Kate Winslet to Be Honoured at TIFF in September

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet will receive the 2020 TIFF Tribute Actor Award at the 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), headed mostly online on September 15, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Winslet will receive the honour during the virtual gala following her latest film, Francis Lee's Ammonite, where she plays fossil hunter Mary Anning alongside Saoirse Ronan, which is booked for TIFF's reimagined edition.

In a statement, Joana Vicente, executive director and co-head of the Toronto festival described the Oscar-winning actress as "brilliant”.

“Kate’s brilliant and compelling onscreen presence continues to captivate, entertain and inspire audiences and actors alike." added Vicente.

https://twitter.com/TIFF_NET/status/1283763316872089600?s=20

The 45th edition of the festival plans to screen a slimmed-down program of 50 film titles, during its first five days in physical theatres through socially-distanced screenings.

Last year, TIFF honoured Meryl Streep, Taika Waititi, Mati Diop, and Joaquin Phoenix.

But elsewhere, the festival's plans mostly include virtual red carpets, press conferences, and industry events amid the outbreak.

Moreover, festival-goers can also opt for drive-ins to experience cinema.

Physical screenings would require the consent of the city's health authorities as it is dependent on the reopening process of the province to ensure that festival venues and workplaces practice, meet, and exceed public health guidelines.

For the first time in its history, TIFF is introducing a digital platform for the festival, aiming to connect with audiences beyond Toronto by hosting digital screenings, as well as numerous talks and special events.

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The pandemic shut down the production of many TV shows, movies, music concerts, film, and music festivals, around the globe.

The virus caused complete paralysis in all activities and events with large gatherings worldwide due to concerns over the spread of the virus.

The global pandemic, like everyone around the globe, had infected many famous personalities who have gone public with their results, such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie, and the Universal Music chairman and CEO Lucian Graingem who was admitted into the hospital to be treated for the virus.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie[/caption]

The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has infected more than one million people and killed over 234,139 worldwide. It also hit several celebrities and top political figures around the world.

The virus is a new member of the Coronaviruses group, which was never identified in humans. The viruses’ family also includes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), which cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Humans and animals such as mammals and birds can be affected by the disease.

The name coronavirus is derived from the Latin corona, meaning “crown” or “halo”.

On February 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus is Covid-19, taken from the words “corona”, “virus” and “disease”.

In December 2019, an outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China. On 31 December 2019, the outbreak was traced to a novel strain of coronavirus, which was given the interim name 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization (WHO), it was later renamed SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global pandemic as the new virus has rapidly spread to more than 800,000 people from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

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Transmission of viruses between humans happens when someone comes into contact with an infected person’s secretions, such as droplets in a cough.

Coronavirus can also be transmitted by coming into contact with something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

It is known that older people appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of the emerging virus.

The virus caused complete paralysis in all activities and events with large gatherings worldwide due to concerns over the spread of the virus.

People across the globe partake in self-isolation for 14 days as an effective precautionary measure to protect those around them and themselves from contracting COVID-19.