As the 2007 festival draws to a close and I sit at my desk, exhausted but happy to have seen so many fantastic films, I?m reflecting on the past ten days. Every day, I saw incredible movies and discovered something new about TIFF audiences. Midnight Madness crowds are the rowdiest (and love to make pirate noises), Cumberland audiences cheer most for the volunteers, and Scotiabank Theatre audiences are snappy dressers. I even got to watch one of my favourite Canadian classics on a big screen, Michel Brault's

Best moment: It's impossible to pick just one, but a major personal highlight for me was running into an old university classmate on College Street only to find out that he's not only a filmmaker now, but that his first film is screening at TIFF. The friend: the promising Mr. Dev Khanna. The film: Terry Southern's Plums and Prunes, which was part of Short Cuts Canada Programme 3.

Worst moment with a happy ending: getting to the Varsity to watch a film I?d been looking forward to for days, only to realise I?d left my ticket at home. Then taking a $20 taxi ride home and back and having to plead with the volunteers to let me in. Thankfully, they did. The film in question was Richie Mehta?s Amal, the touching tale of a good hearted auto-rickshaw driver. It was one of the most memorable films I saw!

Most pleasant surprise: The Short Cuts Canada programmes! I?ve always been a fan of short films, but holy cow, the Short Cuts programmers really outdid themselves this year. I went in expecting to enjoy the films, and came out feeling impressed, moved, intimidated and overwhelmed by the talent I saw.

Best Q&A: Listening to Danny Glover give a stirring speech after the premiere of Poor Boy?s Game about the responsibility cultural workers have to tell the kinds of stories they think are important and valuable. The film got a standing ovation, and Glover?s speech was inspiring and right on.

Sexiest Q&A: I think the stoic cowboys in their 10 gallon hats and tight jeans that came up on stage after the screening of John Zaritsky's Wild Horse Redemption might beat out all the celebrities I saw. Although, the radiant and elegant Ellen Burstyn at the premiere of The Stone Angel gave them a run for their money.

Best celebrity run-in: Truth be told, I?m not much of a celeb-hound, but after the screening of Carl Bessai?s Normal I did walk up and down Richmond Street three times, shyly debating approaching Callum Keith Rennie, who I think is getting better looking and more talented with age. I chickened out of saying hello, but he did look up at me and smile on my third pass.

For me, it?s not over just yet. I?m seeing one more Canadian film at 8:00pm (Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg) and closing out my festival with the final Midnight Madness film, À l'intérieur (I couldn?t miss a film that programmer Colin Geddes promises will not disappoint even the most hardcore horror fans).

I hope you all had as great a festival experience as I did. See you next year!