On September 10, the Toronto International Film Festival hosted its fifth annual TIFF Tribute Awards gala fundraiser, presented by Bulgari, in Toronto.

The Red Carpet and awards gala were held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Honourees this year were as follows:

• Pedro Almodóvar, Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant
• Patricia Arquette, TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award
• Colman Domingo, TIFF Tribute Performer Award
• Vicky Krieps, TIFF Tribute Performer Award
• Andy Lau, Special Tribute Award
• Spike Lee, TIFF Ebert Director Award
• Shawn Levy, Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award presented by The Budman Family
• Carolina Markowicz, TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by MGM Studios
• Łukasz Żal, TIFF Variety Artisan Award

Some of the award recipients also had feature presentations at the Festival this year. This included Arquette who stars in and directed Gonzo Girl, Krieps who stars in The Dead Don’t Hurt, Almodovar who participated in TIFF’s In Conversation With… series and presented his latest short feature film Strange Way of Life, Domingo who stars in Rustin, Lau who also participated in the In Conversation With… series and stars in The Movie Emperor, and Shawn Levy who directed All The Light We Cannot See.

A particular highlight was the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, presented by Bulgari. This award recognizes a woman who is a leader in the film industry and who has made a positive impact on other women throughout their career. It was inspired by TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative, created a few years ago to address gender parity in the film industry, champion women at every stage of their creative journey, and shine a spotlight on women creators making a significant difference.

“We take great pride in recognizing Patricia Arquette’s remarkable contributions both in front of and behind the camera, as exemplified by the Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award and the premiere of her directorial debut, Gonzo Girl, at the Festival,” said TIFF’s CEO Cameron Bailey. “Being one of Hollywood’s most audacious talents, Patricia consistently challenges conventions and elevates the discourse on salary equity for women through her influential platform.”

Arquette’s career has spanned genres and decades in film and television, from her breakout role in Tony Scott’s True Romance, to her performances in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, David Lynch’s Lost Highway and Richard Linklater’s Boyhood.

This year, her directorial debut Gonzo Girl, stars Willem Dafoe and Camila Morrone, both of whom were also in attendance at the Festival and the Awards ceremony. The film is based on Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical novel chronicling her time as Hunter S. Thompson’s personal assistant.

Both Arquette and Dafoe opted to wear elegant Bulgari pieces for the Red Carpet. Arquette shined in a Serpenti necklace in 18 kt white gold, set with full pavé diamonds, which she paired with a High Jewelry Serpenti bracelet in white gold with 2 pear emeralds. She also chose a pair of diamond Serpenti earrings and ring to finish off her look for this special night. Meanwhile, Dafoe opted for an Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days watch in titanium with mechanical manufacture ultra-thin movement and openwork dial.

The Tribute Awards gala is TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser. Presented by Bulgari, it has raised $1.3 million in 2022. This year, the gala will support the Viola Desmond Cinema campaign, which was launched through the Every Story Fund in 2022.

Red Carpet highlights