MARBL was the hot ticket at this Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as the King West spot saw its sleek space fill with famous faces and move-makers in the film industry. From September 8-11, leading Hollywood events and communications group, Roxstar Entertainment, brought its celebrated hospitality program, the Cinema Center, to TIFF. The move came after successful 2023 launches at top film fests in Sundance, Austin, and Tribeca. Experiences included a combination of sponsored gala premiere parties, industry networking events, and press junkets over the four-day and night period.
Roxstar Entertainment’s Executive Producer of the Cinema Center, David Manning, says the signature elements of Roxstar events are, “without a doubt,” the world’s top celebrities, glitz, glamour, and a guaranteed good time. After attending the after-party for the Elliot Page-executive produced film, Backspot, we can confirm this is indeed true.
Despite the ongoing writers and SAG-AFTRA strike that kept many famous faces from attending their film’s premiere this year, the Cinema Center still brought its usual brand of glitz, glamour, and gala-level celebrations to TIFF 2023.
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Think: dramatic bottle service deliveries with sparklers, wine tastings, flowing Belvedere and Tres Generaciones Tequila cocktails, exquisite eats, a VIP-only guest list (no exceptions), and top-quality DJs.
“We know the value and experience we deliver, and how important to the filmmaker community it is during the festival, so even when most were discouraged by the SAG/Writers strike, we never wavered in our commitment to celebrate the industry at TIFF this year, as we believed there would still be great films and respective talent participating at this year’s TIFF,” says Manning. “It provided us a greater opportunity to focus on the talents of local, indie and international filmmakers.”
For example, the much buzzed-about Backspot was entirely locally created, produced, and shot, with Toronto’s rising star D.W. Waterson in the director’s seat. The queer cheer drama stars Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs) and newcomer Kudakwashe Rutendo. The after-party was filled with the film industry’s move-makers, who united in a high energy celebration of the film, which was shot in Toronto and Cobourg in March.
That’s not to say that a world-famous celebrity or two didn’t grace the venue, including Page himself, who mixed and mingled well into the evening at the Baskspot celebration. Cinema Center also saw stars like Viggo Mortensen, Willem Dafoe, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, and Camila Morrone stop by this TIFF.
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In addition to Backspot, films celebrated at this year’s Cinema Center included Unicorns, Irena’s Vow, and The Critic. Cinema Centre also hosted The Creative Coalition’s Spotlight Soiree, hosted by The Creative Coalition President, Tim Daly.
Not just a party spot, Cinema Center was home to the Collider Media Studio during the day. Here, top filmmakers, directors, and cast members stopped in for exclusive interviews with the popular entertainment site, Collider.
This year’s 2023 Cinema Center sponsor partners included Sommsation, Blue Moon, Collider, Toronto Star, Tres Generaciones tequila, and Belvedere Vodka.
As for MARBL, the marble-accented see-and-be-seen restaurant was a natural choice of venue. The venue is no stranger to hosting Hollywood elite, and has annually been one of the top film festival hot spots for celebrity talent, filmmakers, social media influencers, and media VIPs since it opened its doors in 2018.
“Our film clients expect an elevated hospitality experience and one that’s easily accessible to the main theatres and TIFF Lightbox,” says Manning. “MARBL meets and exceeds those requirements, and their management and staff delivers an unparalleled upbeat hospitality experience.”
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Of course, these parties weren’t thrown together last minute. “It takes months of planning and prepping to pull off a three-hour event,” says Manning. “We make it look easy, but it’s not. I’m blessed to have a great team and supportive sponsors who believe in our product.”
In the end, the Cinema Center was a decided success. “We want guest to feel welcome, excited, and satisfied with the food, wine, and beverage experience,” says Manning of the Cinema Center experience. “And we think they definitely did.”
