Since its inception in 1975, TIFF has had its share of unforgettable moments. For example, there was the tribute to Warren Beatty in 1984, when Jack Nicholson heckled the actor from the audience. There was also the narrowly averted riot at the 1978 premiere of In Praise of Older Women, which developed because the theater had been oversold.

To commemorate the fest’s 30th anniversary, Toronto’s Media Monkey Productions has teamed up with TIFF and Rogers Television to document some of these classic moments in Postcards from Tiff. The project highlights noteworthy events in the fest’s history with 30 one-minute vignettes featuring anecdotes recounted by a who’s who of Canadian film celebrities.

Participants include directors Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Denys Arcand, Atom Egoyan, Patricia Rozema, Don McKellar, Deepa Mehta and Jerry Ciccoritti; actors Graham Greene, Saul Rubinek and Emily Hampshire; former fest director Wayne Clarkson, now head of Telefilm Canada, and current TIFF director and CEO Piers Handling. Festival founders Henk Van der Kolk, Bill Marshall and Dusty Cohl also appear with tales to tell.

The vignettes combine archival footage with candid, never-before-seen photos courtesy of Van der Kolk’s wife, Yanka. Postcards takes the viewer on a historical tour of the festival’s humble beginnings in 1975, all the way up to its present-day status as one of the world’s most important film festivals.

Media Monkey, run by Jeff Halligan and Micol Marotti, has also collected the vignettes into a television half-hour. At press time, they were in the process of firming up a national broadcaster.

Getting the project off the ground wasn’t much of a problem, as the participants jumped at the chance to pay homage to the festival, which helped kick-start or solidify their careers. The only star they approached who declined was Kim Cattrall, because of scheduling conflicts.

A common thread that emerges throughout the vignettes is the affinity the filmmakers’ have for TIFF’s audiences. ‘[The participants] haven’t just brought out your typical story,’ says Marotti. ‘They really poured their hearts out. You can tell there’s a strong affection for the film festival. Everybody describes it as a coming home.’

Marotti acknowledges leaving some lurid tales of festival excess on the cutting-room floor. ‘There were many [stories] about the hospitality suite in the early days of the festival,’ Marotti says with a sideways smile. ‘We had to keep it P.G.’

The Postcards initiative is dedicated to the memory of famed entertainment interviewer Brian Linehan, who passed away last year.

‘The industry really lost a great friend and a strong promoter,’ says Marotti. ‘If Brian were alive today, he would be a part of this project 100 percent. Brian loved the movies and Canadian movie stars and knew how to get the best stories out of them. That is something we hoped to capture with these vignettes.’

The Postcards vignettes can be viewed at the TIFF box office at the Manulife Centre during the fest and on Rogers Television as part of the broadcaster’s 24-hour TIFF coverage. A limited edition commemorative DVD and book will also be made available for sale to the public.