FESTIVAL INSIDER

And That’s a wrap! The 36th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival closes bigger and better than ever

Richard Budman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:45:22 +0000

Well, that’s a wrap on another highly successful Toronto International Film Festival. It was a thrill again to ride with Cadillac and cover what has become one of the busiest film festivals in the world. We hope you enjoyed Cadillac Festival Insider coverage as we took you inside TIFF – the press conferences, red carpets, parties, and more!

TIFF seemed to grow again this year as much of the movie-goer action emerged along King street in Toronto. We saw the official home of TIFF – the Bell Lightbox open fully and be a hub of activity. The Festival also utilized a new theatre opening weekend – the beautiful and spacious Princess Of Wales.

But alas, even the best parties have to end. So, the TIFF Cadillacs have been cleaned up and put away for another year. But like us Festival Insiders, we’ll all be back to do it again next year. Enjoy some of our highlights of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival:

- The Biggest Band in the world kicks-off TIFF’11
- Festival Insider Skye has dreams come true at Hello! Canada party
- Madonna makes a Gala red carpet appearance to the delight of fans.
- “Brangelina” is the number one power-couple of TIFF
- infamous street-artist Mr. Brainwash all over TIFF

and don’t forget, all the Cadillac Festival Insider photographs are permanently archived on our Flickr feed.

Who Wore It Well? 12 Best Dressed Ladies at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Richard Budman — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:34:19 +0000

The films are not the only things critiqued and talked about during the Toronto International Film Festival – so too are the red carpet fashions. We had some top-tier star style on display during the 36th edition of TIFF. So who caught our eye (and camera lens) in Toronto? Keira Knightley, Megan Fox, Anna Feris, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Gadon, Emily Blunt, Michelle Monaghan, Rebecca Hall, Wendy Crewson, Ashley Greene, Jennifer Garner and Madonna. (George Pimentel photos)

[VIDEO] “Where Do We Go Now?” earns the Cadillac People’s Choice Award for favourite film of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Richard Budman — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:38:08 +0000

[VIDEO] In a slight upset, a foreign language film set in war-torn Lebanon emerged as the people’s choice favourite of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. “Where Do We Go Now?” from Lebanese-Canadian director and actor Nadine Labaki won the 2011 Cadillac People’s Choice Award – an accolade that usually signals more recognition is to come for the film. Labaki’s film has already been announced as Lebanon’s official entry into Oscar consideration for best foreign language film. The TIFF award should further help it make the coveted short-list of Academy Award considerations once the nominations are announced early next year.

The Cadillac People’s Choice award also includes a $15,000 cash prize. Festival programmer Rasha Salti, accepted the award on the director’s behalf, who was in the process of flying back to Lebanon. “I’m thrilled, I’m happy, I’m ecstatic, I’m excited… I’m running around jumping up and down at the Frankfurt airport. Tomorrow we’ll be screening ‘Where Do We Go Now?’ for the first time in Lebanon and I will be proud and happy to announce the news in front of my crew, my family and the Lebanese audience.” Labaki said in a statement emailed to TIFF.

“The Island President” won the Cadillac People’s Choice Award for favorite documentary. Thom Powers, documentary programmer for TIFF accepted the award on the filmmaker’s behalf. Said Powers, “The President came here from the Maldives . He was watching the film for the first time along with the audience. There was something so exciting about that experience, it translated to the audience and elevated the film to the People’s Choice Award.” The TIFF premiere also marked the first time a sitting President in power had ever visited the Festival.

“The Raid” was voted favourite Midnight Madness feature and writer-director Gareth Evans, along with stars Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim were on hand at the awards brunch to accept their Cadillac People’s Choice Award.
M.J. Comeau, VP of Sales for GM Canada presents the Cadillac People’s Choice Awards to the winning films. (photos: George Pimentel. video/editing: Mike Edge.)

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were the number one Power Couple of TIFF’11

Richard Budman — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:51:38 +0000

There is no shortage of star power when the Toronto International Film Festival is on. But when celebrity super-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrived at the Gala TIFF premiere for “Moneyball,” you witnessed celebrity on a whole other level. The fans went crazy. Photographer’s shutters didn’t stop. The appearance of Brangelina was the big story early in the Festival and they were the number one power couple at TIFF. (George Pimentel photos)

[VIDEO] Woody Harrelson’s “Rampart” premieres in a new TIFF theatre – The Princess Of Wales on King street

Richard Budman — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:54:40 +0000

Full use of the TIFF Bell Lightbox on King street wasn’t the only new theatre to see action during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. This year also marked the first time the Festival used the famous Princess Of Wales theatre, located just down the street from the Lightbox.

The Princess Of Wales has primarily been used for Toronto theatrical productions. Named for Diana, the late Princess Of Wales, the theatre opened to the public during 1993 with the musical Miss Saigon. Designed by award-winning Architect Peter Smith, the theatre features a horseshoe-shaped, two-balcony seating plan connected to the proscenium by box seats. With seating on three levels – orchestra, dress circle and balcony – the Princess of Wales is surprisingly intimate for a theatre that seats 2,000. The Toronto International Film Festival consulted on the installation of a new state-of-the-art theatre sound system – optimized for movie viewing in the Princess Of Wales so expect this theatre to see plenty of TIFF action in the years to come.

[VIDEO] Cadillac Festival Insider SKYE reports from a busy King street outside the Princess Of Wales theatre just as Woody Harrelson and the cast of “Rampart” make a 2011 TIFF debut. (photos: Richard Budman. video/editing: Mike Edge.) Cadillac Festival Insider SKYE is wearing designs by Stephan Caras and jewelry by Psalms 91:1

Nicolas Cage in Toronto to premiere “Trespass” says he lived through similar home invasion nightmare

Richard Budman — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 11:14:47 +0000

Under the file of ‘truth meets fiction” we have the new movie, Trespass which director Joel Schumacher and Nicolas Cage brought to the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Seems the home invasion story hit very close to home for Cage who said during the films press conference his family had actually lived through a similar nightmare in real life.

“It was two in the morning. I was living in Orange County at the time and was asleep with my wife. My two-year old at the time was in another room. I opened my eyes and there was a naked man wearing my leather jacket eating a Fudgesicle in front of my bed,” Cage told reporters ahead of the films TIFF premiere. “I know it sounds funny … but it was horrifying.”

Hundreds of party goers kicked off TIFF opening weekend at The Artists For Peace And Justice fundraiser

Richard Budman — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:13:01 +0000

Hundreds of party goers kicked-off the opening weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival in fine style at the Artists For Peace And Justice fundraiser held at Ame. Guests mingled with the likes of Gerard Butler (in Toronto to support two films during TIFF,) Paul Haggis, Jason Reitman and Toronto’s own George Stroumboulopoulos came out to show their support of APJ and the worthy work it’s doing.

“This event was really unique,” said Haggis, Academy Award-winning director (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) and founder of APJ, which supports health, education and dignity initiatives in Haiti. “While many film festival events are restricted to film industry professionals and sponsors, this year TORO After Dark provided an opportunity for APJ to generate awareness and engage a new audience in a relaxed setting, while providing the opportunity to meet some of Hollywood’s biggest personalities.” Since 2009, events held during the Toronto film festival benefiting APJ have raised over $300,000, with a 100% of proceeds going directly to Haiti.

(Richard Budman photos) Cadillac Festival Insider SKYE is wearing designs by Stephan Caras and jewelry by Psalms 91:1 at the Artists For Peace And Justice fundraiser.

TIFF Cadillac People’s Choice Awards often predict greater things to come for Audience favorite films

Richard Budman — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Curious to what films might be front-runners to garner awards attention come Oscar season? Paying attention to the Toronto International Film Festivals Cadillac People’s Choice Awards when handed out on the final Sunday is good place to start.

Toronto audiences have become renowned for their good taste in movies and TIFF audience picks have increasingly gone on to greater acclaim – especially during Oscar season. Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, and Precious are all among Cadillac People’s Choice Winners at TIFF that went on to scoop-up many more critical awards.

“Over the last decade, we’ve been a bellwether for not just best picture wins, but many other of the other awards too – acting awards in particular.” – says Piers Handling, co-director of the Festival. “So many of the films that have Oscar potential, Golden Globe potential, awards potential, actually do platform in Toronto.”

TIFF Cadillac People’s Choice Award is presented to the highest-rated film as voted by the Festival going public. Movie-goers are distributed ballots after every TIFF screening with the chance to rate the film. Votes are tallied at the end of the Festival and an audience favorite is determined. The winning filmmaker is further awarded $15,000 in prize money. In recent years, Cadillac People’s Choice has added categories recognizing favorite Documentary and Midnight Madness features.

So what films did you vote for this TIFF as favorites? What’s going to be the people’s choice when the awards are handed out this Sunday, September 18th?

A Dangerous Method, Moneyball, or maybe, The Artist?

(George Pimentel photos) Freida Pinto accepts the 2008 Cadillac People’s Choice Award on behalf of “Slumdog Millionaire.” The film would go on to capture the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Cadillac Festival Insider talks TIFF with Norman Jewison at the annual Canadian Film Centre barbecue

Richard Budman — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:01:25 +0000

The Canadian Film Centre has been a place to celebrate excellence in Canadian film and television production for more than a quarter-century. The annual barbecue, traditionally held on the first Sunday afternoon during the Toronto International Film Festival is always a great time when most of the Canadian production industry comes together to network and indulge in delicious food and drinks.

Cadillac Festival Insider was happy to catch up with the man who had the original vision for the CFC – filmmaker Norman Jewison. Jewison reflects on how the Toronto International Film Festival has grown up through the years to become the largest public festival in the world now.

Cadillac Festival Insider is on the official TIFF red carpet with the cast of Killer Joe and Oscar-winning director William Friedkin

Richard Budman — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:20:15 +0000

[VIDEO] Cadillac Festival Insider takes you on an official TIFF red carpet tonight for the premiere of “Killer Joe” directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker William Friedkin. We chatted with the cast – Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, and Juno Temple about performance – and what it takes to achieve your best one. (photos: Richard Budman video/editing: Mike Edge.) Cadillac Festival Insider SKYE is wearing on the TIFF red carpet designs by Stephan Caras and jewelry by Psalms 91:1.