Vanity Fair and the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto Celebrate TIFF’s 50th Anniversary

Other than a Vanity Fair party, where else can you find director Jafar Panahi—winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes—and Judd Apatow in the same room? On Sunday, Vanity Fair and the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto threw their annual Toronto International Film Festival party at D|Bar. The party—which doubled as a celebration of TIFF’s 50th anniversary—was hosted by director Richard Linklater, who has two films playing at the festival (Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague); longtime Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke; filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who also has a movie at the festival (EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert); and Alice Winocour, director of Couture, starring Angelina Jolie.

“The last time Rick and I were here, it was right after the pandemic and during the actors strike,” Hawke said. “It is so wonderful to watch this festival back on firm ground, kicking ass and taking names the way it’s supposed to. I’ve never felt the festival stronger. You feel it walking around the whole city.”

In between the annual Tribute Awards and other film premieres, festival CEO Cameron Bailey stopped by to greet filmmakers and hobnob with celebrities like Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton, whose film Train Dreams premieres at the festival later this week. Guests were greeted with Champagne and espresso martinis upon entering the party—a much-needed pick-me-up after a busy few days of interviews, premieres, and panels.

“It feels like a really super-strong lineup of films,” Linklater said. “Every film we heard about sounds fantastic. There’s good buzz on every film. It feels like it’s back.” That feeling was a common theme amongst the producers in attendance. TIFF this year has a healthy mix of awards season favorites and high-profile independent films seeking distribution, which makes for an exciting lineup for both festivalgoers and buyers.

Maude Apatow had previously told Vanity Fair that she felt nervous about premiering her directorial debut, Poetic License, at the festival. At the party, she spoke about the film’s screening: “I honestly think I blacked out the entire time,” she said. “But it was amazing, and I love being here in Toronto. I’ve had a really positive experience, and everyone’s been very kind.” Apatow added that much of the crew, along with the film’s stars, came to the premiere. “I love everyone in the cast so much,” she said. “It’s just been a nice reunion and celebration.”

Tom Bateman, who stars in Nia DaCosta’s Hedda—which premiered alongside the party—admitted he “can only see himself onscreen for about 10 minutes” before needing to leave the theater. He came for a drink before returning to the festival for a post-screening Q&A with the rest of his cast. Kleber Mendonça Filho, who won best director at Cannes this year for his film The Secret Agent, stopped by the party with fellow Cannes winner Wagner Moura after their film’s Toronto premiere. Both were in good spirits and excited to showcase the film to a wider audience starting this fall.

Winocour’s Couture premiered earlier that day at the festival. “I felt like I was having butterflies in my stomach,” the director said. “I think some people were crying in the end. I don’t know if it’s because they were depressed.”

“It was a very emotional screening for us,” she continued. “It’s as if the film is suddenly born and it’s not yours anymore. It doesn’t belong to you anymore. It’s the end of something, and the beginning of something else.” Many of Winocour’s previous features, including 2012’s Augustine, 2015’s Mustang, and 2022’s Paris Memories, played at the festival as well. “It’s a bit surreal, but Toronto is really a place that is really special to my heart,” she said.

Toronto always proves to be one of the busiest festivals of the season, and this year’s party provided a space for filmmakers to mingle and relax with one another at the Four Seasons before what was sure to be another busy day. This event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Four Seasons and Vanity Fair that includes exclusive industry dinners, cast toasts, and conversations in New York, Paris, London, and at other festivals. Other guests at the party included Jeremy O. Harris, Kerry Condon, Lee Byung-hun, Aziz Ansari, Diego Boneta, Sam Richardson, Edward Berger, Ben Foster, Angourie Rice, Park Chan-Wook, William H. Macy, and Hikari.