Toronto International Film Festival 2022

Film festivals are about more than the films.

Harry Styles accepting an award on a stage surrounded by people.

They’re the focus, of course. It’s right there in the name. But the event is as much about the people who attend it as what’s presented on the silver screen. Actors, directors, writers, and other people involved in the creation of motion pictures guarantee that these events garner an enormous audience. People watching people who are in things watched by millions of people. There’s a meta joke in there somewhere.

And given the attendance and viewership that public film festivals draw, it would be remiss of us to not take the opportunity to spread the word of electric performance once again to movie fans and stars alike.  

So, we sponsored one of the world’s largest: the Toronto International Film Festival.

Polestar 2 on display at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Held annually in the TIFF Bell Lightbox cultural centre, the festival is “both a leader in amplifying under-represented cinematic voices, and a bellwether for programming award-winning films from around the globe”. It’s become a favourite amongst industry leaders and anyone who has more than a passing interest in film, with the festival’s audience-voted People’s Choice Award becoming a reliable predictor of which films will do well during awards season.

As such, it’s the perfect platform at which to demonstrate a more premium form of electric performance. Polestar cars were on hand to shuttle attendees, providing an emission-free escort both to and from the festivities, with the all-electric fastback on display in front of the city’s historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Additionally, we went beyond sponsoring the festival at large. We also sponsored the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance. The award honours outstanding achievements within the cinematic world, with everyone from actors and directors to below-the-line artists and emerging talents. The ensemble cast of "My Policeman", starring Harry Styles, took this year's award.

In Canada, more than one in twenty registered new cars was an EV over the course of 2021. This is clearly a country with electric mobility ambitions. Incentives, rebates, and other programs at both federal and provincial levels make the transition easier. And Polestar Montréal is consistently one of the best-performing spaces in North America, proof positive that the shift is well underway in the Great White North. Attendance at Canada’s largest celebration of celluloid makes sense.

Film festivals are about more than the films. They’re also about the influence. And when trying to make a change, influencing as many as possible is crucial.

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