| EVENT REPORT 09.14.09 4:32 PM |
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TIFF Parties: Celebrity Photos, Irish Whiskey Showcased During Opening Weekend
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 | Olivia Wilde on the red carpet at the Windsor Arms Hotel
Photo: Jag Gundu/Getty Images |
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Film studios, retailers, beverage sponsors, and charities were among those hosting celebrity-studded parties during the Toronto International Film Festival's opening weekend. At the Windsor Arms Hotel, president George Friedmann partnered with the charity Artists for Peace and Justice to host a fund-raiser for children in Haiti that doubled as the hotel's 10th anniversary party on Friday night. The event, attended by more than 400 guests, included a red carpet managed by NKPR and created by New York artist Peter Tunney, who invited celebrity guests to dip their feet in red paint before walking on a mural that read "Peace and Justice." Guests then received foot treatments at a series of spa stations set up outside the hotel.
On Saturday evening Hello! Canada hosted a party for 600 guests at the Birks store on Bloor. "Hello! launched in the fall, so we've always tried to celebrate the world of celebrity during TIFF," said Tracy Finkelstein, the publication's group director of business development and promotions. This year, the magazine filled the jewelry store with images taken by celebrity photographer George Pimentel for a "Hello! Hollywood" party, sponsored by Dove Chocolate. "It's a non-traditional party environment," Finkelstein said of the space, noting that Birks staff remained on hand and guests had the opportunity to try on jewelry and shop during the event.
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Toronto International Film Festival, Artists for Peace and Justice, Hello! Canada, Dove Chocolate, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Canadian Film Centre |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.13.09 9:00 AM |
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Canadian Film Centre Gala Celebrates the Art of Cinema
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The Canadian Film Centre (C.F.C.) focused on the art of cinema for its annual gala this year, so it was almost fitting that scheduled host Mary Walsh—best known for her television work—cancelled due to illness and was replaced by film star Eugene Levy. Booking Levy the day before the event was "a combination of chance, availability, and amazing people reaching out to help," said Rachel Noonan, manager of strategic partnerships, development, and events at the C.F.C. "It was also great timing that [Levy] happened to be in Toronto."
Levy and other Canadian actors such as Gordon Pinsent and Shawn Ashmore fit well with the tone of the event at the Kool Haus, which marked the 20th anniversary of the C.F.C. The Cinephilia theme (conceptualized by ad agency Taxi) aimed to make guests feel like part of a society of film lovers, so as more than 500 people arrived in the main hall, hanging signs pointed out attributes that distinguish the cinephile society: "You rarely venture below channel 31" and "You critique film critics."
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Canadian Film Centre, Eugene Levy, Holt Renfrew, Cineplex Entertainment, RBC Capital Markets |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.09.08 2:18 PM |
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Umbrellas and Rainwear Fill the CFC's Annual TIFF Barbecue
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Sunday's afternoon rain didn't have a big impact on the attendance at the Canadian Film Centre's (CFC) annual barbecue, with more than 1,000 guests turning up for the 20th anniversary event on the centre's grounds. “We always try to tent quite a few areas, but we always just kind of pray for the best, and people always know to bring umbrellas if they absolutely need to," said CFC event coordinator Mark Fellion. "Most of the people who attend this event are annual attendees and they know the deal. Last year it didn’t hurt our attendance. We still had about 1,500 people attend."
Hosted each year by Canadian director and producer Norman Jewison during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the CFC barbecue is held in honour of Canadian and international filmmakers. "We invite a lot of delegates that are in town for TIFF," Fellion said. "So we never know exactly who’s going to show up ... it’s a lot of our sponsors, our alumni. It’s a good opportunity for them to network with all of these industry professionals."
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Toronto International Film Festival, Canadian Film Centre, BBC, BBC Worldwide, Telus, Canwest, Corus Entertainment, Shaftesbury, Just for Laughs, Deloitte, Epitome Pictures Inc., The Spoke Club, Links of London, Belvedere Vodka, Stella Artois, Jackson-Triggs Vintners, Fiji Water, Krups, Time magazine, The National Post, Playback, Turtle Island Recycling |
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| NEWS 09.02.08 4:10 PM |
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Boy George, Sir Richard Branson Among Those Hosting Parties During TIFF
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Plans to entertain the more than 500 special guests and celebrities scheduled to hit town for the 33rd annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)—which starts Thursday and runs until September 13—are sure to create a buzzing party scene in Toronto, with everyone from Boy George to Paris Hilton getting in on the action this year. "We do a lot of focused entertaining for the directors and talent that come to the festival. Virtually every programmer will be entertaining," says TIFF director and C.E.O. Piers Handling, who personally plans to host two large dinners for 60 to 70 filmmakers.
"The rest of the party scene is basically our sponsors who are leveraging their sponsorship—Holt’s, the big CTV bash on Friday—there is a whole series of events like that. Then the distribution industry, Canadian and U.S., will get into the scene in a major way and do parties post- film," he said.
The TIFF party scene kicks off Thursday with a cocktail reception at the Rosewater Supper Club prior to the presentation of the Canadian film Passchendaele at Roy Thomson Hall. The screening will be followed by the official TIFF opening night gala at the Liberty Grand. (Barbara Hershenhorn of Party Barbara Co. is planning the event for more than 3,000 guests.) Alliance Atlantis also will host a Passchendaele party at the Drake Hotel following Thursday's screening, and Ultra Supper Club presents a performance by Boy George.
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Toronto International Film Festival, eTalk, Holt Renfrew, CTV, ET Canada, In Style Magazine, Alliance Atlantis, DSquared2, Flare Magazine, Hello! Canada, Canadian Film Centre |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.18.08 10:17 AM |
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Film Gala Pays Tribute to Italian Cinema With Vintage Posters, Props
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 | A vintage poster and film props
Photo: Gary Beechey for BizBash |
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From the outset, the creation of the Canadian Film Centre’s “Luci, Camera, Azione!” gala was truly a collaborative effort. The event, held Wednesday at the KoolHaus, is the organization’s primary fund-raiser, and the gala—which paid tribute to vintage Italian cinema this year—is viewed as a way to thank the film centre’s donors, said Mark Fellion, one of six CFC planners who worked on the benefit. “This event is always a challenge. It’s very time consuming,” said Fellion. “We have a huge committee, and really they’re the ones who pulled this whole thing together.”
Committee co-chairs Pat DiBratto and Kate Alexander Daniels created the vision for the evening. “We sat and talked about what was that thing that Italy does best,” Daniels said, adding the committee couldn’t come up with just one thing. So, the evening became a celebration of La Dolce Vita, showcasing Italy’s history, culture, food, wine, designers, and music. “It’s everything that’s wonderful about Italy,” DiBratto said.
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Canadian Film Centre, Holt Renfrew, Rick Mercer, Jeanne Beker, Jay Mandarino |
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