Sparkling acclaim for film industry
BIRK ’S TRIBUTE TO THE YEAR’S WOMEN IN FILM
Birks and Telefilm Canada welcomed more than 400 guests to the Shangri-La Toronto for the third-annual Birks Diamond Tribute to the Year’s Women in Film. There was a lot to celebrate as nine of Canada’s brightest and most-accomplished female actors and film directors were honoured for their work.
The posh soiree brought together a diverse group from Canada’s film, fashion and cultural communities.
“Birks recognizes the importance of proudly celebrating Canada’s dazzling female film talent,” says Eva Hartling, vicepresident, marketing and communications of Birks Group Inc.
“As an official sponsor of (Toronto International Film Festival), Birks has a long history of supporting our domestic film industry and talent, we were thrilled to host the tribute at the Shangri-La for the first time this year.”
Bright lights adding some sparkle included hosts Eva Hartling from Birks Group and Carole Brabant from Telefilm Canada; honourees Sophie Deraspe, Anne Émond, Patricia Rozema, Kari Skogland and Ingrid Veninger; and actors Katie Boland, Suzanne Clément, Catherine O’Hara and Karine Vanasse; director Deepa Mehta and her cast of Beeba Boys added some excitement to the scene; Helen Burstyn, The Learning Partnership; Cameron Bailey, TIFF’s artistic director; Sara Diamond, president OCAD, Robin Turack, executive producer, STOLEN; and Alex Filiatrault, Shangri-La Hotel.
The event also coincided with the introduction of the largest Canadian diamond ever mined. The North Star, a round brilliant diamond, weighs 15.10 carat, measures 15.87 by 9.77 mm and was cut from a 55.07-carat rough stone extracted from the Diavik mine in the Northwest Territories just seven months ago.
The diamond has been valued at $3,689,000. Birks has been committed to sourcing and providing its customers with Canadian diamonds exclusively, which have the unique attribute of being traceable back to their mine of origin, guaranteeing their provenance and ethical nature. Canada is one of the top diamond mining countries in the world.