The HFPA and InStyle held their annual, always elegant Toronto Film Festival soiree on Sept. 9 in the Windsor Arms, where the steady arrival of leading ladies and gentlemen ensured that the boutique hotel’s orchid-festooned courtyard and more intimate Living Room bar were humming with conversation—easily conducted thanks to voice-preserving music levels (a rarity at most Toronto shindigs).
Jessica Chastain was all smiles following the well-received afternoon world premiere of “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.” “Prisoners” exec producer Mark Wahlberg, a Toronto regular who just opened an eatery in town, looked relaxed and right at home. And director Keanu Reeves and his “Man of Tai Chi” co-star stuntman-turned-thesp Tiger Chen kept their kung fu moves in check, as they warmed up for the film’s Tuesday world premiere.
While there were many familiar faces—Eli Roth (“The Green Inferno”), Juliette Lewis (August: Osage County”) and Mads Mikkelsen among them—the event has always been about emerging talent, in abundant supply Monday night. Caitlin Stasey, star of Midnight Madness opener “All Cheerleaders Die,” said she has traded in her pom-poms for period dress, and is now in Toronto shooting the TV series “Reign” with fellow cast members Toby Regbo and Celina Sinden, who also dropped by.
