Last month, I attended one of the most high-profile events at the Toronto International Film Festival, hosted by Armani.
The afternoon of Sept.6, saw the premiere of Films of City Frames, a film that combined cinema with fashion. This Giorgio Armani’s initiative was created through the fictional universe built around Armani’s sunglasses from the Frames of Life line. The evening portion of the event hosted a number of local and international celebrities, as well as VIP media members to celebrate this film project. It was held at the CN Tower, with a black carpet, and dozens of men in black suits alongside, greeting guests and escorting them to the 360-degree view restaurant at the top of the tower.
Armani continues his legacy of supporting emerging talent in cultural arts, from fashion to cinema, with this comprehensive joint project. Films of City Frames is an initiative created in collaboration with Luxottica and Rai Cinema. The concept of the project involves the work of six prestigious schools around the world, from New York to Hong Kong — NYU, Tisch School of the Arts (NYC); USC, School of Cinematic Arts (LA); NFTS, National Film and Television School (London); Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (Rome); Grupe Esra (Paris); and The Hong Kong Academy of the Performing Arts (Hong Kong). The students at these schools were asked to create short films that featured frozen moments, metropolitan landscapes and various emotional situations, using Frames of Life glasses as a perceptual filter.
Armani himself said the following about the concept: “It is exciting to place this aspiring filmmakers’ project alongside the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, which has long been a launching pad for so many important global films. TIFF and Toronto are both world-class. Bringing young formative cinema talent to Toronto is in perfect focus for me.” This year, Armani also supported TIFF as a festival sponsor, specifically as part of the Festival Street.
The cocktail party on Sept.6 was hosted by Roberta Armani and Academy Award-winning producer and director Edward Zwick. Roberta was all smiles all night and we briefly chatted about her visit to Toronto. She looked radiant, with her hair sleeked back, wearing an elegant black dress. She also posed with various celebrities on the black carpet throughout the night.
Photos by Aleyah Solomon
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