Latest news with #keytothecity
CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Toronto's 'Starboy', aka The Weeknd, receives a key to the city
Toronto's very own Starboy has been awarded a key to the city ahead of his highly-anticipated concerts at Rogers Centre. Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. the Weeknd, received the honour from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow during a private ceremony on Saturday. "I'm deeply honored to receive the key to the city. It feels good to be home. Toronto is where I found my voice, and I'm committed to helping the next generation find theirs," he said in a statement. To mark the occasion, the singer and entertainment company Live Nation will be also partnering up to support the the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough and The Weeknd's alma mater of Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute "to create spaces for youth to connect, create and thrive," says a news release from the City of Toronto. Students from both institutions were present at the ceremony on Saturday. "Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye represents the best of our city. From Scarborough to the global stage, he has reshaped modern music while using his platform to support health and humanitarian causes at home and around the world," said Chow in a statement. "I am proud to honour one of our city's greatest artists with a key to the city to celebrate his contributions to music, society and our culture." Chow also proclaimed the weekend of July 26 and 27 as "The Weeknd Weekend" in Toronto. The Diamond-certified artist has smashed through global chart records with hit songs like Call Out My Name and Can't Feel My Face. Born and raised in West Scarborough, he made history as the first Canadian solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show in 2021.
CBC
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Toronto awards filmmaker Guillermo del Toro key to the city
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow presented filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with a symbolic key to the city at a ceremony on Thursday. CBC's Clara Pasieka has the reaction from del Toro.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Guillermo del Toro gets key to his ‘second home,' Toronto
Guillermo del Toro receives the key to the city in Toronto on July 24, 2025. Academy-award winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been given the key to the City of Toronto, a place he describes as his 'second home' and where he's filmed a number of movies over his nearly 40-year career. At a ceremony Thursday morning, the Mexican director spoke about the first time he came to the city 30 years ago, in part, to meet Toronto film legend David Cronenberg but to also shoot the first–and what he called the most 'difficult'-movie of his career, 'Mimic.' 'So, one would wonder, 'Well, he should've run away,'' he said with a laugh. 'But the crew was amazing. Everybody was amazing. We got really drunk on Fridays on the camera truck and I liked that!' Mayor Olivia Chow presented del Toro with the key at Cinespace Studios in Toronto, where he shot the Academy-award winning 'The Shape of Water,' as well as 'Nightmare Alley' and 'Cabinet of Curiosities.' 'Guillermo del Toro is a once-in-a-generation storyteller, director and we celebrate his contributions to Toronto and his films which have touched viewers from around the world,' she said. As part of Thursday's ceremony, Cinespace announced that a section of its film production space will now be known as the 'Guillermo del Toro Stages.' Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro receives the key to the city in Toronto on July 24, 2025. His upcoming film 'Frankenstein' was also shot in Toronto and will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Del Toro hasn't been shy about his love of Toronto. In recent years, he's shouted out some of his favourite bookstores in the city and even called on the mayor to jump in to save a west-end cinema that was at risk of closing. 'For all of this, I want to say thank you. I have loved Toronto for so many years, and I am very happy that it loves me a little back.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Toronto to present Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with key to the city
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow will present Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with a key to the city on Thursday to honour his long-standing creative relationship with the city. The presentation will happen during a joint ceremony with Cinespace Studios, a group of film and television production facilities that has a location in Etobicoke, the city said in a news release Wednesday. While the city did not name del Toro as the recipient ahead of Thursday's ceremony, Cinespace Studios confirmed he will be honoured in an email to CBC Toronto. "In Toronto, the Key to the City is a traditional symbolic honour, as the city has no physical gates to unlock," the city said in its news release ahead of the ceremony. "The ceremonial key and certificate represent the City's recognition of exceptional civic contributions." The mayor selects recipients to acknowledge people who have contributed positively to Toronto and its residents, the news release said. Del Toro — who lives part-time in Toronto — has shot several movies in the city, including The Shape of Water, for which he won Best Director and Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards. His upcoming Netflix film Frankenstein was also filmed in the city and will play at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The Marine Terminal campus sound stages at Cinespace Studios will be renamed Thursday in honour of the recipient's contributions to the film industry and the city's cultural landscape, the city said.
CBC
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Toronto to present Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with key to the city
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow will present Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with a key to the city on Thursday to honour his long-standing creative relationship with the city. The presentation will happen during a joint ceremony with Cinespace Studios, a group of film and television production facilities that has a location in Etobicoke, the city said in a news release Wednesday. While the city did not name del Toro as the recipient ahead of Thursday's ceremony, Cinespace Studios confirmed he will be honoured in an email to CBC Toronto. "In Toronto, the Key to the City is a traditional symbolic honour, as the city has no physical gates to unlock," the city said in its news release ahead of the ceremony. "The ceremonial key and certificate represent the City's recognition of exceptional civic contributions." The mayor selects recipients to acknowledge people who have contributed positively to Toronto and its residents, the news release said. Del Toro — who lives part-time in Toronto — has shot several movies in the city, including The Shape of Water, for which he won Best Director and Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards. His upcoming Netflix film Frankenstein was also filmed in the city and will play at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The Marine Terminal campus sound stages at Cinespace Studios will be renamed Thursday in honour of the recipient's contributions to the film industry and the city's cultural landscape, the city said.
