TIFF 2012: Film Festival Also Marks Festival of Fundraising Events

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is world-renowned for its movie premieres and hosting the elite of the film industry but this time of year is also becoming known as a festival for charity galas as well. TIFF is the “leading public film festival in the world, screening more than 300 films from 60+ countries every September.” The fundraising events and galas taking place at the same time as this prestigious festival are expected to raise up to $4 million and that is helped by the celebrity involvement which is only possible by virtue of TIFF happening. Today I’m highlighting a few of the larger fundraising events taking place during TIFF 2012.

• TIFF itself is a nonprofit and is joining in with a fundraising gala of its own by hosting the first Friends of TIFF event held on the 8th of September and taking place at the lakeside Corus Quay building. The evening will boast a James Bond theme and is a way for TIFF to promote the exhibition opening at TIFF Bell Lightbox in October. Up until this year, TIFF never wanted to “take advantage” of the good mood and the major players attending their event. Warren Spitz, president of UCS Forest Group and a TIFF board member, explained the inaugural event “We are a charity, so why not us? We needed to move forward and this is a way of generating revenue. We wanted to create a special evening for our supporters, people who love TIFF as a renowned institution that does a lot of other great things besides the festival.” Though Spitz is tight lipped about which celebrities will be attending this event, he does promise that there will be star power present.
•  Founder and Oscar-winning writer-director Paul Haggis’ Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) Brunch benefiting Haiti will be held on September 8th as well. The event takes place at the University of Toronto, President’s Estate and the organization’s “immediate goal is to build schools to serve the poorest areas of Haiti, providing an education, hot meals, clean drinking water and regular medical treatments to the children living in the slums.” Previous attendees include actors John Hamm, James Franco, Gerard Butler, Susan Sarandon and this year’s event will also be a star-studded event.
•  On September 9th, Grammy winner Elton John will lead the fight against AIDS at M*A*C* Viva Glam Fashion Cares marking the silver anniversary of this iconic event. Held at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, “Fashion Cares 25: A Night of Glitter and Light, will present a dazzlingly theatrical evening of entertainment, fashion, and philanthropy. The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) have partnered to make this the most memorable Fashion Cares to date.”  Hosted by Linda Evangelista and Dean & Dan Caten of DSQUARED2, the gala will also include David Furnish, Molly Johnson, Billy Newton Davis and Carole Pope amongst other talent. Designers Vivienne Westwood, Greta Constantine, Pink Tartan, Gareth Pugh, Manish Aurora and DSQUARED2 will be showcasing their looks. As well, a striking selection from the costume archives of Elton John will be on display. There will also be a 2,000 plus concert event featuring Elton John, Scissor Sisters, Janelle Monae and Sky Ferreira.

  FASHION CARES 2012

  [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUksHEHqe34[/youtube]

•  Ontario’s Stratford Festival is hosting a fundraiser at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which is paying tribute to Dame Maggie Smith on September 10th. The Downton Abbey star was a member of Stratford for four seasons and is in Quartet, a movie directed by Dustin Hoffman, having its premiere at TIFF. Smith will be receiving a legacy award at the event presented by 2011 honouree, Christopher Plummer.
•  The Best Buddies Fundraiser, an Evening with the Stars, is honouring James Earl Jones this year and is one of the longest running and most profitable charity events of the TIFF season. The September 12th Benefit helps those with intellectual disabilities and takes place at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

It’s great that so many important events are scheduled during TIFF so that visiting celebrities are able to attend and lend their support for some very worthy causes to increase awareness and add validity to the event which translates into fundraising dollars. Perhaps more nonprofits should consider piggybacking off such events and taking advantage of the celebrity influence if it’s within their realm.

We will be featuring some of the stars that will be in town for TIFF and exploring the charities they champion in posts over the next couple of weeks.

Happy TIFF’ing and giving Toronto.

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