On Gus Van Sant’s favourite TIFF memory:
I first went (to TIFF) with Drugstore Cowboy ‘ I think that was the first time I went to Toronto.
I ran into Michael Moore, who had brought Roger and Me, and he came to our party, and I remember standing next to him up on this balcony, looking down into the crowd, wondering how many other filmmakers were present that you didn’t know.
I hadn’t seen his film and I didn’t know him yet. I knew he was from Flint, Mich., and I knew it was a documentary about the automobile manufacturing business, but I just didn’t project Michael Moore from that moment, and I wondered how many people were in the festival that were similar at the time ‘ or were in that room.
On learning to love Toronto:
Toronto is a huge festival. It’s always been one of the biggest festivals and a great place to take your film. I had been there with My Own Private Idaho‚ as well, and then we shot To Die For exclusively in Toronto, so I started living there and working there, and subsequently Good Will Hunting was shot there.
Finding Forrester ‘ we shot half of it there. So all of a sudden it became a place that I lived and worked. It’s a great place.
On Canada:
Canada is sort of like America if things were cleaned up and made to work better ‘ the economic structuring and priorities of Canadian economics and politics are seemingly more humane and on the right track. It’s a smaller place, so maybe it’s easier, but it’s kind of like America if it had grown a different way.
On this year’s Fest:
When I’m working there, it’s different because you’re really living there. With the festival, I’m imagining there will be parties and there usually are all these different openings. We’ll be there the opening weekend. There’s a few different events ‘ I think I have a photo exhibit there with a re-cut version of My Own Private Idaho‚ by James Franco.
At TIFF: Restless: Gus Van Sant’s film Restless premiered Thursday. It is also being screened Friday at 4 p.m. at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. My Own Private Idaho: Van Sant and James Franco will speak at the TIFF Bell Lightbox about Memories of Idaho at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
