By Mr. Will Wong
And in a blink of an eye, another TIFF has passed and this one had us working right to the finish line! It’s only after the fact that we have a moment to take it all in how much we went through. We estimate double our average in Celebrity Snaps this year. That’s how star-studded TIFF ’18 was. It was that kind of a year!
We had the pleasure of previewing several of this year’s Awards Season contenders and we are waiting with baited breath to see A STAR IS BORN and GREEN BOOK, both outstanding, duke it out for Oscars glory in coming months. We loved both, are thrilled the latter was honoured with the People’s Choice Award at the Festival, but something about the former makes our heart sing. We cannot stop thinking about it or its Soundtrack. It takes a magical Film to do that.
Let’s relive some of my favourite star-studded moments of the Festival, as lensed through the Nikon D3400. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without this amazing camera which worked amazingly-well with our Blackberry Key 2 in terms of file transmission to ensure we were able to get our photos uploaded and edited within moments for you all to enjoy! The clarity of these snaps speak for themselves.
A STAR IS BORN Press Conference
We will never stop taking our signature Celebrity Selfies and TIFF ’18 was unforgettable even if we saw many returning faces. We wouldn’t have been camera-ready without the right gear and depending on each scenario, sometimes the Blackberry Key 2 worked best for those Selfies, sometimes the Nikon D3400 worked better. What matters is that more often than not, we got the snap! And many we did.
Here’s some of our faves!
Alexander Skarsgård
Amandla Stenberg
Amber Heard
Anthony Ramos
Boyd Holbrook
Cara Delevingne
Chris Pine
Claire Foy
Daniel Kaluuya
Elizabeth Debicki
Gwendoline Christie
Hari Nef
Jacob Tremblay
Jamie Dornan
Jamie Lee Curtis
John David Washington
Julianne Moore
Kelly Marie Tran
Lady Gaga
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Margaret Qualley
Olivia Munn
Parker Sevak
Peter Sarsgaard
Quincy Jones
Riz Ahmed
Ryan Gosling
Steve Carell
Steven Yeun
Timothée Chalamet
Trevante Rhodes
Troye Sivan
Zhang Yimou
In case you missed our Television appearances during TIFF ’18 this is our first year hitting-up the three big media giants: Global, CITY and CP24 (Bell Media). Thrilled! Our brand continues to thrive as a Festival go-to and we are so happy for the recognition.
CP24 with George Lagogianes
Breakfast Television with Winston Sih
Until next year. We’re already ready!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
With TIFF ’18 being just a week away, we’re super-excited to present to you some of our official partners of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival! We live for TIFF and are thrilled as a team to be accredited to the Festival and also bring you as always unparalleled intimate access to the stars and Films of the Festival!
We’re thrilled to give our Readers a chance to be just as stoked as us and we give you a chance to win our TIFF SURVIVAL PRIZE PACK, which is bigger and better than ever!
We’d like to thank the following parnters:
DUFFLET PASTRIES – Toronto’s reigning Queen of Cake® still is going strong with an uptown and down location. When there’s a celebration, it’s always been about Dufflet Pastries’ cakes and pastries for us. TIFF is no exception. There are two locations: 787 Queen Street West and 2638 Yonge Street. Did you know the Queen Street West location offers High Tea on Sundays? Learn more at http://dufflet.com.
ESTIA is just one of several TIFF hotspots owned by popular restauranteur, hotelier and night club owner Charles Khabouth. Known for its acclaimed Mediterranean cuisine, Estia situated at 90 Avenue Road, is a must-try this TIFF. More at http://estiatoronto.com.
WESLODGE owned also by Charles Khabouth, for years has been a hotspot for the stars during the Festival. Known for its classic cocktails and Canadian fare, this vintage tavern at 480 King Street West, has and will continue to host several stars TIFF ’18. We hear the Fried Chicken is superb! More at http://weslodge.com.
STARBUCKS CANADA – TIFF is about the coming of fall and nothing says autumn comfort like Starbucks‘ signature PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE, now back in stores! We have fond memories of warming-up in many a cold line-up at TIFF with this fan favourite and can’t wait to get reacquainted this TIFF! More at http://starbucks.ca.
BLACKBERRY CANADA – We can’t wait to show you all the celebrity selfies and up-close star sightings at TIFF ’18. This year our official smartphone will be the super-sleek and functional Blackberry Key2. Learn all about this reborn icon at https://blackberrymobile.com/ca/product/blackberry-key2.
BRITBOX CANADA – We can’t wait for a bit of downtime post-TIFF and what better way to relax than to catch-up with some of our favourite British programming from BBC and iTV? Britbox Canada is brought to us by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and ITV, bringing home iconic favorites, exclusive premieres, and current series and soaps. Learn more about their latest programming options: https://www.britbox.com/ca/collection/premieres.
ACURA CANADA – Mobility is so important for us during TIFF and once again we’ll be partnering with Acura Canada and driving the 2018 Acura ILX. Acura Canada will be front and center at TIFF this year as a major sponsor and we’re thrilled to experience some of that starpower! Sleek, compact and stylish, we’ll be travelling in style in this beauty! More here: https://www.acura.ca/ilx.
KANDLE ARTISTIQUE – Purveyor of luxurious candles, you now can make your own candles at their gorgeous Yorkville location at 88 Avenue Road in Toronto. More here.
NIKON CANADA – We can’t wait to show you our photos, taken on none other than the state-of-the-art Nikon D850, shooting at 45.7 megapixels, with 4k and 8K video options! More here.
H&M CANADA – We love H&M and are thrilled to be donning H&M and H&M only at TIFF ’18. Can’t wait to show you some pieces from their Fall/Winter 2018 Collection. More at http://hm.com.
CHATIME CANADA – We’ll never get sick of Bubble Tea and to us there’s only Chatime! With various locations across Canada we can’t wait for too to discover the refreshment! Our fave midday beverage? Grapefruit Green Tea (half-sweet, less ice) is our perfect afternoon pick-me-up! Discover your new favourite. More here: http://chatime.com
CP24 – For the past 10 years, we’ve been a contributor at this popular news network and can’t wait to reunite this TIFF ’18 to deliver you the scoop and sightings, plus all the buzz on the hottest Films at TIFF! Don’t forget to tune in as we kick it all off tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5 in the 12 o’clock hour on Live at Noon with George Lagogianes!
Now for the fun stuff! We want to give Readers to win our TIFF ’18 Survival Pack which is bigger and more delicious than ever! Contents include:
One free six-month Britbox Canada membership
$25 Starbucks Canada Gift Card
A Dufflet Pastries Gift Card for one cake
A $200 Estia Gift Card
H&M Canada VIP Card
Two Chatime Canada Vouchers
One Kandle Artistique Candle
Stay tuned to our Social Media throughout TIFF ’18 as we give away
A $200 Weslodge Gift Card
Chatime Canada Drink Vouchers
Starbucks Canada Gift Cards
Britbox Canada Six-Month Memberships
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook. Click “share” on this Post or Re-Tweet this Tweet from @mrwillw for an extra chance!
Don’t forget to join us on our TIFF ’18 adventures and be following on Social Media for real-time updates! You won’t regret it!
Twitter: @mrwillw
Instagram: @mrwillwong
Facebook: http://facebook.com/mrwillwongblog
Don’t forget to be following Team Mr. Will also:
Dave Baldwin: @davemabaldwin
Amanda Gilmore: @gilmoreamanda
George Kozera: @partyg
Siobhan Rich: @typo_eh
Justin Waldman: @dubsreviews
Jonathan Godfrey: @skot_somers
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Blackberry‘s back, alright! The beloved classic is set to make a comeback and we were thrilled to celebrate the launch of the Blackberry Key 2 at Drake-owned PICK 6IX.
Thematically-correct Blackberry Mojitos were pouring at the Yonge Street hotspot and guests, a who’s-who in influencers, nibbled on a sampling of delectables from the establishment including Beef Tartare, Sliders, Fried Chicken, Oysters, Fried Chicken Gyoza, Steak Skewers, Chicken Skewers and the ultimate, a Smores Bar! It was good vibes only who were in delight at being among good company, food and drink at the affair.
Launching July 6, 2018 in Canada at carriers Bell and Rogers, the Blackberry Key 2 reimagines a classic with sensibilities of now. It takes things that we all used to love about our Blackberry and enhances them to the needs and tastes of today.
Don’t tell me you don’t miss having a smaller, lighter phone and more importantly, KEYS!
Highlights include:
•Intelligent keyboard
•12 mp camera
•56% battery charged in 30 minutes
•battery life of up to two days
•Optical Superzoom
•new-improved larger keys
•elegant black diamond back
•Portrait mode photography
•Android-based
•4.5 inch display
Some Snaps. Hover cursor left and right to navigate.
More on the Blackberry KEY 2 here!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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