TORONTO — Fewer stars and less buzz are expected at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, which kicked off Thursday under the shadow of dual strikes by Hollywood writers and actors.
Although red carpets were rolled out around TIFF's downtown headquarters, expectations for celeb-spotting at premières and parties remain low as members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America continue a work stoppage that extends to publicity events.
In many cases, only the directors and producers are promoting their projects to media and fans.
No screen stars are expected to grace the red carpet for several buzzy world premières, including the Netflix thriller "Reptile" featuring Benicio Del Toro and Justin Timberlake, and Wall Street scandal comedy "Dumb Money" with Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson and Shailene Woodley.
Unions for Hollywood writers and actors are each seeking improved compensation and job protections from labour contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
And they're ready to use the festival as a platform to get their message out — Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, was among the red-carpet guests at TIFF's opener "The Boy and the Heron," by renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
Wearinga shirt that read “SAG-AFTRA on strike” underneath his blazer, Crabtree-Ireland acknowledged that many Canadian film crews, actors and writers are out of work as a result of the work stoppage.
“I understand the hurt that it’s causing," Crabtree-Ireland said.
But he blamed the major streamers and distribution companies the union is up against.
“We are fighting a battle for something that is really important, we are fighting a battle that is going to have effects on everyone in this industry all around the world, which is fair compensation, fair treatment with respect to AI,” said Crabtree-Ireland.
The Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers has said it wants an end to the strike and that it offered SAG-AFTRA "historic pay and residual increases" and "groundbreaking" AI protections.
Another bumpy start for the 11-day festival — a technical glitch led to the cancellation of some press and industry screenings at Scotiabank Theatre's Imax screen, including the sci-fi drama "The Beast," and the Korean black comedy "Sleep," cinema staff told The Canadian Press.
But many Torontonians and film buffs were still excited.
During the day, people sunbathed in colourful Muskoka chairs along King Street, dubbed Festival Street for the opening weekend, as vendors placed signs outside of food trucks.
Pop-ups handed out free tote bags and slices of pizza to pedestrians and office workers on their lunch break.
In the early evening, lineup for Miyazaki's feature stretched across several blocks, even though Miyazaki, who's in his 80s, did not attend due to the long journey from Japan.
“If I didn't see anything else at TIFF, I'd still be happy if I saw 'The Boy and the Heron,'” said fan Damian Vergel from Toronto. "Miyazaki is a legend and the wait will be completely worth it."
While choruses of cheers were heard alongside the red carpet as guests appeared for the première,crowds were sparse and muted compared to the typical groups of young people waiting to catch a glimpse of star power.
More than 200 feature films are packed into this year's program, roughly on par with last year's lineup, and festival CEO Cameron Bailey said ticket sales and interest in the festival are "as strong as ever."
"We’re the centre of the film world, and we’re proud of that," he saidin an interview before TIFF got underway.
Some Hollywood stars are expected to make the trek, including Sean Penn, Elliot Page, Willem Dafoe and Nicolas Cage, who are part of films that have received waivers from the actors union to participate in the festival. Directors Spike Lee and Pedro Almodóvar and Ava DuVernay are also on TIFF's official guest list.
Bailey and festival organizers have put significant effort into ensuring the magic of cinema prevails.
And local business owners like Claudia Rodriguez were happy to see the event continue on as scheduled.
"It's been great for business and for advertising," said the business owner selling churros at a food truck near festival street. "It's going tobe a really big step to be here because this is the international film festival and a lot of people are going to come by and taste some of our churros."
Meanwhile, Eric Malo who works nearby, wandered onto festival street to check out early hubbub and expressed reserved expectations about this year's pizzazz.
"I think not as many people are going to show up because they're going to be busy supporting the strike," said Malo.
A small stage was set up at a nearby park for free open-air concerts, most notably Nickelback, who is slated to play Friday after the première of their documentary "Hate to Love: Nickelback."
Viral pop singer Lil Nas X is expected to draw a crowd when he walks the red carpet Saturday night for his doc "Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero," while a newly minted Imax version of Talking Heads' concert film "Stop Making Sense" will première on Monday as David Byrne's band sits down for a Q-and-A with Lee.
Other titles at the festival include Viggo Mortensen's western drama "The Dead Don't Hurt," Michael Keaton's "Knox Goes Away" and the horror drama "Dream Scenario," starring Cage.
-With files from Jordan Omstead, Tyler Griffin and David Friend
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2023.
Noel Ransome, The Canadian Press
