by: Alana Brown-Davis
As the week of the Toronto International Film Festival approaches in the fall, Tribute honorees have been announced. This year, the film festival enters its fifth decade, marking a renowned celebration of film and artistic celebration. TIFF honors several creatives at their Tribute Awards each year. This year, those honorees will be Jodie Foster, Guillermo del Toro, HIKARI, and Lee Byung-Hun.
This Year’s Honorees
del Toro will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award for 2025. His film “Frankenstein” will screen at TIFF following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. Previous recipients of this award have been Spike Lee, Mike Leigh, Chloe Zhao, Denis Villeneuve.
Foster was chosen for the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award. This award goes to women in the industry who have been intentional about helping and collaborating with other women. Foster comes to TIFF with ‘A Private Life’, following its Cannes Film Festival debut.
Writer/director HIKARI will take the TIFF Emerging Talent Award. HIKARI’s feature film ‘Rental Family’ will have its world premiere at TIFF. Honorary chair member Brendan Fraser starred in ‘Rental Family’.
Lee Byung-Hun will get the TIFF Special Tribute Award recognizing his work in South Korean and Hollywood films. Byung-Hun recently starred in the Netflix hits ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ and ‘Squid Games’.
“We’re thrilled to announce this year’s recipients, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape: from the commanding talent of Lee Byung Hun; the visionary imagination of maestro Guillermo del Toro; the evocative storytelling of HIKARI; to the incomparable career of actor, filmmaker, and icon Jodie Foster. We’re honoured to welcome these exceptional artists to Toronto for the seventh annual Tribute Awards,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a statement. “We’re also delighted to welcome back Brendan Fraser, our 2022 Tribute Performer Award recipient, as this year’s Honorary Chair, a beloved artist and past honouree whose warmth, generosity, and passion for storytelling truly embody the spirit of our Festival.”
Other Honors at TIFF
Actor Brendan Fraser was chosen to be this year’s Honorary Chair. Following the news, he made a statement saying, “I’m honoured to return to Toronto once again and to the TIFF Tribute Awards, this time not as a recipient, but as this year’s Honorary Chair,” Fraser said. “TIFF has been meaningful to me and to be in this role during the Festival’s landmark 50th edition is a privilege. TIFF continues to champion the kind of bold storytelling that brings people together, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this year’s Tribute recipients.”
Since 2019, the TIFF Tribute Awards have honored distinguished achievements in filmmaking. The awards operate as a fundraiser with ticket sales going towards various TIFF initiatives.
Follow for more news at Famease Media.