Talked with Guillermo del Toro

As requested by those who have endowed me with the funding, I will provide a detailed explanation of my program to Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), alongside a handful of images.

Firstly, I was quite tired after the bus ride, needing to lie down before the group went to dinner. I didn't see any movies on the first night, which was fine, but I wanted to see what I wanted to in the time allotted, as well as sightseeing and getting tips on where the best places to visit would be.

Toronto is a town known for its food and melting-pot cultural scenes, so I visited two places in particular aside from the main festival that would broaden my cultural insight towards the Toronto makeup: Chinatown and the Gay Village.

Chinatown is home to many shops and restaurants owned by local Asian-Canadian/immigrant families, alongside more Asian general stores/supermarkets that cater to different bases aside from the Chinatown residents. In this area of interest are shops selling graffiti/tagging materials, anime goods, an imported video game shop, and various stores selling Canada-related merchandise for American/international tourists.

The Gay Village is an area between Church and Wellesley, which hosts many gay bars, drag showcases, and queer-adjacent shops. Additionally, there are a handful of Japanese restaurants in the area, one of which, Kintaro Izakaya, I visited on a late-night run to get a bowl of oden. The queer scene was super colorful and inviting, and I complimented many of the outfits worn by the patrons of the many bars and clubs in the district. I've heard it's one of the biggest central attractions for Toronto Pride, which sounds like a lot of fun.

Aside from tourism, I participated in several screenings of films shown at the festival, some of which included Q&A's with the cast, directors, and others involved with their production. "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie" was a highlight of the festival, winning the Midnight Madness Audience Choice Award for that year. I highly recommend you check it out when it's eventually available.

Additionally, I had briefly talked with Guillermo del Toro as he was heading out of his hotel. Included is a picture of his signature in a small sketchbook I had on me, in which he noted my drawings and that he was fond of them. I left, wishing him luck at the "Frankenstein" Canadian premiere, to which he said, "Hope to see you around". Quite a treat to have said to me!

Included is a picture of me in a garish getup. I took this picture at an A&W close to King Street, at which I enjoyed the surprisingly different menu lineup compared to the American menu. A&W (at least outside of the US) is known for its "Family" menu, where a burger corresponds to a traditional family member in a nuclear family. Dad Burger, Mom Burger, Teen Burger, etc., but there weren’t any root beer floats to find. It was a shame! I know A&W for their floats like the back of my hand!

To conclude, I believe the financial aid to my Toronto adventure was well-needed. Not just for a way for me to get up-close with the industry, but also to learn about the workings of a big city outside the US with an ethnically/culturally diverse population that you hardly see in Michigan. Thank you very much for funding my program.

• Name: Addyson Richard
• Status: Senior
• Major: Film Studies
• Hometown: East Lansing, Michigan
• Program: Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)