Toronto International Film Festival!

Lights, camera, action! Hollywood brought its glitz, glamour, and celebrities to Toronto from September 4-14 for the Toronto International Film Festival, also known as TIFF.  Stars from all over made an appearance, such as Angelina Jolie, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Sydney Sweeney. Grab your popcorn as we discuss everything you need to know about this star-studded event. 

With all the talk about this festival, you might be wondering what the Toronto International Film Festival is all about. Its purpose is to help people see the world through a new lens, with some help from film. It was founded in 1976 and takes place every year in Toronto in early September. It is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. During the timespan of the festival, TIFF offers many events to interest its audience, including screenings, discussions, workshops, and conferences. This year, the movie premieres people were most excited about seeing included Roofman, which is based on a true story, and Mile End Kicks,  directed by former film critic Chandler Levack. To keep the film schedule organized, TIFF created sections to sort out the different categories of events. Some of the movie programming sections are Discovery, which is for movies from up-and-coming directors, Platform, for international films, and Short Cuts, which is a section showcasing short films. 

What do we all think about when we’re watching red carpets? The fashion. Who’s wearing what, who designed it for them, and most importantly, how breathtaking is it? Shall we discuss some of the looks we saw on the red carpet this year? Let’s start off with Scarlett Johansson, an American actress you’ve most likely seen on the screen for Black Widow.  Johansson came to TIFF to premiere her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great. She wore a blush-draped silk gown from none other than the famous designer Valentino. Next, we have LaKeith Stanfield, who was on the red carpet for the premiere of the new movie he’s acting in, Roofman. While most of his male co-stars were choosing to wear suits and more formal attire, LaKeith opted for a more relaxed look, wearing a cable-knit sweater, pleated wide-leg trousers, a neck scarf, a beret, and glasses from the brand Dior by Jonathan Anderson. Anya Taylor-Joy brought one of the most unique looks to the carpet at the premiere for Sacrifice. She chose to wear a light blue satin gown from Dior by Jonathan Anderson with a sleeveless bodice, high neckline, and a weaving pattern from her waist down. Finally, let’s take a look at one of the most glamorous gowns seen on the red carpet. It was worn by Han So-hee, a South Korean actress who stars in Project Y. She wore a light pink gown from Toni Matičevski that had a heart neckline and clung to her body perfectly. I don’t know about all of you, but whenever I watch a red carpet, it has me wishing for a new closet almost immediately. 

As with any big event that takes place, TIFF has an immense effect on Toronto’s economy every year. It attracts a huge crowd, who help the economy greatly. Last year, almost 700,000 people attended TIFF. Think about it: while these people are here, they have to spend money on a hotel, food, transportation, and other daily necessities. TIFF also affects our economy in less direct ways. It portrays Toronto as a place where you can make movies, which has inspired plenty of directors and producers to start making movies here. Ever since the first year of TIFF, more and more production studios have opened up here because they have realized the secret gem that is Toronto. Just to name a few, some of the movies that have been filmed here are X-Men, Hairspray, and The Incredible Hulk. Currently, as tariffs are harming our economy, it is more important than ever to contribute to our local economy.

In my opinion, TIFF is the biggest event that comes to Toronto every year, and Toronto would not be the same without it. From the celebrities that populate the streets to the proud directors that come to premiere their new pieces of work, Toronto changes every year in September for the better, and we are proud of it for that.