By Emily Gagne, CBC News

After seven days of lurking in film lines, I haven't found the ultimateTIFF veteran - a man or woman who has spent 35 years attendingToronto's annual cinephile convention. But a couple of nights ago,while cruising the ticketholders line outside the Elgin for Rio Sex Comedy, I ran into someone almost as good: a 31-year veteran.

Toronto native Angelo Iascone tells me he has been a TIFF"supporter and attendee" since "the beginning." More specifically, hesays he has been frequenting the fest since he was a college student inthe late 1970s.Like many of the other seasoned TIFFers I've met, Iascone was quitecamera-shy.

But the friendly filmgoer agreed to speak with me off camera, and explain why he keeps coming back for more.

Years of service: 31

Occupation: Financial planner ("[TIFF] stimulates the more creative, artistic side of me," he says.)

Favourite TIFF movie of all time: Slumdog Millionaire."It was an entertainment favourite. It has a lot of themes I like -different cultures, fresh faces. And it was more engaging than mostfilms I see. I see a lot of slow ones."

Favourite TIFF movie of 2010: The financial crisis doc The Inside Job. "It was amazing - and surprisingly well-attended!"

Favorite TIFF experience: The Q & As, which he says give the films "life beyond the representation on screen." He cites this year's post-mortem on Jalouxas a perfect example. "It was a good-enough movie - a French Canadianpsycho-killer with a great twist at the end," he explains. "But whenthe director went up for the Q & A, he told us there was nostoryboard whatsoever. It was entirely improvised! They [just] had atheme [jealousy], three actors and a location."

Things he loves about TIFF: The variety offilms, particularly smaller-known international ones that don't getreleased in major theatres. "You [feel] some ownership of the film...it turns out to be kind of your own little private discovery." He alsolikes the camaraderie: "I have not exchanged more than a hundred wordswith neighbours over the many years I've attended movies on regularSaturday afternoons. But when you're in a line for TIFF movie, you getinto some pretty interesting conversations."

Things he hates: The ticketing process."Getting tickets is a bitch," he laughs. "I spend more hours than Icare to count analyzing and studying and looking up movies I want tosee for not having tickets. And I'm no longer a rush candidate, forobvious reasons."

The final analysis: "After 30 years, a lot ofthings get blurry. But the spirit [of the fest] hasn't changed, even asthe choices have broadened and the films have emphasized differentthings," he says. "And Toronto responds to it. I don't think otherfestivals get this kind of turnout. I mean, I've spent so many hourswaiting to get in line [for this]. I'm a big sports fan, but I wouldn'twait that long for a sporting event."