The Stars in Our Eyes: Celebrating Cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Awards
The fundraising gala has become an important of the yearly film festival.
The Toronto International Film Festival turned 50 this year. In the global film community, it has become known as the people’s festival because it is open to all—movie stars and directors, aspiring filmmakers and diehard cinephiles alike. Which isn’t to say that some aspects of TIFF aren’t exclusive: take for example, the TIFF Tribute Awards, which honour the contributions and achievements of leading industry players and rising talents.
Another thing that makes TIFF so inviting is that it gathers the global film community in one place for one intimate evening.
This year the event honoured the impact of talents such as American actor director Jodie Foster, Japanese director Hikari, Korean actor Lee Byung Hun, Japanese makeup artist Kazu Hiro, actor Channing Tatum, Iranian director and writer Jafar Panahi, Canadian Inuk director Zacharias Kunuk, and Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara.
Rolex is one of the event’s sponsors and a longtime supporter of the arts. Guests convened in the Fairmount Royal York’s elegant ballroom for a celebration of cinema. But this year’s festivities were also a call for the need for human compassion, considering the current state of the global affairs.
Before the event, members of the press were invited by Jennifer Frees, TIFF’s chief business and marketing officer, and Jeffrey Remedios, CEO of Universal Music Canada and chairman of TIFF, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the ceremony, including the bustling backstage area and the Rolex-sponsored green room. The show has all the moving parts and production values of a Golden Globes or an Academy Awards, but it’s not broadcast, and the winners are not competing, so the mood is much more relaxed.
The awards’ core mission is the opposite of competition. Rather, it’s about celebrating emerging talent and promoting the transformative power of the movies in real life, by honouring the outstanding impact of leading industry members.
This celebration of cinema raised more than $17 million for TIFF’s year-round programs and its mentor and protege program. Frees and Remedios also announced the festival’s commitment to bring diverse voices to the big screen with a new prize for 2025: International People’s Choice Award.
Rolex, too, believes that every film is an achievement that inspires the world. The brand has a long history of supporting cinema with initiatives that range from funding the earliest stages of creation to the final crowning moment when it is released to the world. The brand believes that film is an achievement that inspires the world. This year is the first time that the brand has been the main sponsor of the Tribute Awards, but last year Rolex testimonee and director Jia Zhang-Ke presented actor Zhao Tao with a TIFF Special Tribute trophy recognizing her onscreen achievement for capturing the complexity and significance of change in Chinese society.
The Tribute Awards ceremony is, at its heart, a party. Stars such as Kirsten Dunst, Eugene Levy, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Tessa Thompson and directors DaCosta, Rebecca Zlotowski, and Park Chan-wook came out to support their creative colleagues.
In his acceptance speech for his Tribute Award in Impact Media, star of music, stage, television, and film Idris Elba acknowledged that “even though we don’t really want to talk about it at a celebration of our industry, it is important to acknowledge the pain that the world is feeling all together.” He ended by saying, “So I’m taking this award for us to remind ourselves to make an impact with your lives. Make an impact with our world by feeling something.” Japanese director Hikari, winner of the Emerging Talent Award who is presenting her film Rental Family at the festival, said, “Words can’t express what I’m feeling right now, so I’m just gonna dance.”
A party is also an excellent opportunity to bring the generations together. Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack presented the legendary Jodie Foster with the Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award. After working in film for 50 years, Foster still loves working with filmmakers of all ages. “I still love dancing like an idiot at wrap parties. I love that I can support other people. I can be open hearing other voices.”
And the awardees also paid tribute to TIFF itself. “I love, love, love Toronto,” said Foster, a sentiment shared by Del Toro. “Canada is a bastion of hope in the world right now,” said the Mexican director of the upcoming Frankenstein, noting that TIFF makes “a platform where voices can be heard from all over the world.” As for Toronto, he told the audience, “I want to say how cherished the city is to me. Please be proud of your city. Be proud of your country.”
Catherine O’Hara, winner of the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award, best summed up how TIFF and cinema connects us all when she told a story of trying to sneak into film fest parties 50 years ago. As she took the stage dressed in an elegant black and white, floral printed silk gown, she told the audience how happy she was to finally get in.
Photographs by George Pimente.
