It’s almost time to stake out a seat on your favourite “star gazing patio”. All of the stars will be out from September 4th – September 13th for the Toronto International Film Festival. Yorkville will be THE place to be. Prime hunting ground for autograph hounds or star gazers will be the Four Seasons Hotel, the Windsor Arms Hotel, the Hazelton Hotel, and the Park Hyatt Hotel. Toronto becomes so celebrity obsessed during the festival that at times it is even difficult to walk on the street in front of these hotels, let alone get into the bar for a drink. Some of the favourite restaurant hangouts for the stars have been Sassafraz on Bellaire Street, Joso’s on Davenport and Avenue Roads, Bistro 990 on Bay Street, and Hemingway’s on Cumberland Street where Russell Crowe got into one of his more famous altercations. American actors flock to La Casa del Habano, a Mecca for Cuban cigar lovers, on Yorkville Avenue.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is of such importance that it is the festival of choice for many world premieres.
• Charles Martin Smith’s action-comedy “Stone of Destiny.”
• Rian Johnson’s “The Brothers Bloom,” starring Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo
• Stephen Elliot’s U.S.-British co-production “Easy Virtue,” starring Colin Firth, Jessica Biel and Kristin Scott Thomas
• Michael Winterbottom’s “Genova,” starring Colin Firth and Hope Davis
• Richard Linklater’s “Me and Orson Welles”
• Francois Dupeyron’s “Aide-toi et le ciel t’aidera”
• Rithy Panh’s “Un Barrage center le pacifique.”

For a complete list of films, follow the link below.
http://www.tiff08.ca/boxofficeinfo/default.aspx
The TIFF box office is located in the Manulife Centre at 55 Bloor Street West. For ticket information follow the link below. http://www.tiff08.ca/boxofficeinfo/default.aspx

Have you seen any famous people during TIFF? Where are your favourite people watching locations?