Guillermo del Toro, Jodie Foster, HIKARI and Lee Byung Hun to be celebrated as Brendan Fraser returns as Honorary Chair
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the first group of honourees for its seventh annual Tribute Awards, a gala event that will celebrate outstanding contributions to cinema and mark the start of the 2025 awards season.
Set for Sunday, September 7, at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, the ceremony will honour Academy Award–winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with the TIFF Ebert Director Award, two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster with the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, Japanese filmmaker HIKARI with the Emerging Talent Award, and South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun with a Special Tribute Award. Academy Award–winning actor Brendan Fraser, who received a Tribute Award in 2022, will return this year as Honorary Chair.
“We’re thrilled to announce this year’s recipients, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. “From the commanding talent of Lee Byung Hun, the visionary imagination of Guillermo del Toro, the evocative storytelling of HIKARI, to the incomparable career of Jodie Foster, we’re honoured to welcome these exceptional artists to Toronto.”
Fraser said he was honoured to be back at TIFF. “TIFF has been meaningful to me, and to be in this role during the Festival’s landmark 50th edition is a privilege. TIFF continues to champion the kind of bold storytelling that brings people together, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this year’s Tribute recipients.”
The TIFF Tribute Awards is the festival’s largest annual fundraiser. Proceeds from the gala will support Transform Together, a campaign marking TIFF’s 50th anniversary that focuses on talent development, honouring visionary artists, and community impact. This year’s event is presented in partnership with Rolex, with support from RBC, Don Julio, and Fairmont Royal York.
Guillermo del Toro will attend the festival with a Gala Presentation of his live-action feature Frankenstein. Del Toro’s long relationship with TIFF began with his 1993 debut Cronos and has included Mimic, The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water. The Ebert Director Award, named after the late critic Roger Ebert, has previously honoured Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and Denis Villeneuve.
Jodie Foster returns to the festival with Rebecca Zlotowski’s Private Life, a French psychological mystery, following her acclaimed performance in Nyad, which had its world premiere at TIFF 2023. The Groundbreaker Award recognises artists who champion women in film, both in front of and behind the camera.
Writer-director HIKARI, whose debut feature 37 Seconds premiered at TIFF 2019, will present her new film Rental Family starring Fraser. She is honoured with the Emerging Talent Award, presented by Amazon MGM Studios.
Lee Byung Hun, who stars in Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, will receive a Special Tribute Award. Known for his roles in Squid Game, Joint Security Area, Red 2, and Terminator Genisys, Lee has become a global star.
The 2025 Tribute Awards are part of TIFF’s 50th edition, a milestone year for the festival as it continues its mission to celebrate cinematic excellence and bold storytelling.