The 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is considered one of the most influential film festivals in the world today. Running from September 10th to 19th, this annual celebration of cinema and culture attracts some of the most recognized actors, directors, executives and critics from around the globe, not to mention the thousands of passionate cinemaphiles intent on viewing the finest works that Hollywood, independent studios and international filmmakers have to offer. A special tribute to last-year's TIFF-premiered Bollywood blockbuster, Slumdog Millionaire, starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and directed by Danny Boyle, is also planned for this year's festival.
Of course, the best place to catch a glimpse of Hollywood royalty during the festival is in the trendy, tony downtown Toronto neighbourhood known as Yorkville. Going one step further, HotTorontoDeals.com is pleased to bring our visitors the inside scoop on some of the finest Toronto hotels and restaurants where celebrity sightseeing will be at a premium. We begin with a list of several local luxury hotels (and the name of the in-house bar/restaurant) that always seem to attract the lion's share of A-list Hollywood celebrities come festival time:
Four Seasons Hotel (Avenue Bar & Lounge) - 21 Avenue Road
The Hazelton Hotel (One Restaurant) - 118 Yorkville Avenue
Park Hyatt Hotel (The Roof Lounge & Morton's Steakhouse) - 4 Avenue Road
The Sutton Place Hotel (TIFF Press Conferences at the back, Bistro 990 across the street and Accent's inside the hotel) - 955 Bay Street
Le Meridien King Edward Hotel (Victoria's) - 37 King Street East
Yorkville has many choices for a quick bite, Hemingway's, the Sushi Inn (both on Cumberland) and check out the new chocolate bar, Moroco's! And now a list of popular Toronto fine dining establishments where Hollywood bigwigs typically choose to chow down when in town:
Sassafraz - 100 Cumberland Street
Bistro 990 - 990 Bay Street (across from Sutton Place Hotel)
Rosewater Supper Club - 19 Toronto Street
Ultra Supper Club - 314 Queen Street West
Spice Route - 499 King Street West (try the Wasabi Shrimp! the later you stay, the cooler the place and guests get)
Hundreds of Hollywood and international movie stars are scheduled to make an appearance at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, among them:
George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Drew Barrymore, Mariah Carey, Penelope Cruz, Megan Fox, Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Keanu Reeves, Colin Farrell, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Spacey, Snoop Dogg, Atom Egoyan, Edward Norton, Liam Neeson, Nicolas Cage, Noami Watts and many more.
Free festival festivities at Yonge-Dundas Square:
Everyone is invited to attend Yonge-Dundas Square for a series of free screenings, concerts, guest appearances and special events during TIFF. For a schedule of free live events at Yonge-Dundas Square,
click here for a link to the 2009 TIFF homepage and scroll down to the bottom of the page. 2009 Toronto International Film Festival links: For a link to the 2009 TIFF homepage,
click here.For a complete list of 2009 TIFF films and public viewing schedules,
click here.
For information on ordering tickets to 2009 TIFF screenings,
click here.For a complete list of 2009 TIFF contests and special promotions,
click here.The Toronto Star has a great interactive map of TIFF hotspots,
just click here.And for a comprehensive map of 2009 TIFF theatres, box office locations, restaurants and hotels,
click here.