Canadian filmmakers, Lisa Ray and an OC mom party at the Spoke

Canadian filmmakers, Lisa Ray and an OC mom party at the Spoke

Last night, the Spoke Club launched the film festival season with its annual Canadian Filmmakers party, hosted by actress Lisa Ray, who looked fresh-faced and fabulous, as usual, and Ben Mulroney, who looks more like dad Brian every year. The frigid temperature and grey sky spitting rain didn’t mar the festivities; guests huddled around propane heaters on the rooftop patio and warmed up by dancing to Motown jams downstairs. Industry insiders and Spoke members lapped up the free Skyy TIFF-themed cocktails, but actual celebs (other than the OC‘s Melinda Clarke) were few and far between.

Save for hosts, we saw the typical CanCon boldfaces, like eTalk co-host Tanya Kim, Brett Wilson of Dragons’ Den, The Trotsky director-screenwriter Jacob Tierney and star Emily Hampshire. Tierney and Hampshire are in town promoting Good Neighbours, which premieres at the film festival on Tuesday, September 14. And was that Garth Drabinsky we spied at the bar? Bail is a wonderful thing. But TIFF parties don’t need to be star laden for good times; free booze tends to create loose lips among patrons. Our favourite conversation of the night was with celeb hairstylist Robert Gage, who remarked about a hulking security guard, “He’s so tall you’d have to go up on him.”

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