The fourth day of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) included the TIFF Tribute Awards ceremony at the city’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Sandra Oh served as the inaugural Tribute Awards Honorary Chair.
Oscar-nominated actor Amy Adams received the TIFF Tribute Performer Award and Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter David Cronenberg was recognized with the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award. Additionally, Oscar–winning actor, Tony Award–winning producer, writer, director and humanitarian Angelina Jolie was awarded the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media, while Cate Blanchett was recognized with the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award.
American actor and rapper Jharrel Jerome received the TIFF Tribute Performer Award and award-winning Zhao Tao was presented with the TIFF Special Tribute Award.
‘Fairness and equity and respect are not embedded into the systems that we work in’
Blanchett accepted the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, with the festival highlighting her work as an advocate for representation and equality in the film industry. During her speech Blanchett talked about the importance of having that equity and inclusivity on film sets.
“I think it’s time we put aside this North American misnomer of a self-made woman, because I think, in the words of the brilliant Naomi Klein, we’ve never, ever been self-made,” Blanchett said. “We’ve always been made and unmade by each other.”
“We often talk about the work that we’ve still got to do in the industry and my god, there is so much work still to be done, and the industry has changed enormous amounts since I’ve stepped in it. And unfortunately, we do need to keep talking about the changes that we’ve made, because I think that fairness and equity and respect are not embedded into the systems that we work in. Those women who were instrumental in the foundation to this industry so quickly they found that the industry calcified around them to exclude them. And so we have to keep ourselves front and centre. We have to keep asking questions that open locked doors and know our worth. Our worth creatively as well as financially. And greater inclusivity on our sets lead to less homogenous and more vibrant storytelling.”
The actor also made a call for the sustainable practices in the filmmaking process.
“Where are the green officers?” Blanchett said. “I think it’s a moral imperative to make this switch, into making our work more sustainable.”
“We are a hugely, hugely influential industry and this huge financial and creative opportunity in making work more sustainable is huge. So i would suggest that we seize this opportunity.”
‘I feel quite sick’
Angelina Jolie received the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media, in recognition of “leadership in creating a union between social impact and cinema.” The actress, known for her philanthropic efforts around the globe, expressed doubts that her work has the impact she intends, looking at the global struggle today.
“When I look at the world today and the state of the world, I feel quite sick,” Jolie said. “After pushing back on human rights for all people only to see that the reality for many has grown worse, I feel a part of the failure of the system.”
“In a world full of broken commitments it seems often that power and control and business mean more than protecting the fragile fabric of human rights.”
Jolie’s film Without Blood also had its world premiere in Toronto on Sunday night, with the movie starring Salma Hayek Pinault.
‘Bring Them Down,’ ‘The Assessment’ and ‘Heretic’
More on the premieres, Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott attended the premiere of their film Bring Them Down, directed and written by Christopher Andrews.
The film is set in rural Ireland, centred around a particularly conflict between two families struggling to get by on the sheep farming business. It’s a movie that grabs your attention because of how dark the story is, paired with a real emotion depth from its actors.
Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander and Himesh Patel premiered The Assessment at the festival, filmmaker Fleur Fortuné’s feature film debut. It’s a story set in a society where, due to strict control of the world’s resources, couples must be assessed to become parents, in this case by Vikander’s character Virginia, over the course of seven days.
While leaning on impressive performances from this cast, and compelling visuals, the film strives to address lofty psychological and societal questions around parenthood and environmental disaster, but never quite succeeds in its execution to make you feel that beating heart of the story.
Religious horror film Heretic made its world premiere in Toronto, with Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East, leading this this mentally captivating film. Grant is particularly impressive intellectual component to a thrilling story.