One of Canada’s most trusted authorities on style and fashion, Jeanne Beker has covered the industry for more than 30 years. Now watch her in her current style editor role on TSC’s Style Matters with Jeanne Beker or tune into her new podcast Beyond Style Matters, available wherever you get your podcasts.
With the seasons changing, retire the sundresses and bring out the trendy new autumnal pairing — oversized blazers and high tops. Jeanne Beker has selected the best blazers that Toronto has to offer, along with a few stylish shoes to dress down the look.
A. ACADEMIA CHIC
“I love this tweed kind of fabric. The mismatched pockets are fun; it’s an irreverent take on the classic jacket.” Freda’s, 45 Elm St., $139
B. MAKE A STATEMENT
“This purple is so rich, and the styling with the longer length is so classic. It’s a piece you’ll keep in your wardrobe forever.” Andrews, 2901 Bayview Ave., $795
C. PRETTY IN PINK PLAID
“Plaid is all the rage again this season, and this is a new spin on pastel plaid. I love this nice and wide double-breasted styling.” Hilary MacMillan, hilarymacmillan.com, $265
D. ALL LEATHER, ALL THE TIME
“Leather is everywhere, and this one is totally classic. I love that it’s vegan leather and waterproof and quite reasonably priced.” Thursdays, 1130 Yonge St., $105
E. GO NEUTRAL
“This shade always looks chic, especially with total black underneath. This jacket is voluminous, very modern and clean.” Club Monaco, 1 Promenade Cir., Thornhill, $239
DENIM HEAVEN
“I love the extra wide lapels, and denim is a huge story of the season. It’s recycled denim and hemp, too, so sustainable.” Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor St. W., $3,195
Every year, celebrities, filmmakers and local art lovers come together to enjoy a conglomeration of the year’s best films. At TIFF, celebrity-driven films are shown alongside indie productions which creates a unique viewing experience for all.
This year is like no other, as we expect the city to be crawling with globally renowned celebrities. Continue reading below as you learn who created what, what it’s about, and where the stars will be for the premieres.
Taylor Swift
This year, Taylor Swift has a conversation broadcasted at TIFF Bell Lightbox on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Swift will be making an appearance and will surely spend some time greeting fans before she heads into the theatre for a conversation with TIFF’s Cameron Bailey.
The creative powerhouse, singer, songwriter, actor and producer will also feature in a short film titled All Too Well, in which a young woman and man find their love fracturing, ultimately ending. However, the young woman remembers the affair far too well, letting it affect her negatively.
Nicolas Cage
Cage plays a buffalo hunter who lures a naive young man into an ambitious expedition across the Colorado Rockies in Butcher’s Crossing. Watch as the pair crawl across the treacherous mountains, winding up in more trouble than you could imagine.
Butcher’s Crossing premieres at Roy Thomson Hall at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, so Cage fans should get there early to catch him walking the red carpet.The post-premiere party is slated for the “Jaguar Suite” inside Marbl restaurant on King West.
The film will also be shown at Scotiabank Theatre twice on the 10th at 8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., then at 10:00 a.m. on the 14th and 5:30 p.m. on the 17th.
Daniel Craig
Joining an impressive cast list, Daniel Craig plays a famed Southern detective who travels to Greece for his latest case in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The film is a follow-up to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out from 2019.
The Netflix film begins with a mystery within a mystery: Why is Craig in Greece in the first place? From there, we watch as Craig encounters a distinctly disparate group of characters. From there, classic whodunits film kicks off as we sit back and enjoy watching the mystery unfold.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is set to play seven times at TIFF, premiering at the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre on King west on Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m. Then, the film plays at the same venue the following day at 9:00 a.m.
The rest of the film’s schedule is as follows: Royal Alexandria Theatre on the 12th at 12:30 p.m., Scotiabank theatre on the 12th at 9:30 p.m., and Cinesphere IMAX on the 13th and 15th at 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., concluding with a show at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on the 17th at 9:00 p.m.
Documentary Now! is a mockumentary series created by SNL alumni Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen and Rhys Thomas. Three new episodes are set to be on display for TIFF fans as they look to kick off season four of the show.
The series is an uncanny parody of nonfiction classics which put a humorous spin on series tapes. Blanchett was able to create a pet project in the series’ third episode. She fell in love with the BBC Tapes Three Salons at the Seaside, which she spun into Two Hairdressers at Bagglyport. This beauty parlour is full of secrets which are set to be unveiled right in front of the audience.
The premieres on Sept. 10 at Scotiabank Theatre, where Blanchett and the cast are likely to make an appearance. Other show times include a Sep. 11 showing at 9:10 a.m. then, viewers can catch it once more at 7:35 p.m. on the 14th and 15th.
Jennifer Lawrence
Follow Oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence as she gives a heart-rendering performance in Causeway. The film peers deep into the wounds that soldiers retain from armed conflict, along with those who they carried into battle with them.
Lawrence plays Lynsey, who was working for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan when her vehicle was hit by an explosive, injuring her body and brain. From there, we watch Lynsey form new friendships with fellow Army Corps affected by the battle.
Looking to see Lawrence in-person, the best bet is at the film premiere on Sept. 10 at the Royal Alexandre theatre at 5:30 p.m., followed by Scotiabank Theatre on the 11th at 11:35 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., before concluding at the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales on the 15th at 3:00 p.m.
Zac Efron
Efron and Russell Crowe star in Peter Farrelly’s follow-up to Green Book, about a merchant seaman who accepted a bet to personally deliver a case of beer from New York to his army pals in Vietnam. In the film, Efron takes the challenge listed above, letting the crowd watch as he takes on a slew of events.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever will be played four times at a different theatre each day. First, the film goes to Roy Thomson Hall on the 13th at 6:00 p.m. for its premiere complete with red carpet and a chance for the much-coveted selfie with Efron. The film moves to TIFF Bell Lightbox and Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre on the 14th at 9:05 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Finally, it’s the last showing is on the 15th at the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales at 9:30 p.m.
Zac Efron stars in The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is in the city! Oprah is in the city! Yes, the one-and-only Oprah Winfrey is in Toronto and at TIFF in her role as producer of Sidney, a sweeping documentary portrait of the late, great actor Sidney Poitier. The film surveys his films, life story and litany of accomplishments. Poitier was both an artist and activist who forever changed what it means to be Black in America.
The film gets its premiere at Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 10 at 9:30 p.m., both TIFF Bell Lightbox and Royal Alexandra Theatre on Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., concluding at TIFF Bell Lightbox on Sept. 17 at noon.
Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser stars in the 1999 action-serial throwback, The Mummy, which is going to be shown at OLG Cinema Park at 10 p.m. on the 15th. The film details an adventurer’s journey to the City of the Dead, a concept which won this year’s TIFF tribute award.
The Whale is Fraser’s chance to give a career-defining performance as a reclusive English professor who struggles with personal relationships and self-acceptance, and his performance is already getting early Oscar buzz. The film will get its premiere on Sept. 11 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in King West at 5:30 p.m., so people should be ready to catch a glimpse of the star that day. The Whale also shows on the 12th at Scotiabank Theatre at 11:30 a.m.
Hugh Jackman
On Sept. 12 and 13, catch Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and Anthony Hopkins in The Son, a predecessor of The Father. The film captures a family’s struggle to support a teenager in the throes of a mental health crisis.
Want a chance to see The Wolverine up close and personal, the film gets its premiere at Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 12 at 9:00 p.m., followed by Scotiabank theatre and TIFF Bell Lightbox at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Hugh Jackman stars in The Son
Ewan McGregor
In Raymond & Ray, Ewan McGregor plays Raymond, a brother who finds himself adrift from his estranged sibling. The pair must reunite to bury their late father, which presents emotional challenges. Watch as the pair navigate their father’s idiosyncratic life, while slowly bonding in the meantime.
The film can be seen four times across the event’s time frame, starting with the premiere on Sept. 12 at Roy Thomson Hall at 6:00 p.m. where Obi-Wan will make an appearance alongside co-star Ethan Hawke. Then, on Sept. 13, the film can be seen at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales at 9:05 a.m. and 12 p.m. The show concludes at the Tiff Bell Lightbox on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m.
When Jess Allen joined The Social in its first year as a correspondent, she quickly garnered her own fan base. Viewers were excited when they turned on the TV to see her join the other hosts with her quick wit and commentary. Ahead of the 10th season of The Social, which premiered on Sept. 6, we asked Allen to share the details of how she met her longtime partner Simon Gadke.
How they met
I was working at Terroni on Queen, in the midst of a huge crush on a dishwasher who was eight years my junior and who was not Simon. I was feeling a little lost. OK, more than a little lost. Then one day this dishwasher’s friend showed up on the patio. He seemed mature.
“That’s nice,” I thought, “Here’s a guy who is older, also friends with the dishwasher but doesn’t seem that lost.” I was wrong about two things: Simon was eight years my junior and he was also a little lost.
The first date
We went for dinner at the old Swan restaurant on Queen Street. He ordered swordfish. I ordered beef short ribs. After, we ended up at the Vespa diner for a slice of cherry pie and coffee. Then I drove him home to his parent’s place. Why? Because he still lived with his parents.
The courtship
Our courtship took place over many months. We took tap dancing lessons, we played pool, we watched Marx Brothers movies and ’30s screwball comedies. Late one night, during a snowstorm, I drove over to his parents’ house, probably because he’d just picked up a copy of Horsefeathers from the library. Afterwards, we talked through the finer points of Chico, Harpo, and Groucho (Zeppo never came up). The tension was there when I was ready to head home to my little apartment. So, I very slowly put on my boots. My bulky, unwilling parka. My hat. My gloves. My scarf. Then I asked him if he thought it was absurd that I really liked him. He said no, and then he kissed me.
Realizing he’s “the one”
I can’t think of a specific moment, maybe because it often feels like our entire relationship has been a series of moments confirming that he’s it for me. Every time he makes me laugh, every time he and my mom talk about their shared love of Shelley teacups and old plate patterns and even the time I had a tank top on and he compared me to Linda Hamilton from Terminator 2…if Linda Hamilton had a sister who’d, you know, “lived a little.”
Shared hobbies and interests
There’s an old saying: the couple that Merchant-Ivorys together, stays together, and we’ve found this to be true. It’s also true of Real Housewiving, Below Decking and Drag Racing together. Our shared interests really run the gamut of high-low: from Coors Light to Barolo, from public pools to sailing on the Mediterranean, which, OK, we’ve only done once, but we hope one day it becomes a hobby.
Secret to success
We’re both good at being ridiculous and seeing our ridiculousness, so dinner talk is never dull. We also both share the same taste for extremely dry, crisp and minerally white wines. In short, it’s humour and white wine. In a little bit longer, it’s being comfortable with not necessarily having the answers to all the questions this life presents to us.
The future together
We joke that we will end up like two old Victorian ladies surrounded by their kitschy treasures, sitting in their overgrown garden wearing their moth-eaten-but-still-fabulous robes. But my true dream is that one day we can live part-time on the island of Crete in a stone house, close to the blue water for swims, sipping on crisp cold white wine, writing at our desks, hosting our friends who make the journey to stay with us and still being just a little lost. And still very much in love.
The Toronto bartending community is reeling after the loss of bartender Sandy De Almeida, a resident bartender at The Drake, who was known as a master mixologist and was a staunch cheerleader for Toronto’s cocktail scene.
Friends and colleagues took to social media to share their memories of De Almedia, and offer their condolences.
“The Canadian bar community has lost one of our brightest, realest members and we are absolutely heartbroken,” posted Bartender Atlas in an Instagram post. “Sandy De Almeida was an incredible human. The Toronto cocktail scene is what it is because of her,” the post goes on to say.
“When you have a great cocktail, think of her and her influence and insistence that Toronto must become a very good cocktail town,” posted Toronto restaurateur Jen Agg. “She did so much of the heavy lifting. I’ll miss you Sandy,” Agg concluded the post.
In a heartfelt tribute, May Brand, owner of Sweaty Betty’s spoke about their 20-year friendship and their creation of the iconic queer party, “Hump Day Bump,” at the Gladstone which she says became their legacy and something De Almeida was proud of.
“We felt relevant and we felt seen, and we felt a sense of community that some of us never had before. It was one of the highlights in my world, and the first time that I felt really part of something meaningful,” she wrote.
Rendering of GMUNK’s interactive installation at Psychedelics: The Experiential Exhibition.
Toronto is getting a new immersive exhibition dedicated entirely to psychedelic drugs.
Psychedelics: The Experiential Exhibition, which will explore the past, present and future of psychedelics, is set to open on Sept. 30 at the completely transformed Lithuanian House (1573 Bloor St. W.).
Dubbed a “unique audiovisual ‘edutainment’ experience, the exhibition will feature three floors of original works from 22 artists from around the world, including GMUNK, Clandestinos, Brotherhood of Light, and many more.
“We’re seeing significant change in the way psychedelic substances are used and perceived. The testimonials are undeniable: patients with serious mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, anxiety or addiction are trying psychedelic therapies — when nothing else has worked — and reporting life-altering benefits,” says James Drayton, the producer of Psychedelics: The Experiential Exhibition. “My goal with the show is to, first and foremost, provide guests with an entertaining and eye-opening experience. My hope is that it also encourages learning, dialogue, and ultimately, destigmatization.”
According to press information, the psychedelics exhibition will take visitors through a series of curated spaces, “each devoted to a different psychedelic substance and its historical or traditional uses.” The, ahem, trip begins in Ancient Greece with a psychoactive brew and continues straight through to Ken Kesey’s acid tests of the ’60s ending with an exploration of LSD’s current role as a promising therapy for mental health conditions.
The Joshua Light Show on the two platforms suspended off the rear theater wall at Fillmore East with their 2 tons of equipment. From left to right: Jane Rixmann, Cecily Hoyt, Bill Schwarzbach, Joshua White, Ken Richman. Above, Thomas Shoesmith.
Some of the show’s highlights include an immersive peyote installation by the Latin–Canadian artistic duo Clandestinos as well as a recreation of a 1960s Bay Area Acid Test, with mesmerizing liquid light visuals by Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead collaborators Brotherhood of Light and Liquid Light Lab.
The big feature of the exhibition is described as a “fully immersive audiovisual installation” by internationally renowned artist GMUNK. “The large-scale installation guides participants through a nine-minute ‘ayahuasca ceremony,’ channelled via a shamanic totem and featuring GMUNK’s signature lighting, sound, lasers, and projection mapping of the fully activated light sculpture.”
Seems interesting.
The exhibition runs Wednesdays through Sundays. For more information go to the Psychedelics Show website.
In her most formative years, Tamara Podemski lived for dance rehearsals. The Toronto-based actor and musician compares her school experience to the television show Fame.
“We were in dance clothes all the time. Yeah, it was that dramatic,” she says. “I can’t say the same about the academics. The academics just kind of fell to the side.”
From age eight until she graduated at 18, she attended the Claude Watson School for the Arts in North York, where she was surrounded by aspiring actors, musicians and visual artists. It was there that she performed a traditional Fancy Dance at an assembly in front of her peers — an experience she regards as “claiming her space” as an Indigenous performer for the first time. It’s also where she would meet her first talent agent, who would help her to secure a breakout role as Little Margaret in the Canadian drama film Dance Me Outside. But if you ask Podemski where her love for performing was first sparked, she’ll tell you it was at home.
“I had a family — and a grandmother in particular — who exposed me at a very early age to the performing arts,” she says. “That early influence blew my world open for me to know that this way of expressing myself in the world could bring a lot of joy and connection.”
Podemski is one of three sisters, and all attended the Claude Watson School for the Arts and went on to act professionally. Podemski describes her older sister Jennifer as a mentor and fierce protector. She strived to be the same for her younger sister, Sarah.
“I think, because the entertainment business is so isolating, it makes such a difference when you have people that you can trust,” she says. “Within Toronto there was also a very strong Indigenous arts community, and I grew up under their mentorship.”
Podemski’s artistic career has spanned three decades and includes a Broadway stint as Maureen Johnson in the Mirvish Production of RENT and a celebrated music career that led her to launch her own label and release three albums.
Podemski is known for her role of Deputy Sheriff Joy in Outer Range. And this past month, she appeared in season two of Reservation Dogs, which follows the exploits of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma. The season premiered in August in the U.S., and it’s now available to watch on Disney+ for Canadian viewers.
Podemski plays an onscreen best friend to her actual sister Sarah Podemski.
“I got to join the cast for two episodes in this incredible role of Teenie, who is coming back to the rez and grew up with all the parents of the main kids,” she says. “It was nice to be woven into the existing world already.”
L-R: Tamara Podemski as Teenie, Zahn McClarnon as Big in Reservation Dogs. Courtesy: Shane Brown/FX
Reservation Dogs boasts an all-Indigenous writers room, crew and regular cast. It is a celebration of legacy talent.
“To be on set and you look around the room, and you’re seeing Gary Farmer, you’re seeing Kimberly Guerrero, Sarah Podemski, Danis Goulet — it’s a wild picture.”
Podemski says Reservation Dogs does a good job of emulating what it’s like to grow up on a reservation. That in itself is a victory.
“To get authentic Indigenous representation on the screen, that for sure is a fight, but [there’s] also the beautiful journey of it and how integral it is to self-identify and express ourselves,” says Podemski. “When you’re given the opportunity to self-identify with no restrictions on how people think we should be, it is exercising such a freedom. And it’s pretty unmatched.”
With an extensive filmography under her belt, Podemski is now weighing what she would like to tackle next. She sees herself in comedic roles and aspires to transcend the BIPOC-focused roles she has historically been cast in.
She’s also considering how she wants to introduce her world to her eight-year-old son.
“[He] is just so talented,” she says. “So, how do you support that? And I think it is a really conscious choice for any parent who sees talent and their child. Where do you want to push? Where do you want to support? Where do you want to also protect?”
While Podemski thrived in the creative, performance-oriented environment she grew up in, she says it deregulated her in a way and left her without a lot of consistency and stability. It caused her to grow up fast.
At the same time, she has seen firsthand that her son will be coming up in a different world than she once did, among Indigenous actors, writers and directors who are shaping the landscape for the next generations.
“Watching this new generation that’s existing in a new time that certainly wasn’t around when I was younger, it’s just really inspiring and really empowering,” she says.
One of the most compelling Canadian films set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival is Black Ice, and not just because of its moving and important account of the Coloured Hockey League and the subsequent history of hockey in this country. It’s also the centre of a new $10 million lawsuit launched against its big-name producers Drake, Lebron James, and Future as reported in the New York Post yesterday.
Hockey is often dubbed Canada’s sport. Some consider it a cherished part of the country’s history, but many don’t know the whole story, and when filmmaker Hubert Davis read about the Coloured Hockey League, he knew he had to make a documentary about it. The result, Black Ice, is set for a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this month.
“Black Ice is a documentary about, kind of, retracing the steps of the untold story of the Coloured Hockey League in the Maritimes,” says Davis, who first found out about the league from the George and Darril Fosty book of the same name.
“And at the same time, it’s also covering, really, the black experience in hockey and so some of the systemic issues of racism that have existed in hockey and kind of continue to this day.”
The movie has the backing of Drake and LeBron James as executive producers and stars a number of well-known hockey players, including Wayne Simmons, Sarah Nurse and P. K. Subban. It’s those high-voltage names that Davis says helps documentary films such as Black Ice find a wider audience.
“Documentaries are not like these feature films at TIFF that have the Hollywood stars in them. And those are the people that help sell the film,” says the Toronto filmmaker, who is originally from Vancouver.
“So for documentaries, I think it’s really important when you get names like LeBron and Drake on because I think they give it the reach that it needs. I think it’s so integral that you have people like that to help get awareness — that’s always the hardest thing for docs.”
Davis has been making a serious name for himself as a documentarian for years now, including becoming the first Black Canadian nominated for an Academy Award for the documentary short Hardwood.
His most recent film before Black Ice was Giants of Africa — about Toronto Raptors’ president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri, and the Basketball Without Borders program — and also premiered at TIFF back in 2016.
One of the most surprising and important things that struck Davis, when confronted with the history of the Coloured Hockey League when he started working on the project, was just how far back in the country’s history it went.
“There is always a feeling of trying to find your place a bit and belonging and meaning and maybe not even realizing the extent of the Black contribution to Canada,” Davis says.
“So that’s really where it kind of felt personal for me. Like, there is a story there that goes back to the beginning, the roots of obviously hockey, but also just this country, that, to be honest, I didn’t really know that much about. So it was a bit of uncovering of those stories and wanting to share that.”
There’s something about the cool autumn air that makes us hungry. Maybe it’s the need to pack on some pounds before the snow sets in, or it’s finally cool enough to indulge in calorie-laden hot foods. Either way, we’re excited that so many excellent food festival options are happening this fall in the GTA.
Check out this list of our top 10 picks.
The Mac and Cheese Festival
There’s more to mac-and-cheese than meets the eye at The Mac & Cheese festival. This upcoming celebration of carbs and cheese happens from Sept. 9-11 at 500 Progress Ave. and is the ultimate celebration of a childhood fan favourite. You can expect plenty of mac and cheese creations and plenty of crowds, so head to the location early to snag a picnic bench.
Asialicious
A unique take on Toronto’s popular Summerlicious food festival is the AsialiciousTO food festival — a celebration of Asian food culture. It all happens from Sept. 11 to 26 when more than 100 restaurants, hotels, bubble tea shops, cafes and other foodie establishments participate with special menus and other promotional deals priced at $10, $20 or $30. Get the full lineup at the AsialiciousTO website.
Relish: The Foodie Event
This two-day, free event running Sept. 17-18 is happening at Etobicoke’s Cloverdale Mall and includes local food trucks serving up a variety of delish eats; artisanal market vendors, picnicking on the grass and food-themed activities for young ones. Also included is roller skating at the Cloverdale Roller Rink.
Georgetown Craft Beer Festival
Not quite Germany’s Oktoberfest but still a great way to sample some craft beers while munching on salty snacks. The Georgetown Craft Beer Festival includes craft beer and cider sampling, local food vendors, and entertainment in the heart of the countryside. Georgetown is about a 50-minute drive from the city and worth the trek to breathe in fresh country air while sipping some craft brews. We can’t think of a better way to spend a fall day, on Sept. 17!
Ontario Garlic Week
Did you know that Ontario produces an abundance of garlic? Chefs, farmers, and neighbourhood bars gather from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2 to celebrate this small vegetable with a bite. The details are not yet precise, but you can check back on the Garlic Week website for more information as the end of September draws near.
Burger Fest
Fet in the last few chars of the season at this year’s Burger Fest. Taking place from Sept. 23-25 at the Street Eats Market, we’re expecting a slew of burger options. Details are forthcoming, but we are thinking quadruple-stacked burgers with some whacky toppings and savoury sides. Keep your eyes on this website for more information.
All You Can Eataly
The Eataly marketplace will be closed on Sept. 30 so ticketholders can enjoy more than 15 local food stations and five bars, all assembling for a massive feast. Attendees can dine at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., or 7:30 p.m. for $186.45. With that price comes food, entertainment, free pours, pasta-making classes, and several other exclusive events. This is the first time that the ‘All You Can Eataly’ event has come to Toronto, and it’s one gourmet outing you don’t want to miss.
Poutine Festival
Few things are more comforting than a big bowl of fries with warm gravy and cheese, which is why the Poutine Festival in Scarborough is definitely worth the drive. This festival has seen some very creative poutine creations in years past, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store this year. This festival runs from Oct. 7 – 9 with more cheesy details to be announced soon here.
A Taste of Nigeria
Celebrate and learn about the culture of Nigeria by sampling some of this country’s food, entertainment, and crafts at the Taste of Nigeria festival on Oct. 16 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Royal Event Center on Gordon Mackay Road. Tickets to this event are $25 at the door and $12 presale (free for kids).
Oh My Gourd, It’s Fall!
This shopping and dessert festival in Oakville includes more than 90 vendors and a complete celebration of fall with sweets, food trucks, vendors, pumpkin painting and several other activities. Taking place at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Center on Oct. 29 and 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($3 per adult, kids enter for free), the ‘Oh My Gourd It’s Fall!’ festival sounds like the perfect way to spend a day (more details here).
With a full slate of in-person screenings, red carpets and more, the Toronto International Film Festival is celebrating the return of real, or should we say reel, life from Sept. 8 to 18.
Here’s a look at 10 real deal movies at this year’s fest.
1. Steven Spielberg has made personal films before but none are as intimate as The Fabelmans. In the film, the teenage Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) finds the power of movies and storytelling helps him deal with a family crisis. Spielberg’s youngest sister, Nancy, says the film is loosely based on their childhood but thinks the messaging is universal. “There is so much authenticity woven throughout,” she told the Jerusalem Post, “that it had me yearning for our parents and yearning for our childhood with big fat hot tears rolling down my cheeks. My parents are looking down at their four children and kvelling.”
2. The larger-than-life Spanish artist Salvador Dalí gets the big screen treatment in Dalíland, the closing night film of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Set in 1973, the film sees Ben Kingsley play the mercurial artist as his marriage to his muse Gala (Barbara Sukowa) begins to show its wear and tear. Director Mary Harron, whose husband John Walsh wrote the script, says the film is bittersweet but adds, “There’s a lot of comedy in it.”
3. The National Film Board of Canada says of Ever Deadly that it is a documentary look at Polaris Prize–winning musician Tanya Tagaq’s “transformation of sound with an eye to colonial fallout, natural f reedom and Canadian history.”To bring that to life, Tagaq who co-directed the documentary with filmmaker Chelsea McMullan, employs a mix of concert footage, excerpts from her novel Split Tooth, interviews that explore stories of pain and jubilation and illustrations and animation by Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona. “Ever Deadly is meant to be an experience, to flood over you and take you on a journey guided by a live performance for the ages,” says McMullan.
Ever Deadly
4. “I Like Movies is based on my experiences working at a Blockbuster Video in Burlington, Ontario, in the early 2000s,” says Toronto writer/director Chandler Levack. It’s the story of how movie obsessive Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) allows his love of film, dream of attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and anxiety to alienate the most important people in his life. The Toronto-based Levack, who studied cinema at the University of Toronto and screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre, is thrilled to be part of TIFF this year. “It is no exaggeration when I say premiering my first feature at TIFF 22 is the single greatest achievement of my life.”
5. Moonage Daydream promises a look into legendary artist David Bowie’s sound and vision like no other. It is an immersive look at the life and career of the legendary artist, which features previously unreleased footage from Bowie’s personal archives and is the first film to be officially authorized by the musician’s estate. A career as long and complex as Bowie’s can’t possibly be contained in a traditional doc, so Brent Morgen’s sensory approach is ideal to capture Bowie’s enigmatic magic.
6. At age 15, Cea Sunrise Person was working as a high-fashion model in Manhattan and Paris. North of Normal, the new film from director Carly Stone, tells the story of Person’s unconventional childhood with hippie mother Michelle, played by Sarah Gadon, and her journey f rom the wilderness of Alberta and British Columbia to the runways of the fashion world. “Cea’s memoir was gripping,” Gadon told Deadline, “and I knew Carly Stone was the perfect director to bring her story to the screen.”
North of Normal
7. Set against a background of wartorn Syria, The Swimmers, directed by Sally El Hosaini, tells the incredible and true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini, sisters who fled Damascus to find a new life and a chance at competing in the Olympics. The harrowing story of survival, which includes a dangerous voyage in a small boat packed with refugees across the Mediterranean Sea, was described by Cameron Bailey as “an exciting, epic journey and the arrival of an important filmmaker.”
8. Weird Al Yankovic has devoted his life’s work to parody, but the movie about his life is deadly serious. Not. Star Daniel Radcliffe jokingly says Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will feature, “the absolutely 100 per cent unassailably true story of Weird Al’s depraved and scandalous life.” With a script co-written by Yankovic himself, the biopic promises fun above all else. “When my last movie ‘UHF’ came out in 1989,” the Grammy-winning Yankovic said, “I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule.”
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
9. The epic The Woman Kingstars Academy Award winner Viola Davis as General Nanisca, of the Agojie, the all-female group of warriors who protect the West African kingdom of Dahomey. A 19th century tale of struggle and freedom, the movie essays heroism and the power of female alliances through interesting characters and spectacular action sequences as the Agojie battle against the Oyo and the Portuguese slave traders. The grueling preparation, Davis said, included, “weight training, sprinting, martial arts, and weaponry training for the machete.”
10. An all-star cast, Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, and Jessie Buckley, headline Sarah Polley’s latest directorial effort Women Talking. The film is based on a 2018 Miriam Toews novel of the same name, which was inspired by real-life sexual abuse that occurred at the ultraconservative Mennonite community Manitoba Colony in eastern lowlands of Bolivia. Social context themes of justice, autonomy and unanimity among victims collide in a movie that star Foy says is, “not like any other film anyone has made before.”
Chatting from his kitchen outside Lyon, France, chef Daniel Boulud, one of the most lauded chefs in the history of his profession, has a smile on his face when asked who does the cooking when his large family gathers around his table for a meal.
“I love the act of sharing with the ones you love,” he says serenely, as the sun shines through his big bay window where, in the background, there are rolling, golden fields. “There’s nothing quite like everyone sitting down together over a plate of something wonderful, so I generally get the task. I also don’t think anyone in the family wants to compete with me, that’s for sure.”
Daniel Boulud isn’t bragging, and he isn’t poking fun at his wife or the nearly 45 mouths he’ll feed later today from his firepit, where he loves grilling meat and fish and making vegetables on his wood-burning outdoor oven, beside his bocce pit. It’s more that the 67-year-old is semi-retired and enjoying the fruits of his longtime excellence in his profession, which includes not only the two-time Michelin-starred Daniel restaurant in New York, but eponymous outposts everywhere from Palm Beach to Dubai, from Singapore to Washington D.C.
On a recent Thursday night in Toronto, his Café Boulud in Yorkville, inside Yorkville Avenue’s Four Seasons Hotel, was an energetic room where patrons were devouring plates of lobster tagliatelle, rotisserie duck and warm madeleines. The restaurant, which is long and winding and warm, sits above the D-Bar, and Boulud says both restaurants will be doing something special this month for the Toronto International Film Festival.
“The energy of Toronto in September is unlike any place in the world,” he says, adding that unique local offerings to expect from him this month include oysters with caviar and crab stuffed with Canadian salmon.
Talking about the Michelin guide that is officially coming to Toronto, Boulud says, “I think the Michelin star is a huge step for Toronto and a sign the city is moving in the right direction.”
Boulud is sheepish about whether or not his own Toronto restaurant might be first up to win the prestigious award that he’s famous for. But he says the energy generated from the award’s arrival will inspire all of the local cooks. “I absolutely hope that one day we might earn the Michelin for Café Boulud—we might not be there yet, but every great food town has to have ambitions,” he says, then anoints the Toronto culinary scene as being on par with any place in the world.
“Toronto for a long time had to look south and look east — meaning they had to look to Europe, America and Asia for concepts, but it’s a testament to the young chefs who’ve worked so hard here for so long because now Toronto is where Americans and Europeans are looking to see what’s next,” he says.
In Toronto, Patrick Kriss — the owner of the highly praised Alo — got his start as a sous chef at New York’s Daniel restaurant, and Le Select (the buzziest new restaurant in town after it reopened this year following its closure in 2020) has Zachary Barnes in the kitchen, another local star who learned how to cook from Boulud.
“I’ve had so much great talent from Canada in my kitchens in New York, and I think of Carl Heinrich from Richmond Station and, of course, Patrick. I’m very proud of what he’s accomplished at Alo and think he’s tremendous,” says Boulud.
He adds that he remains excited by the cooking — and personality — of his friend Susur Lee.
“For 25 years Susur was the ambassador of Toronto and he still is,” Boulud says. “I love his energy and creativity and the videos are incredible that he makes with his son.”
The thought of chef Daniel Boulud watching Susur deconstruct Taco Bell on TikTok is startling, but Boulud says it’s important for restaurants to remain current, and he also wants to debunk the snooty fine dining air. Bouloud says he learned an important lesson during the pandemic, and that was to not take himself so seriously. There are financial goals at all of his restaurants, and supply chain issues and interest rates are impacting the bottom line of his business. Boulud is having trouble finding people to staff his global restaurants and says he’s feeling a burden unlike anything he’s felt before. But Boulud, reached at his farm outside Lyon, with a smile, says he feels gratitude. Cooking once did, and still does, stir his soul.
“I love what I do and think, if anything, that I learned to take a pause during COVID and reflect on how we operate as a business with compassion,” he says. “Compassion for our suppliers, our customers, our winemakers and foragers and for each other. We must do better for each other because there is no reward financially like the gift of serving something with love.”
Nicholas Latifi (CDN) Williams Racing.
French Grand Prix, Saturday 23rd July 2022. Paul Ricard, France.
Toronto’s Nicholas Latifi overcame incredible odds to earn his spot on the Formula 1 race circuit.
To become a professional hockey player, you’re competing against thousands for around 700 spots in the National Hockey League. Not even remotely easy. But to become a professional Formula 1 driver? You’re competing against thousands for 20 spots — no more, no less. Since 2020 one of those coveted spots has belongs to Latifi.
He and racer Lance Stroll from Montreal get the honour of being the only Canadian drivers to enter F1 in over 20 years.
For most professional race car drivers, their career started a decade before they could legally drive. But Latifi, now a household name among Formula 1 fans, was already 13 by the time he took a liking to the sport.
“The reason why I got into karting [a road racing variant] is because I enjoyed it. I found it really, really fun. I got into it without the intention of ever pursuing it as a career,” says the 27-year-old over a Zoom call
He would go on to kart all around Ontario, slowly developing a love for the sport. However, at that time, it was nothing more than a fun hobby to him.
It wasn’t until he began tasting success that Latifi quickly shot up the ranks from Formula 3, then Formula Renault 3.5, and finally Formula 2 in Europe and beyond. By this time, Latifi was still continuing his grade school studies at Crescent School in Toronto. However, he would spend his last year and a half online as he travelled and won races.
In high school, he had to decide what meant more to him — growing up with a “normal” childhood or his career?
“It’s a very important question that I’ve asked myself a lot. Naturally, with pursuing something at a high level, there are sacrifices,” he says. “My life and my social circle slowly shifted away from the friends I had at school and moved toward people in the racing world. In my teenage years, I definitely missed out on a lot. You know, social gatherings, parties every now and then, I would be at none of these.”
While attending Crescent School, Latifi says, “The nine years I spent here were a real privilege.” His former headmaster, Michael Fellin, says that Latifi was the “pioneer of remote learning” as he attempted to balance his fast-paced racing career with his studies.
Latifi is more than just a pioneer in the online education space. He represents a small category of Canadian athletes who were able to make it out of the country, compete at the highest level and make a global name for themselves. Latifi has noticed the sport growing across North America in the past few years as education and awareness have gone up drastically.
Nicholas Latifi (CDN) Williams Racing FW44. Hungarian Grand Prix, Sunday 31st July 2022. Budapest, Hungary.
Formula 1 has shot up in popularity, potentially topping 1 billion fans worldwide this year. Although Netflix’s Drive to Survive series deserves credit, the allure of rivalry and competition is the reason why fans are flocking to the sport.
Prior to 2020, Torontonians, who had no real skin in the game, sat back and cheered on the sports contributors. However, after stints with two different teams, Williams Racing gave a homegrown talent the chance to take a seat on its team. And on the opening day of the 2020 season, Nicholas Latifi heard the infamous words of British sportscaster David Croft.
“Lights out, and away we go.”
Before Latifi got his big break, he says he had his best experiences driving cars in Formula 2. “My years in Formula 2, particularly 2017 and 2019, were really enjoyable. They were more competitive years, always fighting for podiums, so that was cool.”
In the years leading up to Latifi’s time at Williams, he would serve as a test driver for Renault and Force India in Formula 1. His flair and ability to adapt allowed teams to gather data quickly and proved to both teams and himself that he deserved a seat on an F1 team.
In 2019, Williams signed Latifi as a reserve driver. However, Latifi would spend the majority of his time racing in Formula 2 for DAMS, which would turn out to be his final campaign.
After claiming four wins, eight podiums and the Vice Champion of F2 title, Latifi was given the nod to replace Robert Kubica, one of Williams’ drivers at the time. Since then, Latifi has maintained his seat on the grid through multiple seasons.
Latifi chose the number 6 at the start of his rookie season, a reference to the city he calls home. “It’s where I’m from, where I was raised, and the city I’m proud to be representing,” he wrote on his website.
But Latifi has only spent a total of eight days back home since he began driving F1, a fleeting break for the driver who predominantly spends his time in London, England. But feeling homesick is part and parcel of being a young racer with an international dream
Since achieving his dream, Latifi has been focused on helping others achieve their own.
“The biggest thing is the sport is not very accessible,” Latifi says. “We need to bring the costs down at the grassroots level. It’s not like playing soccer or tennis or basketball, where you need a ball, a pair of shoes and that’s about it.… With karting, you need to potentially drive hours from where you live, have the kart, the tires, the fuel and the time.”
Nicholas Latifi (CDN) Williams Racing. Hungarian Grand Prix, Saturday 30th July 2022. Budapest, Hungary.
Latifi was one of the luckier ones —his father, Michael Latifi, is the CEO of Sofina Foods Inc., and his mother, Marilena, was born into the Saputo family, of dairy company Saputo Inc. fame. Sofina Foods has remained a major sponsor for Latifi since his career took off.
Down the line, Latifi hopes the sport continues to grow, allowing kids to begin karting under much more affordable circumstances. Toronto is home to select go-kart tracks, and local drivers can race under TRAK, a registered and non-profit corporation that is tied directly to the FIA (Formula racing’s governing body).
As Latifi’s contract expires at the end of 2022, he is hoping to score his first points of the year at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sept. 4. His FW22 chassis just got a new set of upgrades that Latifi utilized in a rapid performance, which landed him the final qualifying round for the first time in his career. Need for speed, indeed.
Jay Carter and Susan Beckett, the team behind one of Toronto’s most beloved restaurants, are back with a new restaurant dubbed Dotty’s. And it sounds like a picture-perfect neighbourhood bistro.
Chef Carter last helmed the kitchen at the bistro Dandylion, considered by some to be one of the best in the city. Sadly, the restaurant was forced to close during the pandemic.
In 2019, Dandylion was named best in the city in Streets of Toronto’s list of the top 50 restaurants in the city, as voted by Toronto’s top chefs and restaurateurs.
“Few chefs in this city have an approach to food as unique and humble as Jay Carter. I admire the thoughtfulness put into the food,” said Grant van Gameren, in the article.
Dandylion was also named the sixth-best restaurant in the country by Canada’s 100. Carter worked under chef Susur Lee at the beginning of his career in Toronto, both at the long-time chef’s eponymous restaurant Susur as well as Lee before taking over the kitchen at the former midtown landmark Centro.
Dotty’s is now open at 1588 Dupont St. and, according to a social media post on the old Dandylion Instagram page, “Dotty’s is a relaxed neighbourhood spot where you can snack on pimento cheese dip with Ritz crackers. There are snacks, sides, main plates and desserts.”
Although this neighbourhood bistro sounds like a wonderful new addition, there is no phone service or reservations just yet. Dotty’s is open from 4:30 until 9:30 Tuesday through Saturday. Oh, and there isn’t a sign either, and patrons are asked to enter via the side door on Franklin Street.
The restaurant, at the corner of Dupont and Franklin, is named after Beckett’s Mom, according to the post, who owned a restaurant when Beckett was a child.
“Dotty is my mom! She and my Dad ran a restaurant long before me. And they were good to people,” she wrote.
The post also noted that there is lots of wine, which will surely be wonderfully curated by sommelier Beckett, as well as tasty cocktails and “beers our Dad’s drink.”
Apparently, plans are afoot on another place a block away.
anada’s most trusted authorities on style and fashion, Jeanne Beker has covered the industry for more than 30 years. Now watch her in her current style editor role on TSC’s Style Matters with Jeanne Beker or tune into her new podcast Beyond Style Matters, available wherever you get your podcasts.
