The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the most accessible major film festival in the world for people "not in the business," just movie fans who can’t let a weekend go by without seeing one or two features. It’s a chance to see and hear actors, directors, and distributors who are also in attendance. Held each September, this year’s 29^th anniversary Fest is September 9 to 18. Over 200 films will be shown, most of them world premiers, on 21 screens in the Festival Village and downtown Toronto.

The official launching point for the Oscar season, Toronto is where the award buzz starts in earnest. Hype sometimes becomes reality, at other times it just fizzles. For example, last year "The Human Stain," with Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins, was the hot ticket at the festival. But after it received a lukewarm reception by the critics, (even though the film played for quite a while in Chicago) it was months before it crossed Lake-Cook Road (and hit the northern suburbs). By the time Academy Award nominations were made, it was no longer being discussed.

The majority of the venues for the festival are within walking distance of each other so getting around is easy. A few of the major motion pictures premiering this year are "Beyond the Sea," "The Motorcycle Diaries," "A Good Woman," "Downfall," and "Return to Sender." "Beyond the Sea" has Kevin Spacey as director and star of the story of singer Bobby Darin (Mack the Knife), with Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee. "The Motorcycle Diaries" stars Gael Garcia Bernal ("Amores Perros" and "Y Tu Mama Tambien"). This road trip movie chronicles the development of Che Guevara. Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Wilkinson star in "A Good Woman," based on an Oscar Wilde play. The German thriller "Downfall" chronicles the fall of Berlin at the end of WWII. And "Return to Sender" stars Connie Nielsen, Kelly Preston and Aidan Quinn, in the tale of a lawyer fighting for the life of a woman on death row.

Over 200 films, from across the globe, are part of this year’s festival.

Getting there: You can fly to Toronto in about 90 minutes or if you want to drive, it takes about 10 hours. Most Chicagoans don’t think of Toronto as a big time destination when looking for a large city to play in such as NYC, San Francisco, LA, or Atlanta. Consider the fact that things cost about the same in Canadian dollars as in US dollars, but with the exchange rate, there is about a 25% discount. This makes for a true travel bargain.

Eat, sleep, and see movies: Great places to eat abound, the shopping is grand with European fashion flair, and it is the third largest theater district after London and NYC. The "Lion King" played in Toronto for four years!

Some of the restaurants are truly exceptional. Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill is wonderful for fresh seafood and cozy conversation. Le Papillon for French food: moderate prices for high quality dining and glorious ambiance. Milestone’s Grill & Bar, for the hip crowd and people watching features a wide selection of gourmet food priced not much above TGIF. Big Daddy’s Crab Shack & Oyster Bar: Cajun cooking with the best grilled seafood platter with dirty rice we’ve ever had for less than $30. Filet of Sole restaurant offers a $12 lunch, where among many items one can choose from is a lobster/crab soup with a baked pastry top as the appetizer followed by lemon sole baked in a parchment wrap.

Our take: We stayed at the Cambridge Suites Hotel and received assistance from Andrew Walker and Jennifer Michaud, who gave us great recommendations for dinner and theater. One was for a theater package that included a choice of dinner at more than 30 upscale restaurants and a tour of the city for only $5 more than the cost of the theater ticket. The hotel is made up exclusively of two-room suites; parking is $16 during the week and $12 on the weekends. Also included is a robust continental breakfast.

Everywhere we went in the city was either a short walk, a $5-$10 cab ride, or a 10 minute hop on a subway system that is more like the clean, air conditioned, on-time Metra than the tight seats on the noisy and frequently delayed CTA.

To learn more details on getting tickets for the film festival, go to www.bell.ca/filmfest or call 416-968-FILM. For information on hotels and airfares, visit our web site and click on "Travel for Less."