Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey, Co-Heads of TIFF, announced today that cinematographer Ari Wegner will be honoured with the TIFF Variety Artisan Award at this year’s TIFF Tribute Awards. The award recognizes a distinguished creative who has excelled at their craft and made an outstanding contribution to cinema and entertainment. For the second straight year, the TIFF Tribute Awards will be broadcast on Saturday, September 18 at 7pm ET/PT, 8pm AT on CTV and everywhere CTV content can be found, on the final day of the 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival®, and will be streamed to a global audience by Variety, the exclusive trade media partner of the event. Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins and Academy Award-nominated and six-time Grammy Award-winning composer Terence Blanchard are previous recipients of the award.
Wegner’s career began to take off with Night Shift by Zia Mandviwalla, which went to Cannes in 2012. She has worked both on television and film projects, including The Girlfriend Experience, True History of the Kelly Gang, In Fabric, Stray, Ruin, and Lady Macbeth. She recently worked on Janicza Bravo’s Zola, which was released by A24 this summer. Her work will next be seen in Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, directed by Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch (a fellow TIFF Tribute honouree) and Kirsten Dunst, which will screen at TIFF.
“We are absolutely thrilled to honour Ari Wegner with this year’s TIFF VarietyArtisan Award and to showcase her illustrious career in film and television,” said Vicente. “Ari brings such a transformative and unique style to all of her projects, including her stunning cinematography in The Power of the Dog. We can’t wait for our audiences to see the Special Presentation of this powerful film during the Festival.”
“Ari approaches every project she works on with such a thoughtful and creative gaze,” said Steven Gaydos, Executive Vice President, Content Executive Editor, Variety. “Her work is inspiring and groundbreaking, and we are looking forward to being able to honour her incredible work and contributions at this year’s awards.”
The 2021 TIFF Tribute honourees include the recently announced music legend Dionne Warwick as the recipient of the Special Tribute Award; Saskatchewan-born Cree/Métis filmmaker Danis Goulet as the recipient of the TIFF Emerging Talent Award, presented by L’Oréal Paris and supported by MGM; two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, who will receive the TIFF Tribute Actor Award supported by the Tory Family, and Academy Award-nominated Benedict Cumberbatch, who will receive the TIFF Tribute Actor Award; Academy Award-nominated French Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, who will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award; and award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, singer, and activist Alanis Obomsawin, who will be honoured with the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media supported by Participant Media.
The TIFF Tribute Awards honour the film industry’s outstanding contributors and their achievements, recognizing leading industry members, acting talent, directorial expertise, new talent, and a below-the-line artist and creator. The Awards also serve as TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser to support TIFF’s year-round programmes and core mission to transform the way people see the world through film. This year’s event will raise funds for TIFF’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiative and champion a safe, community-focused, and inspiring return to cinemas. In 2020 the TIFF Tribute Awards celebrated the remarkable talents and contributions of Mira Nair, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Chloé Zhao, Terence Blanchard, and Tracey Deer, some of whom went on to win awards on the international stage — such as Zhao (Nomadland), Deer (Beans), and Hopkins (The Father). Meryl Streep, Taika Waititi, Mati Diop, Joaquin Phoenix, and Roger Deakins were celebrated during the Awards’ inaugural event in 2019.
ARI WEGNER BIOGRAPHY
Ari Wegner is a cinematography graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television. In her graduating year, she attended the Budapest Cinematography Masterclass in Hungary and in 2009, the Berlinale Talent Campus as part of the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival.
Her cinematography work extends from feature-length drama to short films, music videos, commercials, and documentaries. Her films have been screened at numerous international film festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Rotterdam, Tribeca, Locarno, New York, London, and Melbourne.
Her debut feature film, Matière Grise (2011), premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She went on to shoot the TV drama The Kettering Incident for Foxtel, receiving an AACTA nomination for Best Cinematography in Television in 2016. That same year, Wegner was director of photography on the BAFTA-nominated Lady Macbeth, winning Best Cinematography at the 2017 British Independent Film Awards.
Most recently, Wegner shot Zola, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Other credits include Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang and the television series The Girlfriend Experience, based on Steven Soderbergh’s 2009 film of the same title.
The Government of Canada opened its borders for non-essential travel from American citizens and permanent residents on August 9, 2021, and plans to open to citizens of any country on September 7, 2021, provided that the domestic epidemiologic situation remains favourable, and that visitors have been fully vaccinated with Government of Canada–approved vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD) at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. Those meeting these requirements can travel to Canada without having to quarantine, including the elimination of the three-night hotel quarantine policy. As of August 27, 75.2% of Canada’s eligible population is fully vaccinated, one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Toronto boasts one of the highest percentages of fully-vaccinated citizens in North America with 76.1% of the eligible population completed as of the same date.
As a result of the opening of the border and increased capacities in cinemas in Ontario, TIFF has added to its list of venues to accommodate a number of additional in-person Public and Press & Industry screenings. TIFF Festival venues include TIFF Bell Lightbox and marquee venues the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, and the Cinesphere IMAX Theatre at Ontario Place, plus outdoor screening venues at Ontario Place Festival Village, including the Visa Skyline Drive-In, the RBC Lakeside Drive-In, and the West Island Open Air Cinema. Press & Industry screenings will be held at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto and TIFF Bell Lightbox. Public in-person screenings will have limited press and industry access.
Beginning on September 9, 2021, Festival staff, audience members, and visitors entering TIFF Festival venues from September 9 to 18 will be required to show either proof they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or proof that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours prior to entering any TIFF venue. This protocol does not extend to the Visa Skyline Drive-In and RBC Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place, where audiences will be in their cars. Previously announced COVID safety measures and detailed protocols and procedures for the public, talent, studios, stakeholders, and other TIFF attendees can be found at tiff.net/covid-19.
Additionally, digital Public screenings will be programmed on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox for the accessibility of Festival-goers but are limited to Canadian audiences. The TIFF Digital Cinema Pro platform will host digital Press & Industry screenings, as well as the TIFF Industry Selects market for industry buyers. Films available to press and industry on TIFF Digital Cinema Pro will be accessible to delegates worldwide; however, some exceptions may occur where the film rights holders have not authorized an online screening in selected regions. The TIFF Bell Digital Talks platform will host a variety of Public and Press & Industry talks, including the In Conversation With… talks series, the Industry Conference, and Press Conferences.
TIFF continues to work closely with the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and public health officials on the safe execution of the Festival, with its number-one priority being the health and well-being of both Festival filmgoers and residents of the community. To help ensure the safest possible experience, TIFF has once again partnered with Medcan, a global health care leader providing medical expertise, consultation, and health inspiration to achieve its mission to help people “Live Well, For Life.” Based on the pillars of evidence-based care, exceptional client service, and the latest in technology, Medcan’s team of over 90 physicians supports employee health care across the continuum of health, including its “Safe at Work System,” which helps organizations navigate the pandemic. |
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