Welcome to my blog for this year’s festival. Already the cranky people who loved the festival in the past are complaining that it has become elitist and no longer the wonderful experience it was back in 1975 or 1980 or whenever their own involvement started. Yes now there are memberships and members get earlier access and yes there are very expensive packages that only the 1 percenters can afford but the truth is that in the “good old days” it was way worse. There were few high quality films and getting tickets was incredibly time wasting and only the real addicts could handle the hassle. The truth is that this is still the only film festival with everything from Oscar contenders to small independent documentaries and dramas to which anyone can get tickets. The crowds on King Street are fun in themselves and yes you will see stars if you persist. Looking forward to a great week shutting out the buzz killers and seeing some great films.