TORONTO — The 50th Toronto International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday with stargazers roaming the streets and cinephiles chasing the hottest tickets, as organizers readied the red carpet for a look at the life of John Candy.
The late comedian's family is set to appear at the opening night of “John Candy: I Like Me,” alongside executive producer Ryan Reynolds and director Colin Hanks.
They're among the Hollywood heavyweights attending the festival over the next 11 days, with Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves, Sydney Sweeney and Dwayne Johnson also on the guest list.
Reynolds and Hanks held court at an afternoon press conference to discuss their documentary about the Canadian comedy hero, which includes interviews with a who’s-who of comic stars, including Conan O’Brien, Martin Short, Steve Martin and Bill Murray.
Candy’s son and daughter were also on hand to pay tribute to their famous dad, who died at age 43 in 1994 after suffering a heart attack while filming in Mexico.
"It's great to be back in Toronto and (his) hometown,” Jennifer Candy said.
“It's the perfect place to debut and premiere the documentary, surrounded with all of our friends and family and all the people who loved our dad."
In the morning, some film buffs waited outside the Lightbox to grab tickets to an edgy world premiere starring U.K. pop singer Charli XCX titled “Erupcja,” which nobody seemed able to pronounce with any certainty. The indie film was set to screen that afternoon.
Ben Jeffries was one of the first in the rush line. He hoped that by showing up six hours early, he might get one of the last seats inside the cinema.
“I'm a huge fan of Charli," he said.
"And I have been dying to … commit myself to one movie and meet new people. I'm happy to be standing around in the middle of the festival. I feel like I'm a part of it.”
One of the friends Jeffries met was aspiring filmmaker Michael Ashby, who flew from Sebring, Fla., with plans to outdo his experience at last year's TIFF when he caught 28 films and got hooked on the scene.
"(That) was my first festival," Ashby, 21, said. "And then I did Sundance online, the Florida Film Festival in Miami, Cannes, and now I'm back here."
Ashby showed up on opening day sporting a white T-shirt that read "Joachim Trier Summer." It was identical to the one famously worn by actress Elle Fanning on the red carpet of Cannes earlier this year, and a reference to both Charli's "Brat Summer" and Norwegian filmmaker Trier, whose Oscar contender "Sentimental Value" is also screening at the fest.
This year’s milestone edition of TIFF will feature 291 films from around the world, with Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein" and Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” among the buzziest crowd-pleasers.
Also in the lineup are some politically charged films, including "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk," about a Palestinian photojournalist who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in April, as well as "The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue," which follows a retired Israeli soldier who saved his family during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
The festival runs through Sept. 14, when it closes with the People’s Choice Awards — a prize often seen as an early predictor of Oscar success.
— With files from David Friend
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
