As the city gears up for the annual Toronto International Film Festival, locals and visitors alike are already buzzing about the stars they may encounter in town.
It’s no secret that one of the most popular activities during the 10-day festival is star spotting. From A-list actors to musicians and film directors, TIFF brings all kinds of industry professionals to Toronto, and with them, hordes of fans eager for a peek.
This year, the festival’s guests, including Cate Blanchett, Bruce Springsteen and Selena Gomez, will serve glitz and glamour in The Six — and hopefully stop for a few selfies with their admirers.
Angelina Jolie
Superstar Angelina Jolie is scheduled to attend the festival this year, where she will be honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media. The award, given to a professional who connects their social activism with cinema, will be presented to Jolie at the festival’s fundraising gala on Sept. 8.
The 49-year-old filmmaker’s latest project, a war movie called Without Blood, will make its debut at the festival. The film, about a woman seeking revenge for the deaths of her father and brother, stars Salma Hayek Pinault and was directed by Jolie.
Bruce Springsteen
Movie lovers and rock music fans are in for a treat with the world premiere of Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. The film, which is expected to see Springsteen himself walk the red carpet at the premiere, is a reflection of the Dancing in the Dark singer’s long-standing career.
Narrated by Springsteen, Road Diary is filled with rare glimpses of the band members in their youth, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from their latest world tour.
Selena Gomez
TIFF 2024 is expected to bring Selena Gomez to town for the Canadian premiere of her new film Emilia Pérez. Described as a combination of “pop opera, narco thriller, and gender affirmation drama,” the film also stars Zoe Saldaña.
In Emilia Pérez, Mexican criminal lawyer Rita Moro Castro (Saldaña) helps notorious kingpin Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) stage their own murder and secretly undergo a gender transition. Castro must also make plans for Monte’s wife (Gomez) and their children — all the while the film parades through musical detours.
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Cate Blanchett
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is set to show TIFF audiences a new side of herself in the quirky drama-comedy Rumours. In this Canadian-made film, Blanchett plays German chancellor Hilda, who is hosting an annual G7 summit that inevitably — and bizarrely — goes awry.
The film has already been selected as Canada’s official entry for best international feature film consideration at the Oscars.
Blanchett will also receive the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award during the festival, which honours a woman in film who has championed the careers of others and paved the way for the next generation.
Elton John
Springsteen isn’t the only musician scheduled to show their face at TIFF this year. Elton John is slated to attend the world premiere of the documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late.
The film, which features candid interviews and newly revealed archival footage, was co-directed by R.J. Cutler and John’s husband, David Furnish. Music lovers aren’t going to want to miss this flick.
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield
One of the most anticipated films at TIFF this year is We Live in Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.
The Oscar-nominated duo will make audience hearts flutter and break with this film about a couple looking to make the most of the time they have together amid a sobering medical diagnosis. Pugh and Garfield are both scheduled to attend the world premiere in Toronto, where they’ll surely be greeted by their many, many fans.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson stars in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, which will make its world premiere at TIFF.
Anderson plays Shelley, a 30-year veteran in Las Vegas’s showgirl industry, as she deals with the closing of the city’s last-standing, feather and crystal-adorned floor show. Shelly, a dancer in her 50s, must try to find her place in the world amid an uncertain future.
The film also features performances from several other Hollywood stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista and Brenda Song.
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele
Will Ferrell is stepping out of his usual funnyman-type roles in this heartfelt documentary about his real-life friend Harper Steele.
In Will & Harper, the Saturday Night Live alums traverse the U.S. on a road trip filmed after Steele publicly announced they are transgender. The duo’s 16-day trip is fulsome and sees lighthearted reunions with Seth Meyers and Tina Fey before Ferrell and Steele visit states with recently placed restrictions on gender-affirming care.
The story of the friendship between Ferrell and Steele, who will both attend the festival, will hopefully warm hearts and empower change at TIFF.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman is bringing sex to TIFF with the North American premiere of the erotic drama Babygirl.
Also starring Harris Dickinson and Antonio Banderas, the film shows Kidman as a high-powered executive who risks it all for a sexual relationship with her intern (Dickinson). Will Romy (Kidman) be able to hide her affair from her husband (Banderas), or will her intern’s threats to ruin her life with a single phone call really come to fruition? Audiences at TIFF will have to attend a screening to find out.
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Other celebrities slated to attend TIFF include Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Ben Stiller, Sandra Oh, Amy Adams, Hugh Grant, David Cronenberg, Pharrell Williams, Andrea Bocelli and many more.
The Toronto International Film Festival will take place from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15, 2024.
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(The roster of celebrities scheduled to attend the festival can change at any time.)
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
