First Timers’ Club: 10 Stars Destined to Steal the Spotlight at TIFF 2016

First Time With Honours
Acting is her full-time gig, but Toronto’s Grace Glowicki’s side hustles as a writer and a director have folks doing a triple take. Her multi-faceted oeuvre has given her great standing this year: She was awarded a Special Jury Prize for her outstanding performance in a drama called Her Friend Adam and has been chosen as one of TIFF’s coveted rising stars—a first-time honour that was held by the likes of fellow Canadians Tatiana Manslay and Emily Van Camp. Part of the honour of being a rising star means being introduced to established directors and attending a handful of TIFF’s biggest premieres and parties.

Since Glowicki is such a multitasker at heart, her wrist game must match her ambition. The GUESS Multifunction Stainless Steel Silvertone watch—which comes with two subdials that glamorously pinpoint the days, weeks, months and military time—will dutifully keep Glowicki on schedule during her rounds at TIFF this year.

First major starring role in a TIFF film
Sure, she’s been nominated for an Emmy twice already (for her incredible roles in Orphan Black) and starred in projects alongside Helen Mirren, Amy Poehler and Suzanne Clement, but Regina’s Maslany has yet to slay on the big screen with her own vehicle. This will change this year at TIFF, which debuts her starring role in the gripping drama 2 Lovers And A Bear. After this film, she could be headed to Hollywood for good.

First-time villain
The eldest granddaughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley and the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley has been in many epic films (Mad Max: Fury Road, Magic Mike) since she made her film debut in The Runaways in 2010. However, the 27-year-old, L.A-born actress is cutting her teeth as the baddest badass she’s ever played in the upcoming drama American Honey, which debuts at TIFF this year. Her character—who sells magazines door-to-door in the Midwest—is described as “a spray-tanned devil in a Confederate-flag bikini” by Variety. Part of American Honey‘s hype is the fact that this is said to be Keough’s best performance so far. The film’s sweet buzz seems to be legit, as the movie has already won a coveted Jury Prize at Cannes.

To coincide with her royal rock ’n’ roll heritage, a GUESS Sky Blue Tone Stainless Steel Dress Watch would be the perfect time-teller to accompany Keough’s walk down American Honey‘s red carpet. It’s a watch that is 100% Americana, summoning major Lana Del Rey vibes and respectfully tipping its hat to one of The King’s biggest hits: “Blue Suede Shoes.”

First-time scream queen
She’s done sci-fi (Alien: Covenant), humour (political comedy series Graves) and even dipped her toe in a musical (she cameos in the upcoming La La Land alongside Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling), but the most challenging role to date for Callie Hernandez is undoubtedly the new reboot of the horror flick Blair Witch, which arrives at TIFF this year. The Mexican-American actress—who also plays the cello—put her vocal chords to the test in the film, since the script calls for her character to head into a creepy, spirit-possessed forest in search of a lost friend.

First Time at TIFF
Brooklyn’s golden boy is one of those talents who will be enjoying his first TIFF with a starring role in Manchester By The Sea. As the son of novelist/director and screenplay writer Peter Hedges (author of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, About A Boy and Dan In The Real Life, and director of Pieces of April), Hedges Junior, who has already had a cameo in movies such as Moonrise Kingdom, is well equipped to rub shoulders with Hollywood giants. In his first major starring role as orphan in Manchester By The Sea—which debuts at TIFF—Hedges shares the camera with Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck.

A GUESS Analog Goldtone Stainless Steel Watch would pair perfectly with Hedges already-hip cred as a TIFF newbie. The modern design—which includes a striking enamel sunray dial and black and gold face—could be worn at his film’s premiere and after-party because it looks so slick.

First political satire
While it is hard for some to see VanCamp as anyone other than Sharon Carter in Captain America or the delicate mystery sister on TV’s Brothers and Sisters or the orphan in Revenge, her next film—Boundaries, debuting at TIFF—may change all that. In the movie, the Port Perry, Ont.-born actress plays Emily Price, a woman who ends up negotiating with a Canadian politician and the president of a country whose natural resources are being misused.

First feature film debut
Grammy-nominated singer Janelle Monae knows her way around a red carpet like nobody’s business. The talented 30-year-old’s brand of R&B and pop may have already garnered her a case of awards in music, but her appearance in this year’s TIFF film Moonlight is said to be her breakout in acting. Her tuxedo-centric style, which is an homage to Charlie Chaplin, will no doubt also catch Hollywood’s attention.

Her futuristic body of work tells us that Monae’s accessories should also be ahead of their time. For her TIFF debut, Monae would look fantastic rocking a GUESS Analog Smartwatch, which comes with Bluetooth Voice Command and Notifier Technology. She could recite song lyrics to her wrist and even check email on her way up the red carpet.

First time starring in a trio of TIFF films
French film icon Isabelle Huppert has had a career that is filled with awards and accolades, appearing in more than 100 film and TV projects since coming onto the scene in 1971. She’s also known as one of Paris’s chicest stars, wearing exquisite, minimal designs from Dior, Chanel, Saint Laurent and Fendi (just to name a few) when she’s both on and off duty. This year she will be featured at TIFF’s “In Conversation” series, and who better to do so than an actor who is starring in three major TIFF films, including Mia Hansen-Løve’s Berlin Silver Bear–winning drama Things to Come, a romance about a former Euro vision singer called Souvenir and Paul Verhoeven’s new thriller, Elle.

First Big Hollywood Film
The acclaimed Quebecois writer-director-actor isn’t a stranger to TIFF at all but this year is quite special as he is bringing a drama titled It’s Only The End of the World to the fest. Cast with A-listers such as Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard—as well as Lea Seydoux and Vincent Cassell—this project is the first time Dolan has used an army of world-renowned talent to support his vision. His gripping new flick has already trended on Twitter and made massive headlines at Cannes this year.

Hands down, Monsieur Dolan is one of the most stylish men in Canada so what he places near his palm is going to reflect his trendy ways. When it comes to premieres, he’s known for wearing pieces from some of the savviest designers in the world. A fitting accessory for Dolan would be the stylish GUESS’s Dress Analog Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch. The Roman numerals and smooth bezel on the timepiece read as both modern and timeless.

First Nations Icon
At 84, Obomsawin is bringing her 16th documentary to TIFF for a good reason. The film, which is appropriately called We Can’t Make The Same Mistake Twice, fiercely uncovers a deeply flawed governing system in Canada, which is mired in social injustice. The film highlights the specific side effects of the injustice hurled at children coming from First Nations families.