No More Tiers

As anyone who's really TIFF-ing knows, standing in lineups gives a lot of time for contemplation. At least contemplation about lines, and exactly what your position in one means.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Category 3: Patiently waiting outside the Manulife Centre.

It's very obvious there is a hierarchy at play here. The higher up you are on the ladder of importance, the quicker you'll get in. So far, we've noticed at least four categories:

1. The Really Very Important People: They keep red carpet manufacturers in business.
2. The Somewhat Very Important People: They get to stand alongside the red carpet and ask all the questions or get priority access to seats.
3. The Ticket Holders: They paid for the privilege of scrambling for seats.
4. The Rushers: They are the wishful thinkers. If we feel like it, we might let you into the screening.

The Elgin, as always rechristened the Visa Screening Room, adds another category: The platinum and gold Visa Card Holders, who stand in a line parallel to the Ticket Holders, and get to make faces at the plebs as they're whisked indoors first. Some of them even get free refreshments.

But there's one lineup for which we're all equals: the restroom.