When Sandi Leung visited a Toronto International Film Festival red carpet for the first time in 2015, she realized she could walk up to almost any part of the red carpet and — if she spent a few hours waiting — finagle a selfie with the likes of Eddie Redmayne or Kevin Bacon.
Lately, that feat has become increasingly difficult. Each year, Leung notices more of the once-open space surrounding the annual film festival’s red carpets is taken up by fan zones and corporate watch areas that are competitive to access or require you to be a customer of sponsor brands.
“It’s a lot of obstacles and variables nowadays compared to where it used to be,” said Leung, who commutes daily during the festival to the red carpets from Markham, Ont., in hopes of snagging snaps with the stars.
Leung’s observations come as TIFF, long considered the people’s festival because screenings are open to the public, is preparing to host its 50th edition next week. This year’s festival will see the world premieres of buzzy films like Guillermo del Toro’s rendition of “Frankenstein” and the third instalment of the “Knives Out” series, and welcome stars as prolific as Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.
But as regulars know, getting the chance to meet them will take more perseverance and patience. That’s because the free-for-all nature that used to exist around the carpet perimeters has been diluted by TIFF’s constantly changing policies and its need to appease sponsors.
“Every year it changes, and every year it’s a cluster,” said Serena Tung, a Toronto woman who has met stars from Daniel Craig to Jennifer Lopez at TIFF red carpets over the last 20 years.
Asked about the erosion of free carpet spaces fans have observed, TIFF said it is “committed to creating unique, memorable opportunities for audiences to engage with filmmakers, stars, and fellow film lovers.”
“Each year, we work to enhance the experience, particularly at our flagship red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall,” vice-president of strategy, communications and stakeholder relations Judy Lung said in an email.
The hall is TIFF’s glitziest venue, which is reserved for the biggest premieres.
Almost all of the space stretching from the spot where stars are dropped off in blacked out SUVs to where they enter the hall used to be open to fans to gather as they please. Now, much of the area is covered by corporate booths.
One of the biggest belongs to Rogers, TIFF’s presenting sponsor for a second year in a row. Rogers spokesperson Charmaine Khan said the booth is meant to deliver a “premier entertainment” experience. It has a multi-level viewing space open to Rogers customers but a rush line for the public to join, if space permits.
Last year, Tung said she had to show the company that she was a wireless customer to get access to the booth and then scout a good spot among other entrants.
A similar space from Royal Bank of Canada invites its customers to sign up weeks in advance for free access to no more than two carpets. (Non-customers are able to secure spots later in the process.)
Those who get a slot in the two-level booth are told the experience is “first-come, first served.” The prized lower-level spaces, where you’re more likely to get your celeb selfies, are prioritized for Avion Rewards Elite members.
“Last year, my friend and I went early, about 1 1/2 hours before they started letting people in. We were probably in the first 10 people and we had to go upstairs,” Leung said. “We couldn’t sit downstairs next to the carpet area, which was kind of frustrating after waiting so long.”
RBC chief brand officer Shannon Cole did not answer questions about the erosion of easily accessible space along the carpet because of booths like her company’s but said in an email that the setup allows the bank “to not only give … access to interact with stars walking the red carpet, but to build an elevated hospitality experience for them while doing so.”
Guests at the booth get swag bags and opportunities to win prizes, the bank said.
Farther down the carpet is often a final booth run by alcohol brand Peroni. In past years, it’s let anyone queue outside and — space permitting — grants free entry and a drink.
While it might take more work to get into one of the corporate booths, their emergence helps keep the festival going, said Paul Moore, a sociology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who studies the history of moviegoing.
“Anyone who’s nostalgically complaining about TIFF not being like the old days also needs to recognize, for better or for worse, that the financial situation is not like the olden days either,” he said.
In the last few years, the festival has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and two Hollywood strikes, which limited the number of screenings it could host and stars that visited. TIFF also lost support from major sponsor Bell and faced the arts sector’s usual struggles with funding.
These factors have made finding the right balance between satisfying sponsors and fans even more difficult.
One of the ways TIFF has tried to satisfy festival goers is with fan zones at Roy Thomson Hall, Princess of Wales Theatre and the Royal Alexandra Theatre. The barricaded areas in central spots along the routes stars take into theatres were introduced in recent years, turning the red carpet from an almost completely open space to one with mostly designated areas fans must put in more effort to enter.
TIFF originally handed out free wristbands every morning that gave access to the zones, prompting long lines when teen heartthrobs and It Girls were due to make appearances.
“When people camp out there morning to night and they’re at the barricade, you never get up close,” Leung said. “You’d have to find another spot or hope somebody leaves.”
This year, TIFF has fans jockeying for entry via Ticketmaster, where it will release free passes at noon each day. Fans can sign up for one pass per screening and if they don’t snag entry online, can wait in a rush line in hopes that someone who landed admission doesn’t show up.
Leung likes that the online model cuts down on fans having to be early risers or miss work or school to secure a fan zone spot but Tung is wary of the system crashing if demand surges or bots or resellers vie for spaces.
If they get passes, that’s just one hurdle cleared. Tung estimates some zones can hold 200 people who will all want to be as close to the action as possible.
“For me taking selfies, I want to be on the front row, so I would line up one hour, maybe two hours ahead of time to ensure I get a good spot,” she said.
But at least the zones remain free.
“They don’t necessarily need to do that,” Moore said. “Everything down in that zone could be for festival goers and ticketed customers.”
Given all the hurdles, Leung and Tung have sometimes been trying their luck elsewhere; outside restaurants and hotels, where stars are partying, doing press conferences and visiting gifting lounges.
“You’ve got to kind of leverage those spots more because it’s not like you can rely on the red carpets anymore,” Leung said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2025.
