As the city prepares for the annual Toronto International Film Festival, both locals and visitors are already abuzz about the celebrities they might encounter around town.
It’s no secret that star spotting is one of the most popular activities during the 10-day festival. From A-list actors to musicians and film directors, TIFF attracts all kinds of industry professionals to Toronto, accompanied by hordes of fans eager for a glimpse.
This year, the festival’s guests, including Cate Blanchett, Bruce Springsteen, and Selena Gomez, will bring glitz and glamour to The Six — and hopefully pause for a few selfies with their admirers.
Superstar Angelina Jolie is scheduled to attend the festival this year, where she will be honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media. The award, presented to a professional who integrates their social activism with cinema, will be given to Jolie at the festival’s fundraising gala on 8 September.
The 49-year-old filmmaker’s latest project, a war film titled Without Blood, will make its debut at the festival. The film, about a woman seeking vengeance for the deaths of her father and brother, stars Salma Hayek Pinault and is directed by Jolie.
Movie enthusiasts and rock music fans are in for a treat with the world premiere of Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. The film, which is expected to feature Springsteen himself on the red carpet at the premiere, reflects the Dancing in the Dark singer’s long-standing career.
Narrated by Springsteen, Road Diary offers rare glimpses of the band members in their youth, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from their latest world tour.
TIFF 2024 is also set to bring Selena Gomez to town for the Canadian premiere of her new film Emilia Pérez. Described as a blend of “pop opera, narco thriller, and gender affirmation drama,” the film also stars Zoe Saldaña.
In Emilia Pérez, Mexican criminal lawyer Rita Moro Castro (Saldaña) assists notorious kingpin Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) in staging their own murder and secretly undergoing a gender transition. Castro must also make arrangements for Monte’s wife (Gomez) and their children — all while the film parades through musical detours.
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is set to showcase a new side of herself to TIFF audiences in the quirky drama-comedy Rumours. In this Canadian-made film, Blanchett portrays German chancellor Hilda, who is hosting an annual G7 summit that inevitably — and bizarrely — goes awry.
The film has already been selected as Canada’s official entry for best international feature film consideration at the Oscars.
Blanchett will also receive the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award during the festival, which honours a woman in film who has championed the careers of others and paved the way for the next generation.