TIFF Day 1: Toronto’s film festival kicks off with opening night galas
Posted September 4, 2014 5:54 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The 2014 Toronto International Film Festival officially kicked off on Thursday with Hollywood stars walking the city’s red carpet.
Film icon Al Pacino attended the North American premiere of his new film, The Humbling, at the Elgin Theatre on Thursday evening.
Pacino also has another film, Manglehorn, which is set to debut at the Winter Garden Theatre on Saturday.
Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr. was on the red carpet for the world premiere of his film, The Judge, which debuted at Roy Thomson Hall at 8 p.m. It was the official opening night film at TIFF.
The Judge also stars Robert Duvall and Vera Farmiga, who were at the gala.
The action got an early start on Wednesday night with Pacino, who was at the TIFF Bell Lightbox for a Q&A session, hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. The on-stage conversation was part of a $1,500-a-ticket fundraising gala for the festival.
Click here for full coverage of TIFF 2014.
Some of actresses who will grace the 11-day film bash include: Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Winslet, Kristen Wiig, Jane Fonda, Tina Fey, Octavia Spencer, Julianne Moore and Greta Gerwig.
The actors include: Benedict Cumberbatch, Denzel Washington, Michael Douglas, John Travolta, Mark Ruffalo, Jason Bateman, Steve Carell, Bill Murray, Channing Tatum, Christopher Plummer, Chris Rock, Morgan Freeman and Adam Sandler.
The festival will also attract some major Canadian talent, including actor Colm Feore and Olympic gold medalist Tessa Virtue.
There are also a number of parties, including the after party for The Judge, the Mongrel Media TIFF party and a bash featuring some of the stars from Bachelor in Paradise.
Meanwhile, a stretch of King Street West is closed during TIFF, and streetcars will be diverted in the area.
King Street from Peter Street to University Avenue is closed until 6 a.m. on Monday. King will also be partially closed in each direction between John and Duncan streets Sept. 8-11, and will reopen on Sept. 12.
The closure turns the area into a pedestrian-friendly zone, so fans can get a little closer to the action.
Three-hundred films from 79 countries will be screened at the 39th annual festival, which runs until Sept. 14.
Some of the other TIFF galas include:
- Black and White, starring Kevin Costner and Spencer.
- The Equalizer, starring Washington and Melissa Leo.
- Foxcatcher, starring Anthony Michael Hall, Tatum, and Sienna Miller.
- Haemoo, starring Kim Yoon-seok and Park Yoo-chun.
Click here for a list of the gala presentations.
Click here for a list of all the films being shown at TIFF.
Click here for a schedule of the film screenings.
With files from Eva Fragiskatos
