Pass the popcorn: Film enthusiast aims to set movie-watching record at TIFF

Eric Tisch of Reel Canada, who is attempting a world record for most films watched at a film festival this TIFF, sits in an auditorium at the Scotiabank Theatre, in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

A Canadian cinephile will attempt to set a world record at this year's Toronto International Film Festival by watching 80 movies in 11 days – even if it breaks his concession stand budget.

There is currently no Guinness World Record for most movies watched at a film festival, and 29-year-old Eric Tisch hopes to change that with his round-the-clock TIFF viewing schedule that leaves little room for sleep, or much else.

“There are a lot of movies that I'm going to be seeing that I don't know much about but they fit in my schedule, and this is a very exciting way to experience TIFF,” said Tisch, a programming manager at Reel Canada.

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His role at the non-profit organization that screens Canadian films in schools allows him to attend press and industry screenings at TIFF, and he's using that to his advantage in his quest. His employer also gave him the greenlight to focus on the world record attempt over the course of the festival.

Tisch plans to take in everything from early morning to midnight screenings, up to nine a day, and in some cases will have only five minutes to spare between showtimes. He'll be sprinting between four theatres in a five-block radius to catch documentaries, dramas and horror films.

"I'm not looking forward to any night where I can't sleep, like (when) there are movies just racing through my dreams," he said in an interview.

Tisch said he was able to catch 63 movies, including every Canadian film, at last year’s edition of TIFF and he figured attempting a world record for most films watched at a festival was the next logical step.

"I do think that I'm drawn to crazy things," he said, noting that the festival's return to in-person screenings in 2022 after the pandemic drove him to watch more and more films.

Although he'll be attempting a brand new record, Tisch said he must still follow detailed guidelines Guinness World Records sent him in response to his application. Among them: he must watch at least 75 movies at the festival to be considered for the record, and each film has to be at least 40 minutes long.

Guinness also requires a detailed logbook of Tisch's record attempt, movie tickets, photo and video evidence, as well as witness statements from each screening.

Tisch said TIFF will provide a log of his festival pass scans at the screenings, and Guinness has agreed to accept that for consideration. He'll also be asking TIFF staff, volunteers and even strangers in the movie theatre to be his witnesses for each screening.

Guinness said all record holders earn "bragging rights" and a free certificate.

"With a database of over 65,000 record titles and around 1,000 new applications every week, records are always being created, reviewed, and broken," the organization said in an email.

TIFF organizers say they're impressed by Tisch's attempt and if he's successful, the festival will celebrate his achievement with a "special surprise."

Seeing 80 films would be "really, really, really, really phenomenal," said Judy Lung, TIFF's vice president of strategy, communications, and stakeholder relations. While some film buffs may take in 40 to 50 movies throughout the festival, Tisch's plan is on another level, she added.

Tisch said the costliest part of his attempt will likely be the large amount of movie snacks he expects to consume, since the majority of his film tickets will be covered by his festival pass.

"Just in terms of food, I feel like this is going be one of my most expensive bouts for sure," Tisch said.

"I think I'm not going to have popcorn until maybe Christmas."

TIFF runs from Sept. 5 to 15, bringing back the star power absent from last year's edition due to Hollywood strikes. Angelina Jolie and Pamela Anderson are among the celebrities expected to attend and some of the buzziest movies include Nicole Kidman's erotic drama "Babygirl" and Francis Ford Coppola's self-funded epic "Megalopolis."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 30, 2024.