TORONTO — Canadian Shawn Mendes is bringing his pop star swagger to the Toronto International Film Festival.
The eight-time Juno Award winner is set to perform at the annual TIFF Tribute Awards next week.
TIFF is also partnering with the Shawn Mendes Foundation to present a new $10,000 award in support of civic-minded cinema.
The Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award will be given to a festival film that tackles issues of social change.
The winner will be chosen by the TIFF Next Wave Committee of teenage film enthusiasts.
Mendes’ foundation will support the initiative to elevate young voices with an annual contribution.
TIFF also announced that CTV “etalk” hosts Chloe Wilde and Tyrone Edwards will preside over Tuesday’s TIFF Tribute Awards broadcasts.
They’ll be joined by presenters including actors Colin Farrell, Regina King, Olivia Colman and Jodie Foster as well as director Ava DuVernay.
The tribute awards are an annual fundraiser to support TIFF’s year-round programming.
This year’s winners include actors Kate Winslet and Anthony Hopkins, director Chloe Zhao and filmmaker Mira Nair.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020.