The Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) proudly brings the fourth part of its public seminar series. The event offers a special opportunity to connect through an exclusive talk about celebrity activists and their films to be screened at the 39th Toronto International Festival (TIFF). The talk will be taking place at the industRealarts room (688 Richmond Street West) from 7 to 9 pm on Wednesday, September 3. The evening opens with a reception honouring public attendees and seminar participants Emmanuel Lopez and Samita Nandy.

As news sources cite Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, “Cinema’s collective and transformative experience lives at the heart of our Festival.” The Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies sponsored event will offer critical and inspirational views on TIFF films and celebrities to show how the festival can positively change public and the world around them. For example, actress Sandra Bullock and her film Gravity had its North American premiere at TIFF 2013. Her character demonstrated outstanding resilience in the face of adversity while in real life Bullock has overcome life challenges and helps change the world through her numerous charities and disaster relief funds. The event will offer a special opportunity to learn more about celebrities creating social change and have attended TIFF such as Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon and Geoffrey Rush. The talk will enable TIFF attendees to discover how their films can inspire and increase resilience such as Titanic, Pleasantville and The King’s Speech. After the presentation attendees will be motivated to unleash their inner star and recognize the lasting power of the 2014 TIFF experience.

Key Benefits:

• Connect with a diverse and professional network

• Learn how TIFF provides lasting personal empowerment

• Increase your resilience and positivity through inspiring film festival movies

• Discover celebrities helping create social change

Speaker Bios:

Emmanuel Lopez is Motivatorman, an award-winning Illustrator and Motivational Speaker on resilience. He has written over 750 film tips on his “Movies that Motivate” blog and was featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Emmanuel teaches empowering tools, methods and movies he discovered for maintaining a positive mindset during unexpected life changes, burnout and depression. He created artwork for the official Roots T-Shirt for Toronto’s Film Festival of 1991 along with artwork used as the International Film Critic’s Award given to director Gus Van Sant. Emmanuel has provided motivational talks for: TD Canada Trust, Royal Ontario Museum and The Art Institute of Boston. His first book “Movies for Motivation: How to Stay Strong in Your Life & Career” is available on Amazon Kindle. See more: www.motivatorman.com

Samita Nandy is an author, cultural critic and certified broadcast journalist with a PhD on fame from Australia’s Curtin University. Her research and writing focus on celebrity culture that has been published in Oxford and New York. Her international media relations and work led her to be featured with Global Television’s Anwar Knight and Allison Annesley on Daytime talk show and prime-time show First Local on Rogers Television, CBC News, CTV’s Breaking News CP 24, OMNI TV, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Journalism Foundation, Eternity Watch magazine, and ANOKHI Media among many more. Nandy has taught postgraduate and honors degree courses in media at University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and Curtin University. See more: www.samitanandy.com

The Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) is an international organization that helps coordinating academic research and media commentaries on celebrity culture. CMCS carries a pedagogical philosophy that inspires integration of research and media skills training in academic and public discourses of fame. The centre believes in intellectual, aesthetic, and ethical values of bridging gaps in higher education and media. With this view, CMCS helps coordinating research, publications, creative productions, and media commentaries to restore artistic and ethical acts for social change. For more information, please visit www.cmc-centre.com.

For title sponsorship, media interviews and high resolution photographs, contact Samita Nandy at info@cmc-centre.com or call 416.985.8887.

Date: 7 – 9 pm September 3, 2014

Location: industREALarts room (688 Richmond Street West), Toronto

Admission: PWYC