Prime Minister Mark Carney somehow upstaged Hollywood’s biggest stars on the TIFF red carpet on Sunday night, and honestly, we’re all for it. Carney isn’t exactly one to shy away from the spotlight, and he drew the loudest cheers from the crowd gathered outside the Fairmont Royal York for the TIFF Tribute Awards, despite sharing the red carpet with the likes of Penélope Cruz and Helen Mirren. The timing may have helped: Carney has been very visible amid renewed U.S.-Canada trade tensions!
Even Oscar-winning Being Heumann director Siân Heder admitted she was star-struck by the prime minister, while Seth Rogen reportedly received the second-warmest welcome of the night. Carney stopped by the event after speaking at a Canada Investment Summit reception and left before the awards ceremony began.
As for today, Hollywood gets another shot at stealing back the spotlight. Here are some of the biggest stars and TIFF premieres to watch around Toronto on Monday, Sept. 14.
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem will own tonight’s TIFF red carpet
Penélope Cruz picked up a TIFF Special Tribute Award Sunday night and is already back at the centre of one of the festival’s biggest events. Cruz stars opposite her real-life husband Javier Bardem in Bunker, which screens at Roy Thomson Hall at 9:30 p.m. tonight. The psychological thriller is written and directed by The Father filmmaker Florian Zeller and follows an architect whose decision to design a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire begins to put strain on his marriage. Stephen Graham, Paul Dano, and Patrick Schwarzenegger also appear in the cast.
Helen Mirren returns to TIFF for a world premiere
Helen Mirren was another of Sunday night’s TIFF Tribute Awards honourees and received TIFF’s Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, but she has her own major premiere today. A Talent for Murder gets its world premiere at Roy Thomson Hall at 1:30 p.m. The thriller stars Mirren as famed crime novelist Patricia Highsmith, who finds herself locked in a strange battle of wills with a younger literary agent played by Alden Ehrenreich. Olivia Cooke also stars, and Anton Corbijn directs.
John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi have one of today’s wildest casts
One of Monday’s biggest ensembles belongs to Wild Horse Nine, the latest movie from The Banshees of Inisherin filmmaker Martin McDonagh. John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi lead a cast that also includes Tom Waits and Parker Posey. The film is set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup and follows CIA agents sent from Santiago to Easter Island as old tensions and new relationships threaten to derail their assignment. Wild Horse Nine screens at 3 p.m. at the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Isabelle Huppert goes from TIFF honouree to gala superstar
Isabelle Huppert was also among the performers celebrated at Sunday night’s Tribute Awards, where she received a TIFF Tribute Performer Award, and she gets another turn in the spotlight today with All About Corinne.
The French comedy stars Huppert as Corinne Maclou, a veteran background actor who has spent decades trying to break into the inner circle of the French film industry. The film is directed by Marc Fitoussi and makes its North American premiere at Roy Thomson Hall at 5:30 p.m.
Alpha Gang
Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Dave Bautista and Léa Seydoux, Riley Keough, Lily-Rose Depp and Bae Doona star in Alpha Gang, a sci-fi comedy directed by brothers David and Nathan Zellner. The film has a rather interesting premise: it follows alien invaders disguised as a 1950s-style biker gang who are sent to conquer Earth! It screens at 5:30 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.