Toronto Film Festival: Day One

Cultural Learnings of Michael Moore for Make Benefit Glorious City of Toronto

A day into the Toronto Film Festival, there's been one bona fide fiasco, and Friday's early risers will no doubt be kicking themselves for having missed it. On Thursday afternoon, advance buzz made it sound as if the entire province of Ontario would be at the 12 a.m. world premiere screening of Borat, the opening night film in Toronto's Midnight Madness series.

Borat, or as it's more properly known, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, is a feature-length vehicle for Sacha Baron Cohen's ingeniously offensive Ali G Show character, a Kazakhstani reporter prone to malapropisms and unsolicited info about his ''sexy time'' with women. Naturally, fans turned out in droves.

''Who wants to sell their tickets for 50 to 100 dollars apiece?'' one shouted as he walked around the line outside the Ryerson University theater. Fans closer to the red carpet chanted ''Borat! Borat! Borat!''

Inside, by way of introduction, Cohen appeared in character, brandishing a miniature Canadian flag alongside his signature Kazakhstani one. Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes announced that Borat would actually return after the screening for a Q&A.

And then the movie: Essentially an extended episode of the show, the film suddenly began to stutter around the 20-minute mark, and soon the projector was stopped. Cohen re-entered the room for a few minutes of improv. (This is what happens when films are made in Kazakhstan, he explained.)

But as the delay wore on, it became clear that this wasn't a problem with an easy fix, and a number of people made their way to the film booth, including self-appointed projection expert Michael Moore (who apparently once projected films for a living).

''Canadians!'' he quipped as he emerged from the booth unsuccessful. Then he and Borat director Larry Charles (a vet of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm) took the stage.

Moore said that the festival technicians were ''going to steal a part from another Canadian projector, because I know the doors aren’t locked here,'' referring to a gag from Bowling for Columbine.

Moore and Charles then invited audience members to question them, on any topic.

''What do you think of Tom Cruise’s baby photos?'' one wiseass asked.

''Could you write me a late note for school?'' asked another, and Charles actually obliged.

Moore razzed Canadians (Torontonians excepted, of course) for electing a conservative government in January. He also offered a free ticket to someone who asked about the ''Evening With Michael Moore'' program scheduled for Friday night, telling this audience member simply to go to the box office and say that he and Michael Moore had talked.

Finally, Cohen emerged for his ballyhooed Q&A, no doubt slightly modified from the one he had planned to deliver. ''Our countries are very, very similar, and not just in the projection system,'' he joked.

Almost an hour after the initial mishap, the news arrived that the problem could not be fixed, and that an additional screening of Borat would be scheduled for Friday at midnight at the Elgin.

That's a rescheduling nightmare, for both the festival and for audiences. But the antics of Moore, Cohen & co. will live on in Toronto lore, maybe longer than the movie itself.