David Cronenberg

Larry Busacca/Getty Images

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the first wave of its honorees for this year, naming Canadian directing legend David Cronenberg as the recipient of the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award and Amy Adams as the winner of this year’s TIFF Tribute Performer Award.

Cronenberg is among the most unique and influential filmmakers of his generation an auteur who has created a bespoke brand of intellectual horror with films such as Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, Crash and A History of Violence. His latest, The Shrouds, premiered in competition in Cannes last month. Shawn Levy (Free Guy, Deadpool & Wolverine) received the inaugural Norman Jewison career award in 2023.

Adams, a six-time Oscar nominee (for Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, American Hustle and Vice), will be seen next in Nightbitch, a comedy horror film from director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) adapted from Rachel Yoder’s debut novel of the same name. Nightbitch will have its world premiere at TIFF 2024. Adams also serves as a producer on the film via her production company, Bond Group Entertainment. . Past recipients of the TIFF Tribute Performer Award include Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep and Joaquin Phoenix.

Cronenberg and Adams will be honored at TIFF’s Tribute Awards gala at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on September 8. Canadian actress Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Quiz Lady) has been named the honorary chair for this year’s gala.

The Tribute Awards gala serves as TIFF’s biggest annual fundraiser, with proceeds this year going towards the festival’s Every Story Fund to champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in film.

The 49th Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5-15, 2024.