Here’s How to Get Your Celeb Fix at TIFF 2020

A virtual awards ceremony honouring Kate Winslet, a performance by Shawn Mendes, plus digital talks featuring Halle Berry, Denzel Washington and more.

Every September, celebrities take over the city of Toronto to premiere, promote and talk about their latest films. This year, of course, the Toronto International Film Festival will look very different. With no red carpet events, there won’t be any celeb sightings but that doesn’t mean the festival can’t still deliver some star power. Read on for the various digital events and talks featuring celebrities that will take place online once TIFF 2020 kicks off tomorrow, September 10. To purchase tickets, click here.

TIFF Tribute Awards
This year, TIFF is launching the inaugural Tribute Awards to raise funds to support their year-round programming as well as their commitment to transforming the way people see the world through film. The Tribute Awards will honour the film industry’s outstanding contributors and their achievements, with Kate Winslet and Sir Anthony Hopkins receiving the very first Tribute Actor Awards. Also being recognized this year are directors Chloé Zhao and Mira Nair, emerging filmmaker Tracey Deer, and musician Terence Blanchard. The awards ceremony featuring special messages from the honourees will be broadcast at 8pm EST on Tuesday, September 15 on CTV and ctv.ca, and streamed internationally by Variety. Bonus: Shawn Mendes is scheduled to perform during the event, and will also be launching a brand new Changemaker Award through his eponymous foundation, to be awarded to a TIFF film that tackles issues of social change.

In Conversation with… Halle Berry
Halle Berry is at the festival this year with her directorial debut, Bruised. In this special virtual talk moderated by CBC’s Amanda Parris, the actress, producer and now director will look back on her 30-year career, discussing both the challenges she’s faced in the industry and the work she’s most proud of. This live event is free and part of TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative in support of women behind and in front of the camera. Details here. Friday, Sept 11 at 6pm EST

In Conversation With… Saoirse Ronan
Following Lady Bird in 2017, the four-time Oscar-nominated actress is back at the festival this year with her new film Ammonite co-starring Kate Winslet. Speaking with Canadian writer Anne T. Donahue, the Irish actress will talk about her wide range of stage and screen work, her advocacy for social justice and women’s rights, and more. Details here. Sunday, September 13 at 1pm EST

In Conversation With… Ava DuVernay
As the Oscar-nominated producer, writer and director behind some of Hollywood’s most powerful indictments of systemic injustice, such as When They See Us and 13th, Ava DuVernay will be speaking with TIFF’s artistic director Cameron Bailey about art, activism, and Black Lives Matter. Details here. Monday, September 14 at 6pm EST

In Conversation With… Barry Levinson and Denzel Washington
In this conversation, two Oscar winners sit down to discuss the art of filmmaking: Denzel Washington (who won the Academy Award in 1989 for Glory and again in 2001 for Training Day) and Barry Levinson (who received an Oscar in 1988 for directing Rain Man). Details here. Thursday, Sept 17 at 6pm EST

In Conversation With… Claire Denis and Barry Jenkins
Veteran French filmmaker Claire Denis and Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins are coming together for a rare conversation. Denis’ debut feature Chocolat was released in 1988 and Jenkins’ first film Medicine for Melancholy came twenty years later but the two will have plenty to talk about, with Denis referring to the Moonlight director as “the world’s greatest working filmmaker.” Details here. Friday, September 18 at 6pm EST

In Conversation With… D-Nice and Anthony Mandler
Club Quarantine founder DJ D-Nice and filmmaker/music video director Anthony Mandler are coming together to discuss the power of music and film, and how these mediums transform human interaction and the way we experience the world around us. Details here. Saturday, September 12 at 6.30pm EST

In addition to this series of digital talks, TIFF 2020 is also offering a range of social media content to keep movie lovers engaged, including a Twitter Q&A with Olivia Wilde (on September 11 at 2.30pm EST), and Instagram Lives with actors Sarah Gadon and Priyanka Chopra (stay tuned for details).