A Day Of Interviews – Deepa, Joris, and more

Been a full day of interviews. Started early at the Intercontinental where we visited the Tastemakers Lounge – a posh space set up in the hotel’s Portman Room. The idea behind Tastemakers is it’s a spot where celebs can go hang out between interviews, galas, etc., and be treated to gifts from companies including Puma, Strellson, Joe Fresh Style, AG Hair Cosmetics, Burt’s Bees, and more.

Then we had the good fortune to interview Deepa Mehta, one of this country’s best-known directors, and an Oscar nominee to boot. Deepa’s newest film, Heaven On Earth, is premiering at the fest this year, and it’s a project she speaks quite passionately about. She’s a lovely woman – funny, gracious, and incredibly bright, and I really enjoyed chatting about the film with her. Look for that interview to appear on the site Sunday.

Later in the morning we headed to Cumberland Ave., in the thick of all things festival, and talked to Joris Jarsky, a Toronto-based actor appearing in three films at TIFF this year – Blindness, Toronto Stories and The Green Door.

I’m learning that while covering the fest, there’s really not a lot of time to sit for proper meals, so you’re grabbing food here and there when you can. I missed out on the early morning spread of coffee and pastries outside the Tastemakers Lounge (won’t make that mistake again!), but upon returning to the Intercontinental (where we had more interviews booked) I found the TL table had been replenished with sandwiches and other goodies. I still can’t do deli meat in the wake of the listeriosis story, so scarfed down some baby gherkins and phyllo-wrapped figs. Not thinking too much about nutritional value at this point, it’s more about sustenance.

While waiting for our afternoon interviews we spotted a number of celebs going into and coming out of the hotel, including Sam Neill, Ludacris, Greg Kinnear, and Paul Gross. A small crowd of autograph seekers and photogs was gathered outside hoping for a pic or a scribble.

This aft we spoke to Neil Burns, director of the film Edison & Leo. This is a history-making film – it’s the first feature-length stop-motion animated film ever made in Canada. Considering how long it takes to make just one minute of film, I’m endlessly impressed by this achievement and the painstaking effort that must’ve been involved. We’ll be posting the interview with Burns, as well as Carly Pope, one of the film’s voice talents, in the days to come.

Tonight we’re seeing Edison & Leo – I have to admit, even though I try to see the films before interviewing the actors and directors involved, sometimes it’s better to do it the other way around. It can give you a greater appreciation for either what the filmmakers were trying to do or say, or just the overall experience of making the film.

Later on we’re going to head over to Roy Thomson Hall, where Burn After Reading is premiering, to see if we can catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, the Coen Brothers, or recent Oscar winner Tilda Swinton.