Entertainment / TIFF 2014 Wrap UP

TIFF 2014 Wrap UP

Entertainment Sep 16, 2014

by Matthew Currie

The top films and parties from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The curtains have closed on the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and as always, it was a whirlwind. There was a strong South Asian showing at this year’s fest, with stiff competition; from the likes of Pakistani child-bride drama Dukhtar and Shonali Bose’s touching coming-of-age drama Margarita, With a Straw — which took home the festival’s Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award for top Asian film.

While awards went to some movies, hype was skyrocketing for others. Channing Tatum and Steve Carell piled up buzz for their dark drama Foxcatcher . Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Bill Murray (St. Vincent) both muscled their way into the Oscar race with warm reception for their respective flicks. Canadian Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) put Reese Witherspoon front and centre in awards-season conversation with the fact-based film, Wild; a movie about a divorced drug addict who looks to leave her old life behind with an 1000-mile hike.

But the biggest Oscar bump went to this year’s People’s Choice winner, The Imitation Game, which won raves for its star Benedict Cumberbatch and his portrayal of WWII hero, and computer science pioneer, Alan Turing.

Amid the buzz, the third annual Asian Film Summit was a draw for industry insiders. It was mainly focused on China this year, but we did see South Asian figures like Richie Mehta (Siddharth) and Anand Gandhi (Ship of Theseus) in attendance, networking and speaking on the growth of the Asian film industry, and the challenges of finding an international audience.

Of course, the films are only part of the story. The other parts: swanky parties, stunningly attired celebs and all-round pageantry.

Actors Riz Ahmed, Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal at the Nightcrawler /Stefanie Keen

The chic new Templar Hotel was graced by appearances from the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Channing Tatum, and no less than three Avengers (Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr.) It was also the spot where the ever-controversial James Franco hosted the premiere party for his latest directorial effort, The Sound and the Fury. He also premiered his completely shaved head (for a movie role, not some avant garde Instagram art project.)

Director/producer/actor Jon Stewart, actor Gael Garcia Bernal and journalist Maziar Bahari at the 'Rosewater' premiere /Photo by Getty

The champagne (and, one imagines, a little vodka) was flowing freely as Grey Goose partnered with Soho House to host an exclusive premiere event for the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart’s much-buzzed about directorial debut, Rosewater. In attendance were Stewart, leading man Gael Garcia Bernal, and journalist Maziar Bahari, whose four-month imprisonment in Iran was the basis of the film.

Musician James Righton (L) and actress Keira Knightley at The Weinstein Company and Elevation Pictures' The Imitation Game premiere party /Photo by Getty

On hand to congratulate Stewart were Robert Pattinson, Keira Knightley, and fellow TIFF golden boy Benedict Cumberbatch; the latter of whom actually had to skip the Soho House party for his own film, The Imitation Game, reportedly racing off to the airport that very night.

After lighting up the screen together in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, rising British stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones headed over to Spanish restaurant Patria to celebrate their world premiere in style. And Reese Witherspoon partied it up at the sleek modern eatery, Nota Bene.

Actors Ger Duany, Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Kuoth Wiel and Emannuel Jal inside Nota Bene for a premiere party presented by Audi after the screening of The Good Lie /George Pimentel Photography

Ultimately, in this sea of swanky shindigs, the Giorgio Armani party stood tall — literally. Armani rented the CN tower to promote its international short film project, Films of City Frames. Celebs like Denzel Washington and Jessica Chastain were reportedly in attendance, walking down a striking black carpet, before hopping on the elevator for an evening of mingling amongst the clouds.

Actors Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones arrive at Patria for a premiere party by Audi /Photo by George Pimentel Photography

Well, that’s a wrap, folks! Hope you all enjoyed this year’s glitz, glamour, and transcendent cinema as much as we did. We’ll return next year to do it all over again.

What were your favourite TIFF moments? Leave a comment below!

_{Feature image courtesy off Tiff}

Matthew Currie

Author

A long-standing entertainment journalist, Currie is a graduate of the Professional Writing program at Toronto’s York University. He has spent the past number of years working as a freelancer for ANOKHI and for diverse publications such as Sharp, TV Week, CAA’s Westworld and BC Business. Currie ...

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TIFF 2014 Wrap UP

by Matthew Currie

The top films and parties from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Matthew Currie

COMMENTS

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