The Toronto International Film Festival and Hot Docs have joined together in a new pilot program to offer benefit and access to movie fans under the age of 25.
TIFF is introducing an Under-25 Free Pass, and Hot Docs is offering a free membership to the people in that same age group.
“We’re always looking for ways to make TIFF more accessible for youth,” a TIFF spokesperson told Humber News.
“We’re also seeing an increase in young audiences returning to TIFF Bell Lightbox for year-round programming, and the TIFF Under 25 Free Pass is a step towards doing this.”
TIFF’s pass for film lovers under age 25 gives many perks, such as discounts on in-cinema tickets for subscription series and access to purchase single tickets to the 2022 Festival.
The pass is valid until the end of January 2023 and includes 25 per cent off year-round tickets at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and a 15 per cent discount on concessions.
The TIFF spokesperson said the goal is to attract diverse and enthusiastic audiences and that 2022 will be a pilot year for this program.
The Hot Docs Bronze Membership, typically priced at $59 a year, is valid for a year and includes two free regular tickets and two large popcorns, and exclusive benefits for Hot Docs Festival, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, and on Hot Docs at Home.
Hot Docs Media Relations Manager Juan Gonzalez-Calcaneo told Humber News that this is a way to attract audiences back to cinemas after two years of COVID-19 closures.
HotDocs runs from April 28-May 8.
“For Hot Docs, this is an extension of accessibility initiatives we’ve had in place for a long time. During the Festival, for instance, we’ve offered students access to free daytime screenings for more than 15 years,” he said.
Gonzalez-Calcaneo said Hot Docs is waiting to see what the public’s response is to the free membership offer and may then extend or replace it with something else to encourage young people’s participation.
“Although movies are available to stream everywhere now, we believe that gathering together in a cinema to collectively watch a film is a unique experience, especially with documentaries that can provoke a lot of discussion and debate,” said Gonzalez-Calcaneo.
“We want younger audiences to come to the cinema or the festival, have a great experience that they can’t get at home, and hopefully become lifelong fans of what we offer.”
Students Humber News spoke with were excited and suspicious about the two free memberships.
“It seems too good to be true. There’s gotta be a catch,” said Guelph-Humber Media and Communications studies student Gage Everitt.
Paralegal student Camila Cardoso won’t have access to the benefit since she’s 26, but she wishes TIFF had introduced a free membership earlier.
“I love movies. I go to the theatre almost every month so that free membership would certainly have saved me some extra money.”