Congratulations WIFF! And a post-mortem

Another great year at the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) – expanded to 11 days – and in the wake of two years closure due to Covid, more than 45,000 tickets sold – a new record! That’s surprising and not surprising. It’s surprising given that some in WIFF’s audience may have been reluctant to return to indoor spaces in the wake of the worst of the pandemic. An extra day also means more tickets sold. And yet it’s not surprising because WIFF has garnered such enthusiasm with each growing year. I’ll review some of the movies I saw (having been out of town, I only got to the last half of the festival) in a later post. For right now, some general observations, not so much about the festival but about its downtown venues or footprint. WIFF organizers in part have ensured the festival remains highly accessible from an audience perspective. The three theatre venues are all within five minutes’ walking distance from one another. That’s a contrast to other festivals, where the venues can be as much as a half hour walk or even require transit or a drive to reach. Partly this is a reflection of Windsor downtown’s compact nature and the fact appropriate venues, like the Capitol and Chrysler theatres, already existed. Organizers have taken advantage of this small footprint by enhancing it through, for example, the WIFF Alley movie themed mural showcase - the ‘natural shortcut’ moviegoers use to walk from the Capitol to Chrysler theatres. But here are some concerns/suggestions for future festivals. Why can’t the city suspend parking meter enforcement during WIFF’s 11 days? Arguably WIFF draws more people downtown than any other event except fireworks night and parades. Yet blocks and blocks of streets remained empty of cars because people were reluctant to plug parking meters. The two-hour maximums (photo) also inhibited use since most films verge on two hours or longer; not to mention the $2/hour fee. Sure enough, despite the few cars, a parking enforcement Commissionaires SUV was seen tagging expired parked vehicles. Suspending parking enforcement would show the city’s continuing support for the festival as well as for downtown retailers, which would derive more business from the fact people could park and get to theatres and businesses easier. Second, not all restaurants were open. One, a natural for lunchtime fare, was closed but opened for dinner. Third, could not the block immediately in front of the main venue - the Capitol Theatre and WIFF ticket office - have been blocked off? The next block east where WIFF’s entertainment tent was set up was cordoned off. But regular motor traffic continued immediately in front of the theatre, where filmgoers may have spilled out on to the street from sidewalk lines or mingled, or indeed crossed mid-block to walk to the Chrysler. Fourth, the neighbourhood around the WIFF footprint should be more secure. Walking west along University Ave., especially at night, there were a number of sketchy individuals present. A woman I spoke to was reluctant to park more than a block from the Capitol for fear for her safety. And I in fact was attacked. Nothing serious, but an individual broke from a group of about a dozen, some apparently drunk, and walked over and pretended to punch me out with a series of fist pumps. That’s intimidation enough! Perhaps there could be a better show of police. In any case, it was wonderful to have the festival back and good luck to organizers for next year, though I’m confident WIFF will continue to grow and be exceptionally great.