TIFF festivalgoers note amped-up star wattage, city buzz after strikes and COVID woes [Video]

Five hours ahead of the first screening of “Saturday Night” at the Toronto International Film Festival, fans were already lined up along the red carpet and waiting for celebrities to arrive.

Cinephile and TIFF regular Darian Sawh was among those at the front of the line Tuesday afternoon, with clusters of people who sat on the sidewalk and made signs as they awaited stars of Jason Reitman’s ode to “Saturday Night Live,” including Willem Dafoe and Dylan O’Brien.

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“It feels like the first time that TIFF is back in full swing, probably since 2019 when I went for the ‘Joker’ premiere,” Sawh said of the dark drama that was a buzzy draw that year, in part due to stars Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro.

Indeed, many movie fans, visitors and filmmakers alike agree there’s a renewed spark in the air after four back-to-back festivals tempered by various hurdles — …