Tattle: Toronto filmfest has nice new home, but little else

THE TORONTO International Film Festival christened its new headquarters yesterday,the beautiful, multimillion-dollar Bell Lightbox, but it comes at a time when the film industry's upheaval may leave a mark on the glamour of future festivals.

There are fewer big stars in Toronto this year, fewer, major studio releases, fewer independent films with guaranteed distribution. Film's like Robert Redford's "The Conspirator," Will Ferrell's "Everything Must Go," "Rabbit Hole," starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, "Super," starring Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson, "Henry's Crime," starring Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga and James Caan, "Trust," a David Schwimmer-directed drama starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener, "What's Wrong With Virginia?" starring Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Emma Roberts and the fact-based drama, "The Whistleblower," starring Rachel Weisz, are among the hundreds of films which came to Toronto this year in search of a U.S. distributor.

It's possible that the films you may not get to see in Philadelphia will be better than the ones you will.

Veteran director Stephen Frears (here for his adaptation of the graphic novel "Tamara Drewe," which will come out via Sony Classics) lamented that the industry's distribution network is collapsing. "But someone will adapt," he told Tattle's Howard Gensler yesterday. "There is a demand for the type of films I want to make - there is an audience for them - and someone will work it out."

There is, however, some star power at the festival. Tattle was interviewed Thursday by Toronto's Channel 24 about our annual visit to the city. Later that night, at a screening for "Conviction," starring Hilary Swank, one of the security guards said, "You're from Philadelphia," as he was going through our bag in search of recording devices.

"How do you know that," we asked.

"I just saw you on TV," he said.

Please, no autographs.

He'll sign anything

It's pretty bad wnen you're so hungry for publicity that you call TMZ and tell them you got busted on a gun charge in Costa Rica and they don't believe you.