The UK film contingent and others flying out of the country are contending with cancelled meetings and frayed nerves as they scramble to get to Toronto after an air traffic control meltdown grounded more than 2,000 flights.
At press time numerous TIFF-bound participants had rebooked flights for Wednesday and Thursday after they were made to disembark planes on Tuesday that in some cases had sat on the tarmac with their fuming passengers for up to five hours.
According to reports a technical failure grounded some 1,750 flights on Tuesday and a further 300 yesterday. The issue has affected departing and arriving planes at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stanstead serving London, and Manchester Airport.
HanWay Films director of sales Nicole Mackey told Screen about the disruption to her schedule after she had to rebook a flight for Thursday. “I have had to cancel around 20 meetings which were starting at lunchtime [on Wednesday], so it will have had a detrimental effect on the rhythm of our time there,” Mackey said.
“Cast and crew attending our world premiere for Onwards And Sideways on Sunday afternoon have had travel plans disrupted too, which has had a knock-on effect with PR and press opportunities,” said Spencer Pollard, CEO of sales company Kaleidoscope Film Distribution.
Pollard said after members of his team were told their flights were cancelled on Tuesday they were due to fly on Thursday, 48 hours later, on another airline. The executive was arriving in Toronto on Wednesday after he rebooked his own flight “at significant cost”.
UK producer Farah Abushwesha, whose Lemonade premieres on Saturday in Centrepiece, spent hours scrambling to book a new flight. “At the back of your mind is the thought you won’t make your own premiere,” she said.
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