heliotrope

It’s 2:30pm. I’m in line for a TIFF Market Pass. I’ve been in a line for almost an hour now. A TIFF Volunteer comes by to tell the people in line that there is a digital version of the pass accessible on the TIFF app. “If you don’t want to wait in line, you can just use that for your events and grab the official pass later.”

Immediately I reach for my phone and open the app. I’m signed in, and I see the events… but no pass. Before I can ask the volunteer about this, he’s disappeared to another section of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I try restarting the app several times, hoping the pass will just show up when thought hits me that unleashes a swarm of butterflies tumbling in my stomach.

I received an email about a week ago, telling me that the picture I submitted for my pass was rejected. I look over to my right at another line, a tenth of a fraction of the length of the one I’m in, and a sign beside it that says Pass Printing. The desk for that line has a camera taking people’s pictures. The line I’m in has no camera to take a picture. Fuck.

15 minutes later, I'm at the desk and talking to a clerk representing TIFF. “Oh I’m sorry but your registration is incomplete and we still have to print your pass.“ She gestures toward the line I was just looking at. Fuck. “I’m so sorry” she repeats. “Nah don’t worry, not your fault” and slowly make my way to the other line.

As I walk towards the other line a woman passes me and I do a double take. I thought it was Chase Infiniti, the breakout star from last year’s critically lauded One Battle After Another. I can’t be. This woman is about to join the line I just left, and Chase wouldn’t be caught dead amongst us civilians.

This new line is much shorter. I look at the time. 3:05. Okay, not bad. Maybe I can be out of here before 3:30.

30 minutes later, I’ve taken exactly 3 steps forward in this line. I’m getting tired but this hasn’t reached the point of being annoying yet. Over to my right, a third line. This one for Press. For 15 minutes, this line is a good distraction. I’m eagerly looking at the line looking for my favourite film critics to pull up.

I see a black man in line and try to study his face, mentally comparing it to Robert Daniels’ (my favourite film critic). I do think it’s him. For a split second I think to check his twitter to see if he is around. “No. That’s weird. You don’t know this guy.” I give up my little spot-the-critic game.

15 minutes later I’m starting to feel antsy. I don’t mind being on my feet, but the lack of movement is what is driving me crazy. I look towards the line I just left. THE CHASE INFINITI LOOK ALIKE IS ALREADY NEAR THE FRONT. Alright man what’s going on here? “This is pretty ridiculous!”, the gentleman behind me exclaims. I nod vigorously but my brains is still on introvert mode so this is as far as our interaction goes.

4:00pm. I’m nowhere near the front. I look over again to my original line. Chase Infiniti look alike is already talking to the same rep who sent me this way and I’m only marginally closer than I was an hour ago in my line. I do a quick count of the people in front of me. 14. Wait. Someone just left. 13.

4:11pm. 12 people now. I look over at the press line, and it hasn’t moved much either. That makes me feel just a tiny bit better. I look back at my original line and see a man with a haircut that almost makes me burst out laughing. The most obvious hair transplant in the world with a clear line separating his real black and grey hair and his transplanted hair which is jet black. And the haircut is giving Spock. I wonder what his story is.

4:23. 9 people. I can see the desk now. The camera is actually a Google Pixel phone. I look at the press line. Wait a minute. I think I recognize someone. Young gentleman with braids wearing glasses. He has on a Toronto branded sweater but I can’t quite see what it says. He looks like a local rapper who went viral on TikTok a few years ago for a song. I don’t remember the song but I google some of the lyrics to see if something pops up.

“now ill be damned... unwashed ass… tiktok song”

I type into the search box. click

There it is. It IS him. Akintoye. How strange. I wonder the story behind that. Is he a journalist also? I send a quick text to Emily.

4:31. 4. God. All this just cause I was too lazy to email someone a replacement photo. The Vietnamese gentleman in front of me does the fenty lean. That looks like a good stretch. I want to follow his lead but I decide it’ll look too weird to do now so I’ll wait till I get out of here

4:34. 2. Almost there

4:35. I’m in front. Phone in hand, writing this as a way to make the time go faster. Behind me I hear music playing. The festivities seem to have started already but I think I’ll be going home after this.

4:40. Still in front. A elderly woman walks in front of me looking for someone. On her phone, the message “You Have Reached Your Time Limit on Instagram”. Ha. I have the same thing set for Twitter. This cheers me up a little.

4:43. They finally called me up to the desk. “Hi how are you?” “Good, how about you?” “Not bad haha hanging in there.” We are both lying to each other but that’s okay. “My registration is incomplete so I emailed my registration photo to y’all’s email and the lady over there asked me to join this line.” I give her my name and email. “Okay I see it. I just have to print it. It’ll just take a second.” I look behind me. The line has gotten longer and at the very end I see the Chase Infiniti lookalike just join this one. Looks like we had the same problem. Damn.

4:47. The desk clerk hands me my pass. Finally. I take one look and I can’t help but start beaming. It’s a cheap plastic card but it feels like gold. There are 4 letters written vertically on the left.

F M A

U

Then there is a picture of me Emily took Valentine’s Day, 2024 (it was the most recent picture of me with no one else in it) and under that, “Nana Boateng. Scarlett-Ivy Pictures”. Damn. Was it worth the 3+ hour line wait? Absolutely.