Movies and shakers
It was quite a scene at the Toronto Film Critics Awards
Build it and they will come! In the early years of the Toronto Film Critics Awards, there were a couple of dozen cinephiles who crammed into a hole- in- the- wall Italian restaurant called the Orizzonte on St. Clair Avenue West. The toupée- wearing, opera- singing proprietor had a photo of himself with Fellini on the wall. As TFCA president Brian D. Johnson recalls, “it was great fun, with not a star in sight.” All these years later, the awards gala has made its home The Carlu and has blown up in size, boasting an impressive list of Hollywood North insiders sitting at tables of 10, quaffing Moët throughout the awards presentation and dinner. It was all very Golden Globes!
Some of the more memorable moments of the night included remarks from irreverent Toronto filmmaker Matt Johnson, 28, director of breakout indie success The Dirties, who requested the “current guard” to die and make room for him and his peers; and of course the acceptance speech from Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson who won the Film Critics Association’s 2015 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, for The Forbidden Room. After accepting the $100,000 cheque, Johnson chirped that he would be taking back “anything bad he has ever said about critics and Rogers.” And a very understated
Maddin confirmed he could make 10 movies with the $ 100,000 he had just won. ( It’s the largest prize of its kind in Canada.) “At its best, Canadian cinema is notorious for stunning the world with outlandish originality,” Johnson said. “And that’s what Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson have done with The Forbidden Room. Their film is a tour de force. The stellar casting, the visual wit, the narrative gymnastics — this is a cinematic cirque that leaves us amazed that it could even exist.”
Others swishing into the event included actors Vinay Virmani ( Breakaway, Dr. Cabbie) and Tara Spencer-Nairn ( Corner Gas), directors Michael Dowse ( The F Word) and Bruce McDonald ( Hard Core Logo, The Husband), producers Nick de Pencier, Roger Frappier and Félize Frappier, David Hamilton, Martin Katz, David Miller, Ajay Virmani, and Robert and Ari Lantos.
Champagne and shopping should go hand in hand ... especially when part of the proceeds go to charity! Pink Tartan Yorkville once again threw open its doors and dozens of women opened their wallets to support 100WHF and The Massey Centre. Founded in 2001, 100 Women in Hedge Funds is a global association of more than 13,000 professional women. Through the volunteer efforts of their members, they offer unique educational programming, professional leverage initiatives and philanthropy. This year money raised went to benefit The Massey Centre, which offers vital support to pregnant young women aged 13 to 25. They provide a safe and nurturing environment, allowing young women to complete their high school education, while learning to parent their babies. Massey Centre’s goal is to see new mothers and their children leave the program with confidence and belief in their potential. Sponsors included Goldman Sachs, RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank; TD Securities, UBS Securities Canada Inc. and Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd.
Champagne Fundraiser in gold 2016 TFCA Awards in red