hand, this makes getting a true vibe on the film more difficult. Yet at the same time, booing is just so damn rude. The filmmakers are present having just put their heart and soul into the film! If you don’t like it, leave it…or refrain from clapping. If you invite someone to your house and don't like what they wear, it's easy to not compliment them on it. But spitting in their face is beyond rude. And unlike at European festivals such as Cannes and Venice, I’ve never heard of booing at Toronto.

How will Toronto act this year? What films will actually get people on Yonge Street talking? It’s hard to say from this vantage point.

I’ll be back tonight with impressions from my first screening.