TIFF 50: Where to find the stars during Toronto's film festival

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As the Toronto International Film Festival gears up for its 50th year, starting Thursday and running until Sept. 14, stargazers are also getting ready for the arrival of A-listers.

Among those celebrities expected to attend are Angelina Jolie, Channing Tatum, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jodie Foster, Ryan Reynolds, Scarlet Johansson, Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Matthew McConaughey, and Russell Crowe.

Veteran Toronto entertainment blogger Will Wong says that aside from the red carpets — more on that later — a lot of the star sightings correspond with hotels hosting portrait studios or with restaurants or bars hosting parties.

“The Bisha Hotel (on Blue Jays Way), it was the one that had the biggest crowd last year,” said Wong, of mrwillwong.com, who’s now on his 16th official year at TIFF.

“They’re hosting Deadline, they have a portrait studio, where pretty much any major star is going to go through there. They’re going to have free popcorn for people outside. They’ll have stanchions where people can stand behind to see the stars coming in and out.”

Wong says another major star destination will be Campari Cinema Center, on King St. W., just west of Spadina Ave.

“They’re going to have Collider’s (media studio) there (during the day) and they’re hosting tons of parties like at (the after hours champagne bar) Discreta.”

Wong noted nightclub kingpin Charles Khabouth’s INK entertainment is home to many TIFF soirees this year inside Portland Square (at King and Portland Sts.) including restaurants like Primadonna and Honey.

Other restaurants like Beso by Patria and Vinny, both on King St. W., and the steakhouse Animl on Wellington St. will be privy to stars comings and goings as will Soluna on Queen St. W. where Letterboxd will “have stars coming throughout the day.”

The newly opened Nobu hotel and restaurant, and a new outpost of the steakhouse Jacobs and Co., will also host celebrities, as will the Four Seasons uptown in Yorkville.

“They’re really making a comeback this year,” said Wong of the Four Seasons, highlighting that they’re hosting the Vanity Fair party.

Wong will also again be using the AI app Gemini Live on his Google Pixel phone to help him plan star sightings and movie watching.

“It was so easy,” he said of the app. “ It just cut down on time. I just tell it, ‘I want to see this. I want to see these stars.’ And it spat everything out for me. Gemini Live, it changed everything for me. AI let’s you do that kind of stuff.”

Otherwise, there’s the usual outposts of red carpet arrivals at Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales, and Royal Alex Theatre.

However, multi-level corporate booths with sponsors like Rogers and RBC surround Roy Thomson — requiring customer status with a rush line for the public — and have largely become the way to see those celebrities.

This year there is also a change in the fan zones at the trio of theatres with Ticketmaster releasing free passes at noon each day in order to enter. Fans are able to sign up for one pass per screening with a rush line for no-shows.

Wong recalls how it wasn’t long ago at past festivals that “you could just walk up to the red carpet on the street like last minute.

“That is definitely different this year. It’s a lot more structured. The sure thing is the Ticketmaster way. That’s how you’re getting on the carpet this year.”

And if the lines aren’t your thing, Festival Street — which closes King St. W. to pedestrian-only traffic between University Ave. and Peter St. from Thursday to Sunday — might offer up a spontaneous star-sighting or two.

Happy TIFF!

jstevenson@postmedia.com