Ticketing FAQs
General
My Choice Ticketing Selection Process
Payment
Definitions
General
Don't all of your films sell out?
Only 30% of our screenings sell out. Ticket inventory will be posted on tiff.net beginning Aug. 30. If the screening you want is off sale
- Additional tickets may become available at 7am on the day of the screening. — Purchase online, by phone or go to the Festival Box Office.
- If there are empty seats, we make these available to people in the rush line line at the Venue Box Office (generally as of 10 minutes before the screening).
Do I have to line up to buy tickets?
Lineups outside theatres are usually ticketholders waiting to get into the theatres. Because there is no assigned seating, people may choose to line up early to get preferred seat selection.
There will be lineups at the Festival Box Office the day tickets go on sale (Sept. 2), but you can choose to purchase online or by phone.
I have children. What screenings can they attend? What do their tickets cost?
All films at the Festival have been rated by the Ontario Film Review Board. These ratings will be indicated in our Official Film Schedule and posted online, available August 21. Tickets for children 12 and under are $12.83 (before taxes and fees). The Festival's TIFF Kids programme is designed for our young film fans, with family-rated screenings.
What time should I arrive at the venue to pick up my tickets and get a seat?
We encourage you to pick up your orders at least one hour before the start of the screening to avoid long lines at the box office, and so you have a better choice of seats in the theatre. Please note that admission is guaranteed only up until 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the screening. Latecomers are admitted strictly at the discretion of staff at the venue. There is no admission 10 minutes after the start of the screening.
Can someone else pick up my tickets, or can I pick them up if I purchased them using someone elses credit card?
Arrive with a photocopy of the credit card and ID (double-sided), with the order-confirmation number and a note authorizing pickup, signed by the cardholder. Download a sample note here.
What does "maximum 4 tickets per screening, per account/membership" mean?
In order to ensure a fair distribution of tickets during the Festival, each account (current and active membership, including individuals associated with a membership) may only purchase/select 4 tickets for each Festival screening.
Do you have a companion seating policy?
Should you require companion or accessible seating, please contact the box office at 416-599-8433.
Where can I buy the Festival Programme book and other merchandise?
All merchandise and Programme Books will be available at the TIFF Shop at TIFF Bell Lightbox, and at our Festival Box Office. If you live out of town, you can purchase a Programme Book delivery service ($100). Delivery must be ordered by Aug. 15. You will receive your book by Aug. 21.
My Choice Ticketing Selection Process
How do I make my selections online?
You will be assigned a start time to select tickets. You can log in with your package code and select tickets anytime between your start time and Aug. 29 at 7pm ET. You can use our Ticket Wizard
Why do I have to wait between purchasing my package and selecting my films?
The confirmed film list and schedule is not available until Aug. 21, so you will be sent a predetermined start time to log into our system and select your screenings.
How do you ensure fairness?
We go to great lengths to ensure a fair process to fulfill film requests. Our ticketing system randomly assigns windows to all My Choice pack buyers (emailed to you on Aug. 20). You can log in at any time from the beginning of your window until Aug. 29 at 7pm ET.
What if I'm not available for the start time I am assigned?
The best ticket availability will be at your start time, but you can make ticket selections any time up until Aug 29 at 7pm ET. If you want a friend to select your tickets on your behalf, you will need to give them your login and package code and they will be able to make your selections.
What if I don't make any selection by Aug. 29 at 7pm?
You will be able to log in beginning Sept. 3 at 10am, and will need to make your selections by Wednesday Sept 5th at 7pm. At that time, we will issue vouchers that you can redeem for tickets.
I don't have a computer. How do I make my ticket selections?
You can call or visit the Festival Box Office during your time slot. Please have your selections ready and an agent will assist you.
What if I buy multiple packs?
Each package will have its own login, but if you purchase your regular and premium flex pack within the same transaction you will be able to select your tickets within the same time slot, in different transactions. Back Half and Daytime pack redemption will begin on Sept. 3.
What if I want to make my selections with a friend?
Now that all packages are sharable and offer a maximum of 4 tickets per screening, you can select multiple tickets for the same screening and take a friend.
Do I have to make all my ticket selections at one time? Can I go back into the system later?
You will need to make all your selections in one session. The session will time out after a set amount of time and any tickets remaining in your shopping cart at that time will be released. If you only select a portion of your tickets and then check out, you will be given vouchers for the remaining tickets, which you can redeem in person for tickets at the Festival Box Office beginning Sept. 4.
How do I make exchanges?
If you change your mind on the ticket selections you have made, you can do exchanges beginning Sept 4 at 10am, in person at Festival Box Office.
Do I still need to fill out the Advance Order Book this year?
We have replaced the advance order procedure with online ticket selection this year.
Payment
What is your refund and exchange policy?
All sales are final. — There are no refunds and no same-day ticket exchanges.
- My Choice Packs: Tickets may be exchanged, in person only, up until 7pm on the day before the screening at the Festival Box Office.
- TIFF Choice Packs: No exchanges on films within TIFF Choice Packs.
- Single Tickets: Exchanges can occur up to 7pm on the day before the screening for a fee of $2.50 per ticket.
Tickets that have been picked up can only be exchanged in person at the Festival Box Office. Tickets that have not been picked up can be exchanged over the phone by calling 416-599-TIFF, or toll-free 1-888-599-8433.
What payment methods do you accept?
TIFF prefers Visa, but we accept all major credit cards, debit, and cash.
Definitions
Premium Screening
These are screenings that are World or North American premieres and offer a premium experience, including a red carpet event.
My Choice package ticket selection process
This is the process in which you make your ticket selections using our new online system (it replaces the old Advance Order procedure). You are also able to make selections in person or by phone.
Programme Book
Published by TIFF, this book features Programmers' notes on each film. It's available for pre-ordered pickup as of Aug. 21 at the Festival Box Office, and on sale at the Festival Box Office and at the TIFF Shop at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Member pre sale
This event is on available to TIFF Members during our advance pre-sale.
Visa pre sale
This event is only available to TIFF members and Visa cardholders.
Add to Cart
This screening has inventory available; you can add it to your cart and purchase through check-out.
Off Sale
There is currently no inventory available for this screening; however, some tickets may be returned, so please check back at 7am on the day of the screening to confirm if any tickets have become available.
Rush
There is currently no inventory available; however, sold out screenings sometimes have empty seats because not all ticket holders show up. These tickets are sold to the Rush line at the venue 10 minutes before the screening.
Free
Indicates a free ticketed event. Tickets are handed out at the venue 2 hours before the start of the screening. This includes TIFF Cinematheque and Blackberry People's Choice Award screening. Future Projections are also free, but are not ticketed.