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."
For the 20th anniversary, organizers added a musical performance to the agenda. Jarvis Church performed a few songs from the executive director’s balcony. "We don't usually do that," Fellion said. Last year, organizers added a silent auction. "We just try to keep it fresh for the people attending," he said.
Catering stations around the grounds included offerings from Via Allegro Ristorante, Presidential Gourmet Fine Catering, Forget About It Supper Club, 10tation Event Catering, Gelato Fresco, Posticino Ristorante, Encore Catering, Shanghai Cowgirl, Ontario Corn Roasters, Lollicakes, Condor Meat Products, Backerhaus Veit, Licks, and Chocolate Concepts.
Event sponsors included BBC UK, 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, and Turtle Island Recycling.
