By Bolarinwa Akande
Organisers of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), have announced that award-winning actor Al Pacino is on their list of honorees for the 39th edition of the festival.
The platform, according to Maxine Bailey, VP of Advancement at TIFF, will enable the actor to take a look back at his distinguished career at the third annual TIFF Gala, an exclusive charity event which will kick off the festival.
Bailey further revealed that the on-stage conversation with Mr. Pacino will be followed by a glamorous cocktail dinatoire, musical performances, a live auction and more. The event takes place at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 3, 2014 at 7 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to have Al Pacino participate in our third annual TIFF Gala,” said Bailey. “This important event raises much-needed funds that allow TIFF to continue our free year-round activities like Reel Comfort, a programme that brings films and special guests to mental health patients at Toronto hospitals, and Pocket Fund, which provides subsidies for children and families who would otherwise be unable to participate in our educational and cultural programming.”
For Lisa de Wilde, Chair of TIFF’s Board of Directors, “This year’s event is sure to be a party like no other.” She revealed that, “in its first two years, the TIFF Gala has raised more than $1 million to help fund our philanthropic activities. Whether you’re an Al Pacino fan, a film lover or are just looking for a unique and inspirational night out, we encourage audiences to join us and show their support for TIFF.”
Al Pacino, an eight-time Academy Award nominee, stars in two films in official selection at the festival: Manglehorn andThe Humbling.
After having received Best Actor nominations for And Justice for All, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon andSerpico, Pacino won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Scent of a Woman. He also won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in HBO’s award-winning adaptation of Angels in America. Pacino who made his professional acting debut off-Broadway, has won two Tony awards and received the Cecil B. De Mille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press in 2001. Pacino directed and starred in the film Looking for Richard, a meditation on Shakespeare’s Richard III, for which he received the Outstanding Directorial Achievement For a Documentary award from the Director’s Guild of America. In June 2007, he received AFI’s highest honor for a career in film, the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. Pacino recently directed an independent documentary based on Oscar Wilde’s Salome, titled Wilde Salome.
Organisers say proceeds from the Gala enable TIFF to continue creating and inspiring a community of engaged film-lovers, and supporting the careers of emerging filmmakers through a variety of year-round programmes at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Tickets to the TIFF Gala are $1,500, an equivalent of N243, 825.